Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, Iván Espinosa de los Monteros and John Müller
The Rafael del Pino Foundation organised on 14 May 2025 at 7 p.m. a dialogue entitled "An optimistic view of Spain and the Spanish people" in which the following speakers took part Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, Iván Espinosa de los Monteros and John Müller on the occasion of the publication of the latest work by Iván Espinosa de los Monteros ".Spain has a solution. Towards a bright and prosperous future"(Editorial Almuzara, 2025) in which he reflects on the path Spain has taken from the transition to the present day and makes proposals for improvement.
Iván Espinosa de los Monteros holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from ICADE. MBA from Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University). He began his professional career in different auditing, consulting and banking companies such as Arthur Andersen, Schroder Salomon Smith Barney and McKinsey & Co. After completing his MBA, he began a business adventure in areas such as television, publishing, textiles and home services, although his main line of business for the last 15 years has been in the real estate sector. He was Spokesperson for the GPVOX in the XIII and XIV Legislatures in the Congress of Deputies.
Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo holds a PhD in History from Oxford University. She is a member of the Partido Popular for Barcelona in the Congress of Deputies of the Kingdom of Spain and has been director of the International Area of the FAES Foundation. In 1996 she obtained her BA in Modern History from Oxford University. In the same year she began her doctoral studies at Oxford University under the direction of the Hispanist and Prince of Asturias Award winner, Sir John Elliott. In 2000 he obtained his doctorate with a thesis on politics and reformism in the Spanish Monarchy in the 17th century. After obtaining her PhD, Cayetana joined the newspaper El Mundo as editor of the Opinion section. She was an editorialist, columnist and Head of Section. In September 2006, she made the leap to politics, joining the Partido Popular as Director of the Cabinet of the Secretary General. In 2008, Cayetana was elected as a Popular Party Member of Parliament for Madrid. During the 9th legislature, she held the position of Deputy Spokesperson of the Popular Parliamentary Group, with responsibility for the Legal-Institutional area. In the general elections of November 2011, Cayetana once again won a seat in the Congress of Deputies for Madrid, where she has been Vice-President of the Joint Committee for the European Union and member of the Constitutional and Justice Committees. She also served as head of analysis for the Partido Popular in Madrid. In early 2012, Cayetana joined FAES Foundation as Director of the International Area, a position she held until January 2016.
John Müller is a journalist with Chilean and Spanish nationality. He studied Journalism at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and postgraduate studies at the University of Navarra and IESE Business School. He began his career at the Chilean magazine TodayHe is noted for his coverage of the 1988 plebiscite that marked the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. In 1989 he moved to Spain, where he participated in the foundation of The Business Gazette and from the newspaper The Worldwhere he held various positions, including that of deputy editor. Between 1995 and 1996 he edited the daily El Universal in Caracas. In 2016 he joined El Español as deputy to the editor, and in 2021 he joined the daily newspaper ABCwhere he writes the economic column "Ajuste de cuentas". He is also a regular contributor to the Chilean radio station Radio Pauta and participates in talk shows on Spanish media such as Onda Cero. He is the author and coordinator of several books of political analysis, including 1TP5We can, #Citizens, The Vox surprise y Lions against gods.
Summary:
An optimistic outlook for Spain: dialogue at the Rafael del Pino Foundation
On 14 May, the Fundación Rafael del Pino hosted the dialogue entitled "An optimistic view of Spain and the Spanish people".starring Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo and the journalist John Müller, on the occasion of the publication of Espinosa's book Spain has a solution. Towards a bright and prosperous future (Editorial Almuzara, 2025).
Throughout the event, the main challenges and opportunities facing Spain were addressed from a critical but hopeful perspective. Both Álvarez de Toledo and Espinosa shared a vision of the country based on the defence of the rule of law, the recovery of truth as the backbone of public debate, the strengthening of national unity and the promotion of a dynamic economy, with structural reforms that restore the role of the middle class.
A shared diagnosis
Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo began by stressing the need to combat what she called the "blackouts" in public life: the blackout of truth, reason, merit, democracy and harmony. According to her, Spain is going through a multiple crisis - moral, political and institutional - which has emptied the constitutional order of its content and degraded the profession of politics.
Espinosa de los Monteros agreed with this analysis, pointing to 2004 as a turning point that marked the beginning of a prolonged political, economic and cultural decline. He denounced the fact that Spain has not recovered its pre-2004 levels of per capita income for two decades, and lamented that an entire generation has grown up without any reference to sustained progress. Despite this, his central thesis is clear: the decline is not irreversible and solutions are within reach if the founding values of freedom, responsibility and individual initiative are recovered.
Reformism, unity and the middle class
Both speakers agreed that political regeneration must involve the affirmation of constitutionalism in the face of identity-based nationalism and a revaluation of merit and excellence in the public sector. Álvarez de Toledo insisted that nationalism has been the main threat to Spain's democratic cohesion for the past 40 years, and that combating it requires moving from appeasement to a firm policy of national affirmation.
Espinosa proposed concrete measures: restoring the independence of state powers, promoting a new infrastructure plan and investment in energy and artificial intelligence, and reforming the tax and labour system to facilitate the growth of SMEs and the self-employed. He stressed that only by strengthening the middle class is it possible to guarantee democratic stability. As a significant anecdote, he recounted how his grandfather was happy that the doorman in his building could have a better car than his, because that meant that "he was already middle class and had something to lose".
A call for civic responsibility
Beyond political proposals, both defended the need for a "moral rearmament" of society. In the face of populism, polarisation and disinformation, they advocated the recovery of patriotism understood in democratic, sober and responsible terms. In this context, Espinosa's book is not only a diagnosis, but also an invitation to action. "None of what is happening to us is irreversible", the author affirmed, "but we need to roll up our sleeves, demand our politicians and assume our share of responsibility".
The event concluded with an idea reiterated by both speakers: hope is not naivety, but a rational conviction that Spain can - and must - move towards a better future if citizens and their leaders are willing to play a leading role in it.
The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for the comments, opinions or statements made by the people who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their sole responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference are the result of the debates held at the meeting held for this purpose at the Foundation and are the responsibility of their authors.
The Rafael del Pino Foundation is not responsible for any comments, opinions or statements made by third parties. In this respect, the FRP is not obliged to monitor the views expressed by such third parties who participate in its activities and which are expressed as a result of their inalienable right to freedom of expression and under their own responsibility. The contents included in the summary of this conference are the result of the discussions that took place during the conference organised for this purpose at the Foundation and are the sole responsibility of its authors.
