ZM you asked for understanding of the slot system so here I go:
There is only one thing that worries me more than the fact that somebody could start repoducing such utter load of b0ll0cks and its the fact that you bought into it.
I don't know if I should give you the following information but here I go again: Santa does not exist.
Going back to the heart of the matter: whatever request you make through Palma Operations is fed into a computer by somebody who's not located at the ATC facility and is not a controller. The reply comes directly form the CFMU system. No evil Spanish gnome intervention except for any reg that the Spanish ATC may have previously fed into the system. The reg may read something like this "Zippy Monster's aircraft cannot take off until frogs start shaving". Not true, just kidding, don't buy into it.
Since we're going round in circles let's recap.
Spanish ATC are working to the rules set by the AENA beancounters. It all started when the beancounters started intruding into operational matters. Make your homework and find the beancounters' reply to the controllers complaint about understaffing and overloaded sectors.
There's a war going on but the controllers are not trying to make your life miserable. They are overstressed and abiding by the beancounters' rules (no directs, full SIDS, etc.). If some pilot got home 2h late, some Spanish controllers had to take their kid to work because of the newly imposed nazi rules like the "on call" system. Live with it like I do. If not able 411A may give you appropriate counseling.
And finally: moderator where are you? Posts containing explicit insults like the ones from specimens ala McNutty (approximative spelling) should be (and most probably are) against pprune rules. What are you waiting to remove them? I've had posts erased for much much less.
Would 411A be right and there would be a certain bias (I'll let you guess which one it is) in this forum?