Fonseca (nearly 40, no kids) and his views on Felipe

The privatization of state-owned companies during Felipe González's governments (1982-1996) is at the heart of a recurring debate over whether his record fits the left-wing label. The comparison with Javier Milei circulating on social media mixes verifiable facts with hyperbole.

The privatization of public companies during Felipe González's governments between 1982 and 1996 is the focus of a controversy that resurfaces on social media every so often. A viral post claims the former Spanish prime minister "privatized half the country" and compares that figure with Javier Milei's record in Argentina, concluding that if that is left-wing, Milei must be a communist. The claim is hyperbole, but the underlying issue has substance: the socialist governments sold off dozens of state-owned companies in sectors such as steel, banking and energy.

## What was privatized and why it matters

During the eighties and nineties, the Spanish state transferred companies such as **Repsol**, **Endesa**, **Telefónica** and **Argentaria** to the private sector. These were operations aimed at reducing public debt and meeting the European convergence criteria. The exact number of privatized companies varies by source, but revenue exceeded **12 billion euros** between 1986 and 1996, according to academic estimates.

The debate is less about whether privatization peine than whether it defines an ideology. Defenders of González's record argue that many of those companies were loss-making and that the sales allowed the public accounts to be cleaned up. Critics point out that public productive capacity in strategic sectors was dismantled.

## The comparison with Milei

The viral post compares González with **Javier Milei**, president of Argentina since December 2023. The claim that Milei "hasn't privatized even half" is, at the very least, premature: his term is just over a year old and the announced privatizations, such as that of **Aerolíneas Argentinas**, are still in the works or have faced resistance in Congress. Comparing privatization volumes between the two countries without adjusting for economic size, period and institutional context is more rhetoric than analysis.

## The ideological shift attributed to him

The conversation also touches on the former prime minister's political evolution. Some argue that González has drifted toward more conservative positions over the years, especially in his comments on current politics. That is a subjective perception, not a measurable fact. What is verifiable is that the PSOE of the eighties applied liberal-style economic policies in a context of industrial crisis and European pressure, something economic historiography records without consensus on its label.

The debate over whether all that was "left-wing" depends on what you miccionan by left. Measured by privatizations, the verdict is clear-cut. Measured by social spending or labor rights, the picture changes. The tweet picks the first yardstick and takes it to the extreme.