Rajoy: "We take the deficit seriously and will cut back wherever possible" {spain}

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Rajoy/We/take/the/deficit/seriously/and/will/cut/back/wherever/possible/elpepueng/20111117elpeng_2/Ten

With Spaniards poised to go to the polls to elect a new government on Sunday, EL PAÍS interviewed Popular Party (PP) candidate Mariano Rajoy, who holds a significant lead in projected voter intention over his Socialist counterpart, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba. Admitting that he has not yet informed his future economy minister of his or her appointment if the PP wins, Rajoy nonetheless stated that "we are very clear on what needs to be done" to drag Spain out of the crisis.

The PP leader expressed his desire to meet the European budget deficit target of 4.4 percent for 2012, calling the current administration's estimate of 2.3 percent growth "not credible."

"We have to make a growth forecast and from there assess income and expenses. But I insist; Spain has to send a message that the subject of public deficit is being taken seriously."

Rajoy reiterated his party's intention to leave pensions unscathed, not to raise taxes and to avoid co-payment for medical care, but gave few assurances over other possible cutbacks. "Maybe we will have to carry out fewer public works and give priority to finishing the ones in progress. We will have to abolish many regional bodies. We have to do many things and make cuts wherever possible." Asked if Spain has an excess of civil servants, Rajoy said "in some sectors maybe we don't need as many as we have," adding that the five-percent salary cut imposed last year would not be lifted "at this time."




*** for those who haven't been following -- the PP is a spanish modernized nationalist part.
while the socialists{neo-liberal} have done a good job of screwing the spanish people -- expect the screws to tightened a good deal more under Rajoy.
anyway -- the socialists brought this on them selves.

had not provided for their national defense (Spain contributes 4.2% of NATO's budget) all these years.