The day Zapatero sacked Molina with 'I need a young woman'
Antonio Molina reveals that Zapatero dismissed him with the words 'I need a young woman' and describes a president with no books in his office. A chronicle of improvised governance.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The sacking of Antonio Molina: when 'because I say so' ruled the Council of Ministers
In 2009, Spain's prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero sacked his culture minister, Antonio Molina, with an explanation that would hardly pass an HR filter: "I need a young woman." The remark, recorded in Molina's book "El poder y la servidumbre", reveals a leadership style in which improvisation and whim carried more weight than technical criteria. The president justified the reshuffle without mincing words, and the replacement was a woman (Ángeles González-Sinde), but the manner of it – a bucket of cold water in the office – left Molina feeling he had been used as a pawn in a narrative he did not control.
The book that portrays a president without books
Molina's account goes beyond his dismissal. In his office at La Moncloa, the prime minister's residence, there was not a single book, according to the former minister, except the complete works of Azaña – which Molina himself had published from the ministry. When Zapatero saw his surprised face, he offered an excuse that Molina does not quite believe. The anecdote becomes a symbol of a style of government in which political substance seemed secondary. "He sacrificed us to cover up his other embarrassments and shortcomings," Molina writes in his memoirs, referring to a recurring pattern in the executive.
Two readings of the same cutback
Criticism of Zapatero is not unanimous. While some see in that episode the essence of a frivolous and disloyal leader, others point out that the harshest austerity came later, under Mariano Rajoy. Zapatero's PSOE, despite its management failures, managed to weave a narrative that diverted attention from its incompetence. The underlying problem: the 2008 crisis caught a president without a clue and without a team, and Molina's sacking was just one anecdote in a larger pattern.
How many ministers felt they were mere window dressing for a president who ruled on impulse? The question remains open, and Molina's testimony, far from having been silenced in 2010 as some suggest, remains an uncomfortable document.
Related discussions in the forum
In 2009, Spain's prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero sacked his culture minister, Antonio Molina, with an explanation that would hardly pass an HR filter: "I need a young woman." The remark, recorded in Molina's book "El poder y la servidumbre", reveals a leadership style in which improvisation and whim carried more weight than technical criteria. The president justified the reshuffle without mincing words, and the replacement was a woman (Ángeles González-Sinde), but the manner of it – a bucket of cold water in the office – left Molina feeling he had been used as a pawn in a narrative he did not control.
The book that portrays a president without books
Molina's account goes beyond his dismissal. In his office at La Moncloa, the prime minister's residence, there was not a single book, according to the former minister, except the complete works of Azaña – which Molina himself had published from the ministry. When Zapatero saw his surprised face, he offered an excuse that Molina does not quite believe. The anecdote becomes a symbol of a style of government in which political substance seemed secondary. "He sacrificed us to cover up his other embarrassments and shortcomings," Molina writes in his memoirs, referring to a recurring pattern in the executive.
Two readings of the same cutback
Criticism of Zapatero is not unanimous. While some see in that episode the essence of a frivolous and disloyal leader, others point out that the harshest austerity came later, under Mariano Rajoy. Zapatero's PSOE, despite its management failures, managed to weave a narrative that diverted attention from its incompetence. The underlying problem: the 2008 crisis caught a president without a clue and without a team, and Molina's sacking was just one anecdote in a larger pattern.
How many ministers felt they were mere window dressing for a president who ruled on impulse? The question remains open, and Molina's testimony, far from having been silenced in 2010 as some suggest, remains an uncomfortable document.
Related discussions in the forum
- The sect stabbing the PSOE right now, the mud no longer sticks · 254 replies
- Sanchez is screwing the PP live on air · 319 replies
- Have you seen chanche's bootlicking? · 222 replies
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (55 replies).
More summaries
-
Zapatero breaks silence on TVE: jewelry, script, and legality
Zapatero's TVE interview: no clarity on jewelry origin, citing 'no profit motive' and full legality.
-
US to issue international arrest warrant for José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Debate over the alleged US arrest warrant for Zapatero over his ties to Venezuela. We examine its origin, veracity and political impact.
-
Zapatero lied about the 2008 crisis, says his former minister
Former minister César Antonio Molina claims Zapatero knew the crisis was coming and denied it. Spain's PP had already warned of it in 2006. A lie or sheer incompetence?
-
Young man who called Sol campers lazy loses his job
The young man who called the Madrid Sol campers lazy in a viral video has been fired. The dismissal sparks debate: justified or grounds for compensation?
-
This simple device could solve your rental problem
A macerator pump lets you install a toilet far from the drain, but splitting a 90 m2 flat and renting out 45 m2 requires permits and does not guarantee the IMV.
-
Fertility in much of Latin America now below European levels
Several Latin American countries now have fertility at or below replacement level. Ageing is straining pensions and reopening the migration debate.