The majority of companies around here are not international companies, therefore they have no need to learn to speak English.
Local companies deal with local people who speak the local language.
I feel that it's the people who move into this area and make no attempt to learn the local languages who are the ignorant ones.
Some expats ought to move to Andalusia or perhaps Salou, where everyone speaks English.
Not a rant but an observance

An example of...was talking to the guy at the winery in Bot both at the food fira last month and again last week and he actually put the idea in my head. He is local, produces a local product, employs local people, buys from local businesses but sells internationally and guess what...speaks good English and as he says so do the majority of Dutch,the Belgiums,the Germans etc etc  all forward thinking countries.

I certainly agree that if anyone wants to be part of an 'international business market' they should be able to speak the language required whether it is English, Cantonese or whatever.  In the latest bulletin we have received from Sol d'Ebre they are advertising a management position and one of the requirements is the ability to speak Catalan, Castillian and English and I have heard from people who work in the emergency services that they need to speak English if they want to gain any kind of promotion.  All of the bodegas that I have visited (and there have been quite a few) who are interested in exporting have English speakers too.

As cactus jack says though the majority of businesses here aren't international and never will be so it isn't necessary.  I can't see our local panaderia, carnisseria or peixeteria going global and as Pondboy and I are the only people who live here full time who are native English speakers I think it is probably safe to say that we are only going to fit in properly (which we want to do) if we speak their language rather than expect them to speak ours.  We would be the 'ignorant' ones to expect anything else.

As for telling someone that their native language is pointless, I'm not surprised he didn't agree with you    Language is an intrinsic and important part of national and cultural identity and not something that should be dismissed lightly.

Common sense prevails

Does this include correct spelling and grammar?

I think that describing people who choose to speak their own language in their own country 'ignorant' is beyond rude. 

Into how many languages do you think the cash-strapped town halls should translate their bills? If your language skills are so little that you cannot even read a bill you might want to consider who is ignorant here.

rita, if the exams include spelling and grammar the Spanish will clearly end up better able to speak and write English than vast swathes of ex-pats.

I know enough Castillian to get by and I am trying to learn Catalan as well as possible because that is the everyday language of the area in which we choose to live.  Which language people choose to learn is really down to personal choice but for heaven's sake people learn at least one of them