He turned 58 yesterday, he was born and lives in La Roca del Vallès, he graduated in Philosophy (UB), he has a master’s degree in Business Management (IESE), he is married to Marta (remarried) and is the father of Marina (23).
Did you know your grandparents?
The four of them, all from Vallès.
What mark did they leave on you?
Work, effort, family.
And what did your parents do?
My father was commercial director of a textile company. My mother worked at home for them.
Siblings?
We are three, me the oldest.
Evoke your childhood summers.
House with large garden in La Roca. A campsite on the Costa Brava. And motorhome: trips to the south of France, Switzerland, Italy…
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Writer. And I studied philosophy.
Have you written anything?
A book about my year at the head of the Ministry of Health.
Teenage posters?
Flags of places visited. And one from RCD Español.
How did you enter politics?
I collaborated with a festival commission… And I entered the municipal candidacy of the PSC… and at 21 years old I was a councilor.
Very young.
The military separated me. And, when I came back… I was mayor: he was 29 years old.
Did you earn your first peseta there?
I worked at home, in the embroidery workshop that my mother had.
Public salaries, then?
No, I worked in the private sector in several companies. But public service captivated me.
Do you live in a flat, a tower…?
Single family Home.
With who?
My wife and I. My daughter lives and works in a European country, independently, with her partner.
Do you have a pet?
“Nina”, an older mixed-breed dog: she is loved very much.
Every morning what moves you?
Go for a run, at least four days a week.
Do you have breakfast?
Bit. an infusion
When you get home: what do you do?
I discuss the day with Marta… And we watch some series, we read…
Do you cook?
No. But I help.
Goes out at night: what do you ask for?
Cool cava. I neither mix nor drink cocktails. I do like kombutxa tea: it suits me well.
Define yourself as a couple.
It’s hard for me to reconcile. She understands me, I am happy with Marta.
What crazy thing did he do for love?
A great trip as she turns 50. I reserve the details.
Give something to Marta.
Flowers. I should do it more.
And she to you?
Books and very well chosen clothes.
He has bad temper? He gets angry?
Less and less, but yes.
With who?
With those close to you. But I have enough self-control.
Have you come to hate?
No! That dwarfs. Yes, I remember the one who did wrong.
Do not forget.
But I trust: people can improve. And I hope so. And it happens.
Would you shoot someone?
No. Hate leads nowhere.
How much do you earn per year?
One hundred thousand euros or so, with a contribution to my party.
Can you save?
Yes: my wife has worked, my daughter works, the house is paid for…
Do you invest in cryptocurrencies?
No, they don’t give me security.
How many hours per week do you hire domestic service?
Every morning two and a half hours, from Monday to Friday.
Do you have a second residence?
No.
Any pending trips?
Step on Antarctica! And I dream of spending a year traveling…
Do you respect your health?
I feel good.
Vital will?
I must do it.
Euthanasia?
It was approved while I was a minister.
What is there after death?
I have religious beliefs. I don’t think everything ends with death. I believe in a Beyond.
Intelligent life out there?
I think so, but I’m not aware of that. I’m more focused on solving things here.
¿Reza?
Yes. When I get up. The Lord’s Prayer and a particular prayer that I have made to myself.
Tell me.
It’s my privacy. I visualize where I will put my energy that day.
Meditate?
Orando ya meditation.
Have you planned your funeral?
I will be buried there where I was born.
Will music play?
I’m not very musical. I like Serrat. And ABBA, everything, everything.
And that’s it?
I tried to train in classical music in sessions at the Auditori.
What book has marked you?
The story of the Peloponnesian War, by the Greek Thucydides: we are like 2,500 years ago.
Great lesson.
And I like Baltasar Gracián.
Here comes the philosopher.
I love Plato and Leibniz, how we construct and deconstruct reality…
Let’s go to the cinema…
Children of Heaven, Iranian film. I like beautiful stories, nothing dystopian or anything that ends badly.
Open the closet: whims?
On the weekend I wear a hat. The ones here. It gives a point of anonymity. My grandfather used it.
Look in the mirror: what part of your body would you change?
Nothing. I accept myself. I’m not worried about my body, I’m worried about feeling well. I look balanced.
Is it at its ideal moment?
I spent more worried moments, now I’m fine with me.
What do you value most about your physique?
Hands.
I see your hairstyle very careful.
Merit of my barber. If I appear disheveled on TV, he scolds me.
Any favorite drugs?
No. He had smoked a lot. I stopped completely in 2018.
Have you tried marijuana?
No.
Have you tasted a man?
No.
Why not?
I’m not homosexual.
Do you have a motto?
The greatest power is to have power over one’s self . “Dominarse a sí mismo es el máximo dominio”.
Do you know a verse by heart?
Watch, spirit, watch; / never lose your north, / don’t let yourself get stuck in the calm / calm water of any port…”. By Joan Maragall.
If not born Catalan, what?
I would be born where I was born. During my year in Madrid… I missed my people, my town, the Catalan…
From your dog?
I miss “Nina” very much, yes, yes!
Normal, you are human.
We are all human… Me too, quite a bit.
