It passed through Buenos Aires like an exhalation, but Esperanza Aguirre lived happy hours in Argentina. She saw Javier Milei taking power and is convinced that the political change in the south of the south is a foretaste of what will inevitably come in Spain. Although first he has a wish, to have a coffee with Alberto Núñez Feijóo, because he feels that neither the Popular Party nor the leader himself are giving the "cultural battle" to the left.

"They don't like to fight the cultural battle very much...", lamented the former president of the Community of Madrid during an interview with EL MUNDO in the noble halls of the French Club, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Recoleta. Aguirre, 71, says she is a "happy retiree" with "no time for anything": "I'm a golfer. When the weather is good, I go golfing. I do a lot of things."

You said that political change in Argentina can influence Latin America, why? Not in Latin America, I said the Latin American countries and you added Spain. Do you really think that Milei can have an impact on Spanish politics? I think so. Why? Because Milei wouldn't have won if Patricia Bullrich and Macri hadn't supported him. And Patricia Bullrich in Spain, who would it be, Santiago Abascal? No. Santiago Abascal would be Milei. But I'm not saying that. We can't criticize each other. Despite the fact that Milei has said barbarities against Bullrich, the next day, at minute one, Bullrich came out saying that in order to get rid of Kirchnerism he had to support Milei. And he did, as did Macri. Although Abascal and Feijóo have not said as many barbarities as Bulrich and Milei... Yes, yes, they have told you. Not as strong, but they've attacked each other. I, who strongly disagree with many things about Abascal's party, agree very much with others that are very important. The defence of freedom, property and the unity of Spain, which is the most important thing for me. We agree on that, but we don't agree on other things. It is the first time that I have spoken very clearly, without fear and without complexes, that the government must be one that protects our freedoms, as Milei has said. Merit, effort, work and not payments and public spending. The state does not have to do what a private company does best. In other words, he has had the best electoral result in the history of Argentina (Editor's note: in the last 40 years). This is proof that you can win at the ballot box by telling the truth. The debate in Spain is essentially political, while in Argentina it is essentially economic. But it's not at the center of the debate. We have the highest unemployment in the European Union. We have a debt that was at 40 percent of GDP and now it's at 115 percent, it's impossible. And the deficit is outrageous. What would you suggest to Abascal? I'm not the one to suggest anything to Abascal, I hope Feijóo wins. What I suggest to you is that we have to fight the cultural battle, the cultural battle! What you can't do is buy from the left all the things that the left, with its language and its positions, wants to impose on us. No, for example? Well, for example... Show me. The message that only public health and public education are worthwhile. No, sir! And then, the freedom to choose, it is fundamental that parents can choose the type of education we want for our children, otherwise as this minister, who is now ambassador to the Vatican, Celaá, said: children do not belong to parents, she said. And no one has answered it but me. Well, no. Nobody in the PP? Didn't they give it a big deal? It seems to me that the freedom to choose a school for one's children, the freedom to choose a hospital, the freedom to choose a doctor... Socialists are very fond of captive clientele, I am not. I put a law in place by which you can choose a doctor and a hospital, and they put a chicken on me... But it's still going strong. Freedom from business hours... And why do you think there may be a tendency in the PP not to answer what you think should be answered? Because they don't really like to fight the cultural battle... He insists a lot on thea cultural battle. It's fundamental, in language. I don't see the cultural battle taking place. Cayetana (Álvarez de Toledo) has. But there are few within the PP who give it. Have you been able to talk about this with Feijóo? No, would you like to? I write every week, I don't expect Feijoo to read me, but he will read me sometime. Well, but by parchments, by history in the PP, both of you could sit down for a coffee and talk about this. YesAre you waiting for a coffee with Feijóo? I'd love to, I'd love to. To talk about the culture battle. How is your relationship with him? It's good, we know each other. When I went to see Rajoy with my first government of the Community of Madrid, the Minister of Health was Feijoo, who had just led Insalud. Rajoy was fine with all of them, but he told me "not this one, this one has to go to Galicia to succeed Fraga". In any case, I am a liberal, but Feijoo is not. And what is Feijoo, a social democrat in the PP? A conservative, but not a liberal.

  • Esperanza Aguirre
  • PP
  • Alberto Núñez Feijóo