Statements by President of the Government in reportage-interview on "El Programa de Ana Rosa", on Tele-5

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

Ana Rosa Quintana.- Here we are arriving at Moncloa Palace, the personal residence of the President of the Government. The truth is we must express our gratitude at having been allowed to come in with the cameras to a place where the President of the Government principally enjoys his family life with his wife and children. So, let's see what we find.

President of the Government.- How are you, Ana Rosa?

A,R. Quintana.- Thank you so very much; it is an honour to visit the palace, and no less than at the hands of the President of the Government.

President of the Government.- Please! The honour is mine.

A,R. Quintana.- President of the Government, I warn you, I have things here that people have told me…

President of the Government.- Ah! This dog is called "Rico".

A,R. Quintana.- Hello "Rico". What a pretty boy!

President of the Government.- When I came to Moncloa, a neighbour of mine gave me this dog.

A,R. Quintana.- And does "Rico" like Moncloa?

President of the Government.- I think so. He wanders around here… He likes people and whenever there are people around he turns up.

There are two buildings here…

A,R. Quintana.- That's good, as it separates a little your working life from your personal life, doesn't it?

President of the Government.- Yes, of course, although let me tell you something. We will go now to an office. All the President of the Governments, in the end, end up in their office.

This is the first day I have come to Moncloa Palace…

A,R. Quintana.- Smiling… The smile was then wiped off your face.

President of the Government.- At times, but then, it's not… These are my two sons: Mariano and Juan.

A,R. Quintana.- And they are…?

President of the Government.- 10 and 16.

A,R. Quintana.- Elvira, well, "Viri", as everyone knows her, who is not very given to photos. She doesn't like them.

President of the Government.- No. She goes out rarely, only to those places she has to go.

A,R. Quintana.- What is she most involved in, the family, or organising things here?

President of the Government.- When we arrived here I said to her: the perfect system for everything to run smoothly is for you, apart from your obligations (A,R. Quintana.- State obligations? President of the Government.- Exactly.), is to do what you feel is best for you and for the children, and full stop. And that has worked wonderfully.

A,R. Quintana.- Have the children got used to things or does it affect them that their father is the President of the Government?

President of the Government.- Very well… Mind you, they don't tell me much

A,R. Quintana.- And with Obama… Did they speak with Obama in English?

President of the Government.- Not back in 2012, no; but now they can.

A,R. Quintana.- And do you speak English well?

President of the Government.- No, no; not well. Here is where I study English.

A,R. Quintana.-You study English here?

President of the Government.- Yes, look, here are my notes. This whole pile right here.

A,R. Quintana.- And when do you study English?

President of the Government.- I tend to look for a free hour from time to time.

A,R. Quintana.- I like that a lot, because that is like the English books for children.

President of the Government.- Yes, but that was back at the beginning, wasn't it. I am still no Shakespeare, but there you are… It is very important. Of course, my children speak perfectly.

A,R. Quintana.- Is your teacher male or female?

President of the Government.- Female. She is Scottish.

A,R. Quintana.- How are you getting on…?

President of the Government.- Very well. I am a disciplined student.

A,R. Quintana.- What do you do in the mornings? What time do you get up?

President of the Government.- I get up at five to seven and exercise from seven until a quarter to eight. I then have a shower and have breakfast with the kids at eight.

A,R. Quintana.- What exercise do you do?

President of the Government.- I use a treadmill and an elliptical trainer; and then when I have a free weekend I take long walks of an hour and a half or two hours.

A,R. Quintana.- I am told that your walks are spectacular, that you go at a great speed…

President of the Government.- I have walked a great deal this summer. It makes you feel…, it is very good for you, not just physically, but also for…

A,R. Quintana.- It gives you time to think

President of the Government.- Yes, It is very…

A,R. Quintana.- Did you do this before? Have you gone for long walks your whole life?

President of the Government.- No. I started back in 2009, close to my home, and now I do it here. The truth is that it works very well.

A,R. Quintana.- Do you have a hotline?

President of the Government.- There's this one… You pick it up and can get through to anyone. And this one is very…

A,R. Quintana.- Very sophisticated.

President of the Government.- Exactly.

A,R. Quintana.- So they can't listen in on you.

President of the Government.- This would be the equivalent of a hotline.

A,R. Quintana.- With that you can speak in peace about anything without anyone listening in. Do you really think so?

President of the Government.- That's what I am told.

A,R. Quintana.- It is very well organised. Have you retained any traits of when you were doing your entrance exams?

President of the Government.- Yes, the methodology: always getting up at the same time, having breakfast…

A,R. Quintana.- How many pieces of good news do you have at the end of each day?

President of the Government.- Ministers normally call when they have a problem not when they resolve it.

A,R. Quintana.- This is a beautiful room.

President of the Government.- This is the Hall of Columns. It has a long history: the palace where we are now was where a Head of State tended to stay when visiting. The Council of Ministers was held here in the past, under Suárez, under Calvo-Sotelo and during all the early years of González, and hence you practically held the Council of Ministers in your own home. Merkel has been here, and Hollande…

A,R. Quintana.- How is your idyllic relationship with Merkel?

President of the Government.- Hmm, idyllic… Our relationship is good.

A,R. Quintana.- In Spain, Angela Merkel, and Rajoy, of course, are blamed for all the cutbacks.

President of the Government.- Yes, on Rajoy that makes sense. The opposition attack me mercilessly. I don't know whether it will do them much good, but then…

A,R. Quintana.- Do you feel misunderstood?

President of the Government.- No, quite frankly I don't. I did not freeze the wages of public servants for the sake of it, or raise VAT for the sake of it; I did these things because I had no choice. Of course, when you are on the verge of going bankrupt, you must choose. The only item I haven't lowered since coming to power is pensions; everything else has been lowered, quite simply because our revenue was some 90 billion euros less than our expenditure.

A,R. Quintana.- By the way, you say, "when this term of office ends…". When will it end? When will elections be held?

President of the Government.- They will most likely be held on 20 December.

A,R. Quintana.- How are the dates for elections decided upon?

President of the Government.- I will explain this to you: because I want to approve the Budget and until the end of October I will not be able to approve the Budget. The only reason is that I want Spain, vis-à-vis the European Union, to have a Budget approved to offer a sensation of seriousness and to be formal.

A,R. Quintana.- I imagine that this is the path you take every day, when you finish work.

President of the Government.- Every day I leave work at twenty or twenty-five past eight; I have a circuit of some eight hundred and a bit metres and I do the laps I can.

A,R. Quintana.- And don't you ever get out, as the previous King used to do, who grabbed his helmet and a motorbike…?

President of the Government.- No. When I travel, I always take my sports gear…

A,R. Quintana.- And who prepares your suitcase?

President of the Government.- My suitcase… My wife helps a lot.

A,R. Quintana.- I believe you are not a great fan of taking luggage.

President of the Government.- No.

A,R. Quintana.- In other words, sometimes you leave and don't take any luggage, so you forget things…

President of the Government.- There are some things that… It's best not to go into detail.

A,R. Quintana.- Those who know you say that you remain very calm.

President of the Government.- Getting angry doesn't tend to get you far, does it?

A,R. Quintana.- Do you sometimes go to bed thinking, "Who forced me to do this…? Do you ever want to run away?

President of the Government.- Yes, occasionally; or rather sometimes. There are certain times that are not easy, above all when you have to take decisions that you don't like, but when you feel you have no other choice. Politicians, although some would rather not believe this, are also human beings with feelings.

A,R. Quintana.- Do you watch the news?

President of the Government.- I am perfectly well informed of everything, but then sometimes it is true that people poke fun at me so much that I don't want to sit down and watch while they do this. There is a competition as to who can poke fun at me the most.

We have been there, that is the house, and the second building in the complex is this one, where the Council of Ministers is held.

A,R. Quintana.- And who looks after the bonsai?

President of the Government.- I don't, because I know very little about them. But it's very nice; it's very pretty.

A,R. Quintana.- It's wonderful. And is it true that there is a bunker here?

President of the Government.- Yes, there is a bunker.

A,R. Quintana.- Have you ever gone down there?

President of the Government.- Yes. I have gone down twice, as far as I can remember.

This is where photos are taken when a Head of State or Government comes to visit…

A,R. Quintana.- And do ministers fight over who is one step higher or not? Do the shortest ones want to go higher?

President of the Government.- No, this is organised in a strict order.

A,R. Quintana.- So everyone knows where they need to stand?

President of the Government.- Yes, everyone. It's not up for discussion. It doesn't matter whether you are tall, short or not happy about it.

Let me show you where the meetings of the Council of Ministers are held and how they are organised.

A,R. Quintana.- This is where everything takes place.

President of the Government.- Really! Rather, some things happen here.

A,R. Quintana.- But this place is very important. And where does the President of the Government go?

President of the Government.- Right here.

A,R. Quintana.- Why don't you sit down?

President of the Government.- OK, I'll sit down.

A,R. Quintana.- And me in foreign affairs. I like that Ministry a lot because you can travel a great deal.
And is it true that there are cliques, that some ministers meet up and go out to lunch or dinner while others don't? Are there cliques…?

President of the Government.- If there are, I am not aware because I have never been invited to any of these lunches or dinners.

A,R. Quintana.- And would you like to be?

President of the Government.- No, because I wouldn't like them to exist. Here, at the Council of Ministers, we treat each other in a formal fashion. People are addressed by the post they hold: in other words, Mr Minister for Defence, Mr Minister of…

A,R. Quintana.- I imagine that Catalonia is often up for discussion at this table.

President of the Government.- Indeed.

A,R. Quintana.- Many forums are saying that "Mas has gone down a one-way street, but if there are so many in favour of independence that is Rajoy's fault".

President of the Government.- Rajoy is guilty of almost everything, isn't he? At least for some people. No, Rajoy is not to blame as to whether there are more or less people in favour of independence. But, of course, what I am never going to give away is our national unity. I am very sorry if Mr Mas, or anyone else, doesn't like this. Whatever Spain will be is going to be decided by the people of Spain.

This is the office. This is where I spend practically the whole day. This is truly a great photo. This is from January 2012, back in the Royal Palace, when the former King Juan Carlos gave Sarkozy the Golden Fleece, and all of the present and past Presidents of the Governments attended.

A,R. Quintana.- Are things better now, for example with Rodríguez Zapatero, now that he is not the President of the Government, compared with when he was President of the Government.

President of the Government.- Of course, but that is logical. When you are in politics, you and your adversaries attack each other. But why should I get on badly with the former Presidents of the Governments?

A,R. Quintana.- And with Aznar? He has given you a lot of headaches. Aznar suddenly pops up and…

President of the Government.- No. Those are just rumours. Don't pay any heed to these rumours.

A,R. Quintana.- Really? But doesn't he call you and…?

President of the Government.- Yes, we speak every now and then.

A,R. Quintana.- During these last four years, one of the things, one of the things that he has criticised you the most over, even more than the issue of appearing on TV… Don't you like to appear, didn't you have time?

President of the Government.- We have prioritised getting on with things in the office, looking at issues, doing things well. And probably, yes, I recognise that there has been a certain absence on my part. What people say about a breakdown in our communication policy… The mistake was mine; it was down to me to appear and report on things.

A,R. Quintana.- At this time there are five very clear candidates in the elections. We don't know what Alberto Garzón will do in the end. Well, it would seem that he will be a candidate for Izquierda Unida [the United Left]. Do you know all of them personally? What opinion do you hold, for example, of Pedro Sánchez?

President of the Government.- I believe that Pedro Sánchez makes a fundamental mistake; every time he appears, he talks about me. What he should do is try to explain what he intends to do.

A,R. Quintana.- And Albert Rivera, who, it is said, is like the 'white label' of the PP?

President of the Government.- You hear a lot of rubbish spoken. Albert Rivera has his own party and he takes his own decisions.

A,R. Quintana.- And Pablo Iglesias? Have you ever met him? Have you ever spoken with him?

President of the Government.- No, I don't know him. The good thing about him being an MEP is that he already forms a part of the group that he chose to criticise.

In this room, I announced that the King had given me a letter, in my role as President of the Government, saying that he wanted to abdicate the throne.

A,R. Quintana.- That is historic.

President of the Government.- Yes.

A,R. Quintana.- The recent municipal and regional elections were not good for the People's Party. There was a protest vote.

President of the Government.- Undoubtedly.

A,R. Quintana.- There are many PP supporters or voters who have not turned out to the polls because of the things that your government has done.

President of the Government.- Undoubtedly. I am fully aware that there are many People's Party supporters that have not voted for us.

A,R. Quintana.- Is a pact between the PP and the PSOE possible?

President of the Government.- The problem is that, after what we have seen in the latest municipal elections, it is highly unlikely. The PSOE prefers a mayor from the CUP, who lost the elections, to one from the People's Party.

A,R. Quintana.- Can you see yourselves making a pact with Ciudadanos?

President of the Government.- The only thing I have clear is that I will fight as hard as I can because, in all sincerity, I believe that the political project I am leading is the best thing for Spain at this time. Aside from that, if it is necessary to reach agreements, I will look for them, but, of course, I don't know with whom. It depends on the support.

A,R. Quintana.- I can't see it happening with Podemos.

President of the Government.- Right! It is probably reasonable to assume that I will not reach an understanding with Podemos. Above all, there are certain parties whose only objective is that we don't govern.

A,R. Quintana.- Did it cause you heartache to see that there were members of your ranks who were corrupt?

President of the Government.- Yes.

A,R. Quintana.- Were you disappointed?

President of the Government.- Yes. I believe that this issue has been very damaging to us, even in terms of the decisions we had to take on economic policy. I believe that we have now got rid of those people who needed to go.

A,R. Quintana.- The other day Artur Mas said that the search of their premises was a tactic in relation to the upcoming elections.

President of the Government.- That remark is unacceptable to me, because the premises of the People's Party were also searched.

A,R. Quintana.- Perhaps one of the toughest things is the proceedings, or the whole situation, involving Rato?

President of the Government.- Yes, that is tough.

A,R. Quintana.- Because since he is a colleague…

President of the Government.- Rato hasn't been sentenced for anything yet. In other words, let's wait and let justice play out and allow people to defend themselves because sometimes, of course, you are hit by an avalanche but then you are found not guilty and what happens? Who makes amends for what they have said about you?

This room will be very familiar to you, because I believe that it is the most photographed room in Moncloa.

A,R. Quintana.- Who sits here?

President of the Government.- The Heads of State and Government, and Ana Rosa Quintana.

A,R. Quintana.- How incredible! I am going to get my black notebook out.

President of the Government.- I am sure the content will not be black.

A,R. Quintana.- And who fights over the sports paper 'Marca' in your house?

President of the Government.- My son Mariano and me.

A,R. Quintana.- And who wins?

President of the Government.- The truth is that he does.

A,R. Quintana.- You were a handful when you were young, weren't you?

President of the Government.- Me, no. Nor was…

A,R. Quintana.- Yes, you were, you hung off a balcony once.

President of the Government.- Well, always with only moderate risks since I was young.

A,R. Quintana.- How many times have you been to the cinema, to the theatre, out to dinner, or to take a walk with your wife since you have been President of the Government?

President of the Government.- I haven't been. We haven't been to the cinema, but we have been out for dinner, above all in the summer, and above all in Galicia, but not often in Madrid.

A,R. Quintana.- So you don't go out.

President of the Government.- Very little.

A,R. Quintana.- Isn't that a little suffocating?

President of the Government.- Yes, above all it is unfair on my wife.

A,R. Quintana.- Why, or rather, how did you fall in love with Viri?

President of the Government.- I met my wife in Pontevedra, in a pub, which is now closed, and we got married on 28th December. What do you think about that?

A,R. Quintana.- It has worked out well for you.

President of the Government.- As you can see, since we are here.

A,R. Quintana.- I have heard her sometimes say that, "How could I not fall in love with Mariano, he is tall, dark and has green eyes!"

President of the Government.- I am clearly not going to argue with that statement.

A,R. Quintana.- When do you lose your temper?

President of the Government.- I don't tend to.

A,R. Quintana.- Not even watching football?

President of the Government.- Well, sometimes in a football match…, because, of course, with a referee who misses something or when a goal should have been scored, or when… But not in general.

A,R. Quintana.- It looks like a storm is coming, doesn't it?

President of the Government.- I hope that we are not hit by one. But, as you say that I don't ever go out, if you are agreeable, I will treat you to a beer, but I will go and change first because I don't want… I am tired with wearing this suit.

A,R. Quintana.- That is truly an exclusive!

President of the Government.- When I worked from here, in Calle Génova, I always ate out in one of the bars around here, and I will take you out to one now where I went quite often.

A,R. Quintana.- Do you miss that?

President of the Government.- Yes, of course, just being able to wander around the streets.

A,R. Quintana.- And are you aware or do you have times when you forget that every time you have to go out… How many people do you have around you? Do you know how many, or not?

President of the Government.- No. The truth is that I don't… There are things that I have chosen not to concern myself with, among other things because…

A,R. Quintana.- Because you lose your privacy?

President of the Government.- Yes, but you don't have much privacy anyway.

I came here often to eat when I was in Génova; although I don't now because it is too far away. You can eat well here and there is a good atmosphere.

A,R. Quintana.-Hasn't the President of the Government come here for a long time?

Pedro (head waiter).- It has been some time now and we miss him.

President of the Government.- Yes, some time now, but here we are.

A,R. Quintana.- But, since you have been President of the Government or…?

Pedro.- But this is still home-from-home for you.

President of the Government.- And the potatoes with spicy red sauce.

A,R. Quintana.- Can you eat potatoes every day or…? Are you careful with what you eat?

President of the Government.- Well, you have to try to look after yourself a little. But the potatoes are boiled and are far less fattening that French fries.

A,R. Quintana.- President of the Government, what do you wish for in 2016?

President of the Government.- That all those people watching TV at the moment have a good year.

A,R. Quintana.- And a forecast for Spain?

President of the Government.- Spain will have a better year.

A,R. Quintana.- And who will be resident in Moncloa Palace?

President of the Government.- Whoever the Spanish people decide on. Any preference? Yes me.

A,R. Quintana.- Thank you very much, President of the Government.

President of the Government.- Thank you very much, Ana Rosa. It has been a pleasure.