The presidente del gobierno (the Spanish prime minister) Pedro Sánchez Pérez - Castejón has been under fire recently from all sides - Feijóo (PP); Abascal (VOX); Noguera (Junts); the predominantly right-wing Press - and he is "riding low" in the opinion polls.
He has been accused of corruption, of nepotism and of other dodgy practices.
[Facebook]
So, arguably the best prime minister Spain has had since democracy was restored in 1978, decided to submit himself to a live interview/interrogation by TVE, the national TV broadcaster.
That was yesterday and this story has dominated the airwaves in Spain ever since.
Entrevista con el Presidente del Gobierno, Tuesday November 2nd, 2025
I watched the whole thing live and found it gripping. The interviewer, Gemma Nierga, in her programme "Cafè d'Idees", "pulled no punches" and was persistent and probing. Sánchez looked every inch the statesman that he is. Young, handsome, clean-cut (no ear-ring, no tattoos, and no pony tail), articulate and totally believable.
He remained calm throughout and projected an image of quiet authority.
The topics covered in this 30-minute interview, which took place in a private salón at the Moncloa Palace, the official residence of the Spanish prime minister (think Number 10 Downing Street in the UK) were predictable:
[RTVE.es]
the Cataluña problem, Puigdemont and Junts; the "dana" in Valencia and the Carlos Mazón situation; the publication of a memoir by the former king, Juan Carlos I, and a subsequent interview broadcast on Spanish TV; the accusations about his wife, Begoña Gómez, and his brother, David Sánchez; alleged corrupt practices by Sánchez and the calls for his resignation; el Franquismo and the youth vote.
Puigdemont [EL PAIS] Feijoo [Cadena SER]
Abascal [Democrata] Mazon [elDiario.es]
He dealt with each in turn in a calm and logical manner. He confirmed for me that he is the best and most effective prime minister Spain has had since the end of Franco's dictatorship, the restoration of the monarchy and the reintroduction of a parliamentary democracy.
Reaction
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, president of the conservative People's Party (PP), was predictable in his reaction. Attack, attack, attack! No alternative policies offered, just negativity. Feijóo will never be prime minister of Spain. He's far too dull and ineffective.
Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right VOX, had nothing of value to say. Just a "nazi-style" rant.
A day later, today Wednesday November 3rd, Miriam Nogueras, the spokesperson for Junts per Catalunya, the separatist group in the north-east region, called a Roda de Premsa (press conference) in Barcelona.
Speaking in Catalan, with a simultaneous translation into Spanish, she presented the Junts reaction to Sánchez's interview the day before.
[ABC]
Speaking in Catalan (Why? She knew that most of the reporters present and the TV audience don't speak Catalan. What point was she trying to make? All she does is alienate the rest of Spain) she declared that all the fault for the breach with Madrid lies with Sánchez. Nothing really new.
The exiled leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont, is the "elephant in the room", the cause of the standstill.
Theirs is clearly a lost cause. According to opinion polls, the Catalans have no great wish to secede from Spain. The party only has seven seats, although these are crucial to Sánchez's coalition.
Later, Nogueras was interviewed by the political discussion programme "La Hora" (TVE) and guess what? She speaks fluent castellano!
She kept banging on about broken promises by the Madrid government. And she re-iterated that in Cataluña, Junts decides.
[ABC]
Conclusion
What a fascinating couple of days for keen followers of the political situation in Spain. People like me.
A slightly left-of-centre person by instinct (I was a Liberal voter, later Lib-Dem, and ultimately, the Labour Party of Tony Blair) until I moved to Spain.
Here I am disenfranchised and may only vote in local elections. If I could vote in regional and national elections, my votes would go to PSOE, a centre-left socialist party.
I am more than happy with Pedro Sánchez. He has presided over Spain's recent economic success, the erasing of Franco from the torrid history of this country and Spain being a leading member state of the European Union.
Tony Blair's election victory in 1997 [The Guardian]
With his fluent English Pedro Sánchez is front and centre in Brussels, something no previous Spanish prime minister managed, largely because none of the rest could speak English.
If Spain can address and solve the problem of young people turning en masse towards el franquismo, and possibly voting for VOX, the future of the country is assured.
Links:
DIRECTO | PEDRO SÁNCHEZ ENTREVISTADO POR GEMMA NIERGA | RTVE
Feijóo, sobre la entrevista de Sánchez: "Es el presidente menos creíble de la democracia"
DIRECTO: MIRIAM NOGUERAS, portavoz de JUNTS responde a SÁNCHEZ | RTVE
RECONCILIACIÓN | Juan Carlos I | Casa del Libro - Editorial Planeta ISBN 9788408296225
© Paul Whitelock
Pictures:
ABC, Cadena SER, Democrata, elDiario.es, EL PAIS, Facebook, RTVE.es, The Guardian,
Thanks:
ABC, elDiario.es, Facebook, MSN, RNE, RTVE, Wikipedia
Tags:
10 Downing Street, 1975, 1978, 1997, 7 seats, ABC, Abascal, Cadena SER, "Cafè d'Idees", Democrata, Editorial Planeta, elDiario.es, EL PAIS, European Union, Facebook, Feijoo, Franco, Gemma Nierga, Juan Carlos I, Junts, Junts per Catalunya, Mazon, MSN, Miriam Nogueras, Moncloa, PSOE, Paul Whitelock, Pedro Sanchez, presidente del gobierno, prime minister, Puigdemont, RNE, RTVE, RTVE.es, "RECONCILIACION", Rey Emerito, Roda de Premsa, The Guardian, Tony Blair, VOX