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Openly.
A.
Yes, but I believe this is no different from other European countries. In 1970, during the Franco era, the Supreme Court decriminalized the use of drugs.
Q.
Many Spaniards feel that permissiveness has gone too far.
A.
No more than in France, Italy or the U.S., but one is more aware of it here because my generation was repressed. Sometimes people complain that there are certain kinds of movies on television at 2 a.m. I have never watched television at 2 a.m.
Q.
Your party is called Socialist. What does that mean to you?
A.
Ask the Hungarians to help me on this one ((chuckle)). Socialism is the deepening of democracy. Public power must try to prevent the worst consequences of a society that lives off free competition and savage confrontation in the marketplace. A mixed economy on a world scale is inescapable. The great error of Communism is that of the dinosaurs. They did not adapt, so they died. You can't be socially effective if, at the same time, you're not economically efficient.
Q.
If you are a party of the workers, why do the unions oppose you?
A.
I think that any union, if it is a free one, has to make demands on any government, whatever its color. We have come out of a crisis, the economy is growing, everyone wants to be the first when it comes to enjoying the fruits of this growth. The workers, when it comes to actually voting, vote for the Socialist Party.
Q.
Your critics say you are no longer a populist, that you have locked yourself away and that you now sail on yachts.
A.
I do not like going out to make populist pronouncements and cut ribbons. But it is a slander to say I live the life of the rich. If I go fishing in a six- meter launch, it is always described as a yacht. I honestly do not believe I have lost a sense of what is happening in the street.
Q.
Have any of your views changed?
A.
I will make a confession. I used to have little faith in the U.S., and this was still true when I came into office. I held the Americans responsible for the duration of the Franco dictatorship. But I changed as I came to know the U.S. a little more. Americans want so much to be liked. But they also have enormous power, and that is not easily compatible with the affection of other people. This gives me a feeling of tenderness toward them.