Jordi Sevilla, a former minister in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, recalls how his then boss once told him about a massage he had enjoyed a few days after becoming prime minister. “The masseur was amazed at how little tension he had,” Sevilla said. “This guy had spent a week in La Moncloa (the prime minister’s residence) and that’s enough to leave anyone completely spent!” The anecdote, recounted to writer José García Abad, reflects a couple of popular, not entirely accurate, perceptions about Zapatero: that he is a detached, even cold politician, whose meteoric career has been driven purely by calculation; also that he is a featherweight who doesn’t understand the … [Read more...] about How history will judge Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Rubalcaba to mitigate damage as Zapatero goes up in flames
So that’s that then. In the autumn, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero will announce his decision to make way for his interior minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, as Socialist candidate in the spring 2012 general elections. This, at least, is the theory that has taken hold in much of the mainstream Spanish media in recent days, with El Mundo, La Vanguardia, El Periódico and Público all subscribing to it on the strength of reports emerging from the Socialist camp. Qorreo has heard similar reports from sources close to the prime minister, who also say Zapatero has informed at least four senior Socialists of his plans (and not just one, as the prime minister has claimed). Rubalcaba has … [Read more...] about Rubalcaba to mitigate damage as Zapatero goes up in flames
Optimism at ETA truce is tempered by bitter experience
ETA’s announcement that it has “stopped carrying out offensive armed attacks” is, on the face of it, heartening news; and yet the overall mood following the ceasefire declaration was one of caution, scepticism and even suspicion. It was widely anticipated that a truce announcement was imminent, due to the well-documented efforts of the izquierda abertzale, the political radicals closely associated with ETA, to pressure the organization into giving up its violent campaign. The declaration, the recording of which was given to the BBC, was classic ETA public relations: a masked woman, flanked by two masked colleagues, read it out in Euskera against the backdrop of the group’s emblem, the … [Read more...] about Optimism at ETA truce is tempered by bitter experience