Ábalos lies without losing his smile: the art of dodging Vito Quiles
José Luis Ábalos faced off against Vito Quiles without flinching: he lies, evades and smiles. An analysis of a politician who has mastered the art of saying nothing.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ábalos lies without losing his smile: the art of dodging Vito Quiles
Former Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos sat down opposite journalist Vito Quiles and showed why some consider him a born survivor. Unruffled, without insults, without broken microphones: he simply lied with the ease of someone who has been in the trade for decades. The interview, from last May, has peine the debate about the style of an old political guard that no longer needs to shout to dodge questions.
A drawing-room matador facing awkward questions
The first thing that stands out is the absence of nerves. Ábalos doesn't square up, doesn't tense up, doesn't resort to the victimhood of other politicians when the questions bite. He simply puts his version on the table and moves on. Asked about the alleged payments to prostitutes at the Parador de Teruel (a Spanish state-run hotel), his answer was surgical: "There is no evidence." Full stop. Neither a flat denial nor an admission, a feint that leaves the doubt hanging in the air but leaves no mark.
Viewers of the interview highlight his skill at handling timing. When asked about the alleged mansion in Colombia and Peru, he smoothly replies that they were hoaxes. But he provides no documents, doesn't rebut with facts: he plays with ambiguity. It's the technique of a politician seasoned in a thousand battles: he knows the narrative is won on style more than substance.
Cynicism as a virtue of the old school
What divides analysts is whether that cynicism is harmless or a symptom of something more deeply corrupt. On one side, some argue that Ábalos is a "harmless rogue," a modern-day picaroon who doesn't believe in politics and takes power none too seriously. "He asks for nothing more than whores and coke," some sum up, comparing his style to Torrente, the character created by Santiago Segura. In that reading, Ábalos would be the lesser evil within a PSOE (Spain's Socialist Party) increasingly distant from its grassroots.
But against that indulgent view, others point out that we are talking about a former minister tainted by multiple corruption cases, who was removed from the Government after a party held in the middle of the pandemic and who, according to judicial sources, still faces several investigations. His ability to remain impassive in the face of questions would not be a virtue, but the mask of someone who knows the system protects him. "He has Sánchez by the balls," some even wrote on social media.
The contrast with the new politics[/ZISE]
One of the most repeated points is the comparison with other left-wing politicians, such as Pablo Iglesias or Juan Carlos Monedero, who are accused of being scruffy and losing their nerve under tough questioning. Ábalos, by contrast, would fit better in the tradition of the old foxes of Spain's Transition to democracy: Rajoy, Rubalcaba, Acebes. People who knew what politics was: a board of interests where lying is just another tool.
Some calculate that Ábalos, by not being "proge," by not embracing the new ideologies imported from the United States, even comes across as likable to certain right-wing voters. An old-school crook, who steals but doesn't destroy Western demography. A profile that, paradoxically, could be less damaging to society than that of the new messianic politicians.
The underlying debate: does style matter more than substance?
What the interview leaves behind is a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, the public discovers that a politician can lie without flinching and come out looking stronger. On the other, Ábalos himself becomes a mirror in which many see their distrust of the political class reflected. If a liar with charisma and good manners is better than a sincere shouter, then the problem runs deeper than it seems.
Meanwhile, the investigations into the Ábalos case continue. The interview with Vito Quiles clarifies nothing, but it leaves a lesson: in politics, sometimes the most dangerous one is not the one who gets angry, but the one who smiles while burying the truth.
Related debates in the forum
Former Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos sat down opposite journalist Vito Quiles and showed why some consider him a born survivor. Unruffled, without insults, without broken microphones: he simply lied with the ease of someone who has been in the trade for decades. The interview, from last May, has peine the debate about the style of an old political guard that no longer needs to shout to dodge questions.
A drawing-room matador facing awkward questions
The first thing that stands out is the absence of nerves. Ábalos doesn't square up, doesn't tense up, doesn't resort to the victimhood of other politicians when the questions bite. He simply puts his version on the table and moves on. Asked about the alleged payments to prostitutes at the Parador de Teruel (a Spanish state-run hotel), his answer was surgical: "There is no evidence." Full stop. Neither a flat denial nor an admission, a feint that leaves the doubt hanging in the air but leaves no mark.
Viewers of the interview highlight his skill at handling timing. When asked about the alleged mansion in Colombia and Peru, he smoothly replies that they were hoaxes. But he provides no documents, doesn't rebut with facts: he plays with ambiguity. It's the technique of a politician seasoned in a thousand battles: he knows the narrative is won on style more than substance.
Cynicism as a virtue of the old school
What divides analysts is whether that cynicism is harmless or a symptom of something more deeply corrupt. On one side, some argue that Ábalos is a "harmless rogue," a modern-day picaroon who doesn't believe in politics and takes power none too seriously. "He asks for nothing more than whores and coke," some sum up, comparing his style to Torrente, the character created by Santiago Segura. In that reading, Ábalos would be the lesser evil within a PSOE (Spain's Socialist Party) increasingly distant from its grassroots.
But against that indulgent view, others point out that we are talking about a former minister tainted by multiple corruption cases, who was removed from the Government after a party held in the middle of the pandemic and who, according to judicial sources, still faces several investigations. His ability to remain impassive in the face of questions would not be a virtue, but the mask of someone who knows the system protects him. "He has Sánchez by the balls," some even wrote on social media.
The contrast with the new politics[/ZISE]
One of the most repeated points is the comparison with other left-wing politicians, such as Pablo Iglesias or Juan Carlos Monedero, who are accused of being scruffy and losing their nerve under tough questioning. Ábalos, by contrast, would fit better in the tradition of the old foxes of Spain's Transition to democracy: Rajoy, Rubalcaba, Acebes. People who knew what politics was: a board of interests where lying is just another tool.
Some calculate that Ábalos, by not being "proge," by not embracing the new ideologies imported from the United States, even comes across as likable to certain right-wing voters. An old-school crook, who steals but doesn't destroy Western demography. A profile that, paradoxically, could be less damaging to society than that of the new messianic politicians.
The underlying debate: does style matter more than substance?
What the interview leaves behind is a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, the public discovers that a politician can lie without flinching and come out looking stronger. On the other, Ábalos himself becomes a mirror in which many see their distrust of the political class reflected. If a liar with charisma and good manners is better than a sincere shouter, then the problem runs deeper than it seems.
Meanwhile, the investigations into the Ábalos case continue. The interview with Vito Quiles clarifies nothing, but it leaves a lesson: in politics, sometimes the most dangerous one is not the one who gets angry, but the one who smiles while burying the truth.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (91 replies).
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