In his book, ‘The Democratic Age’, he places democracy as one of the two great advances of humanity
In ‘The Democratic Age’ (Espasa), José Manuel Michavila narrates the advances that the system has brought with it through his experience in politics. Despite criticizing the influence of radicalism in the big parties, he assures that democracy will prevail.
It addresses the progress that democracy has allowed. How does it fit in with the current malaise in Western societies?With the fourth technological revolution the whole world is emerging. The Berlin wall falls and free markets advance and the rich world is running out of cake. That is what generates dissatisfaction and provokes radical movements and populism on the left and right. But I think it’s a passing flu, an illness of adolescence because democracy is young.Cases like the one in Italy do not support this thesis…I think so. We have the proof in Spain. Five years ago we thought that the 15M was going to devastate and now those figures are in dissolution. Humanistic liberal democracy, not populist, is the future. My children will see China and Russia democratic.Don’t you understand that this malaise may be caused by the increase in inequality?Of course. Inequality used to be north-south and now it has increased in rich countries. But there is another tragedy. The left already knows that it does not end poverty and so it chooses to generate tension. It is a bad road, it is better to converge in the center. I reached agreements with five groups and we made 21 laws. But now the big parties live with the tension of not having votes taken away from them by the extremes.Did bipartisanship make it easier to reach those agreements?I reached agreements with IU, Convergència, PNV, Canarian Coalition…because the vast majority of us lived in that common home that is the Constitution. Spain has been a very cainite country but it had the wisdom to build that building in which the whole world fits. But now the Government has brought minority parties that do not believe in the Constitution into the Executive and Legislature, which is putting stress on the walls of our common home.Does the CGPJ blocking damage the system image?Democracy must be cared for because it can be fragile. But justice is not in crisis, the parliament is, which has not been able to fulfill its obligations.Compromís links the fall of Oltra with ‘lawfare’. Do these political accusations weaken justice?I don’t know about the Oltra case, but I know about a person who I am absolutely certain is honest and who has been subjected to a nine-trial ordeal called Francisco Camps. He was made to resign due to an accusation of which he was acquitted and 15 or 20 years later they have wanted to continue dragging him through the courts. Falsely accusing politicians for many has become a way of doing politics. When trials of people with political responsibilities last forever, it is doing great damage to democracy, as well as to people.How do you see the PP under the new command of feijoo?He is a great candidate. He has proven that he knows how to govern and has common sense. I do not believe in the Cesarist leaderships that are eroding other parties. I believe in projects and Feijóo and the PP have a great healthy center-right project that can rectify the course in which Spain has become entangled.Already Carlos Mazon?Do not know him. But as I say, it is not about charismatic leadership but about a project that connects with the problems of the vast majority. I think that the C. Valenciana has lost a lot of weight in the Spanish political panorama. When I was a deputy for this land, Valencian power was talked about and we were widely listened to. The motorway was built, the AVE… I would like the C. Valenciana to be respected again.Would you agree with Vox?I am confident that the PP has a sufficient majority to form a government with a large center-right party.Did the PP lose center with Pablo Casado?I think that the primary system has done a lot of damage to the parties because it forces the militants to confront each other and in the end the leadership is fragile. I get the impression that Casado took the reins of the PP at a time of enormous division in the party, while Feijóo has managed to unite the entire party.