Notes of the Debate Round 1

Notes of the Debate Round 1 between 2 of the candidates for Prime Minister of Spain.
Zapatero, of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).
Rajoy, of People's Party (PP).

Apologies for any mistakes. Words between [] are mine.

Block 1: Economy

Rajoy: consumers' confidence in the economy now with PSOE is one third of what it was in 2004 with PP.
Zapatero: with PSOE, we grow more than the G8 and we share the wealth
R: Spain already went well in 2004 and you bring us now back to 1995 in inflation/unemployment/deficit
Z: PP froze salary for public servants
R: don't tell me about what we did, because we save Spain from your disastrous heritage.
Z: in 2002, PP imposed the "decretazo" as the only way to battle the global recession at the time. With PSOE we do lots of things now.
R: PP already showed that we did it well in 1996 and saved the economy to get into Maastrich (that no one thought we could) and we'll do it again.
Z: PSOE has overcome all the challenges PP put us in 2004.

Social policy

R: Order and control in immigration to prevent from breaking the project. With PSOE there is "call effect" which is an avalanch and a disaster. PP presents proposals.
Z: Education, with PSOE more grants. Equality: PSOE supports women and maternity. Dependency now is supported by law. Pensions and minimum salary have gone up with PSOE. Young people are better off with PSOE.
R: You lie with the grants, there were more with PP. PP supported the Dependency Act and the Madrid region gives three times more to it than PSOE. With PSOE, there are many more immigrants [and many more illegal immigrants than in 2004, so PSOE didn't fix it]. PP wants immigration, legal and with a contract.
Z: With PSOE, forwards in education, biomedical research and individual rights (homosexuals and express divorce). PP didn't move a finger for people's rights.
R: PSOE deleted the Quality in Education Act of PP and came back to the previous one. International reports says that PSOE's law is a failure. PP wants merit, work and authority. Pensions are up because PP put the law right and saved the Social Security. PSOE does not put money for Dependency Act.
Z: Immigration with PP, 5 regularizaciones and a bus travel card was enough; with PSOE give a contract to the ones here and support to the origin.
R: data supports PP's work and the immigration was agreed with the EU. PSOE pays attention to what no one cares.
Z: Immigrants are persons as the Spaniards

Foreign and security policies

R: With PP, ETA didn't kill in the last year and there was no street violence. PP agreed a Pact with PSOE. PSOE broke the Pact, ETA is in the institutions, and there is street violence. Zapatero lied and negotiated politically with ETA.
Z: With PP there were 46 victims by ETA and 192 by Al-Qaeda. Zapatero never criticised PP in regards to the terrorism [but at the same time the Basque branch of PSOE negotiated with ETA at the back of PP's government].
R: Zapatero supported a Pact, not PP. Zapatero is a "oportunista politico" who changes before elections. Zapatero is a lier.
Z: PP lied with the 11-M. Aznar said that ETA was a Basque National Freedom Movement (MLVN) [and you negotiate with them and say that their murders are accidents]. Offences with PP were higher than with PSOE. With PSOE, road safety is better.
R: 11-M and Aznar is past. Negotiation with ETA is the worst political act ever.
Z: PP used terrorism politically. Foreign policy: PP fights with all countries except with Bush and PSOE gets on well with all countries [because PSOE always surrenders].
R: PSOE always looks at the past. There are a lot of criminal bands in Spain. Foreign policy summary: PP with Sarkozy and Merkel, PSOE with Chavez and Castro.
Z: I defended Aznar because I am a patriot [Moratinos agreed with Chavez and Daniel Ortega criticising Aznar and Zapatero did not say anything, but it was the King who showed his anger]. PP smears the Spanish Government abroad. With PSOE, Spain is Peace and Solidarity.

Block 4: Institutional policy.

R: Abroad, they think that Spaniards don't know what they are. PSOE divides Spaniards and shoulders half of them. With PP, Spain was already plural and Spaniards had the same rights and duties.
Z: PP divided Spaniards with the National Water Plan and the Statutes of Autonomy. PSOE gives water to Valencia and believes in the State of the Autonomies. PSOE reforms Statutes to improve self-government. Spanish language is not persecuted in Catalonia.
R: National Water Plan was supported by 80% of the Autonomy Regions. Even people for PSOE alert about the divison of Spain and there are two referendums to separate from Spain. Zapatero doesn't have an idea for Spain. PP thinks that Spain is a Nation of citizens who are free and equal.
Z: PSOE is model of solidarity and will extract water from beneath the stones to bring it wherever it's needed. PP was against some articles in the Statute of Catalonia which are exactly the same to others that it agreed with in Andalucia (for example, the article on critical pain care).
R: We supported the Statute of Andalucia because we amended it and we could not amend the Statute of Catalonia because of the Tinnell Agreement. The Tinnell Agreement means create conflict and kick PP out, and is the origin of the mess in Catalonia. There are 2 referendums to break away from Spain, so PP isn’t making up the alarm.
Z: PP creates conflict shouting “Spain breaks!”, but PP rules Navarra with the support of PSOE. PSOE has negotiated some Statutes with PP. PSOE means now more equality, unity and democracy. TVE with PSOE is plural and with PP it wasn’t.
R: PSOE has reached agreements with the ones in the Tinnell Agreement to write off half of the Spaniards.
Z: Spain has to be built by all of us. PSOE leaves no one out [there are more than 10m of Spaniards who don’t agree with this]. PSOE promotes the civil education and we answer before the Congress more than PP did.

Block 5: Challenges of the Future

R: Globalisation is a challenge that we have to change into an opportunity. House prices have gone up a lot; there are no rented houses because there are no guarantees for landlords. Ministry of Housing is useless and a joke, PSOE has not solved the housing problem.

Z: House prices go up less with PSOE and there are now more public housing, and we give money to youngsters. With PSOE, investment in education has doubled and in research has trebled. PP decreased the number of policemen.

R: Madrid (governed by PP) is better with housing than the Ministry of Housing. Education: international reports state that the education system (designed by PSOE) is a failure. PSOE revoked the rebates for companies investing in research.
Z: PSOE deals better with housing than PP. PP froze R&D investment. PP has now changed positions in regards to climate change. Spain with PSOE is leader in renewable energy.
R: PP created the Ministry of Environment and signed the Kyoto Agreement. Spain with PSOE floats the Kyoto Agreement. PSOE says one thing and does a different one. PSOE has ignored the forest fires.
Z: PP hid when the “chapapote”. Spain is recovering now in education and investment. PAZ (Platform of Support to Zapatero) is the salvation of Spain. PP is not up to the standards of the government of Spain.
R: Zapatero has attacked the terrorism victims. PP’s supporters have to be respected.
Z: PP smeared at the creative force of Spain for the digital levy (“canon digital”).

Last minutes

R: Elections is opportunity, vote PP. PP fixed it before and we’ll do it again. Spain is at stake. We care about compromise. A girl who is born in Spain must have housing, family, parents with work, languages, a university degree that is worthy, freedom and not fear, pride for being Spanish. [Gosh, the message is very good, but not even my mum could put together such a childish, insipid tale!!]
Z: Spain is free with PSOE. We progress together. PSOE serves Spain with loyalty and in line with the international legal framework. We have done everything we promised. With PSOE, Spain will be at the front and defending the peace. Good night and good luck. [We’ll definitely need luck if you win again, mate.]

[Love and freedom.]