Ana Rivero: "There has been secrecy in Congress regarding sexual harassment."

Madrid"Cheer up, Alberto. (Laughter. Applause)". This is recorded in the Congressional Record of Sessions, one of the most important moments of the last face to face between the leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo; and the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez. While this was happening, at a table in the center of the chamber, two women were quickly taking notes, attentive to every gesture or comment made by the deputies. In the middle of the action, but at the same time far from the spotlight. "We are the great unknowns," notes Ana Rivero (Madrid, 1954), referring to the corps of shorthand writers and typists of the Corts Generals. Rivero has been part of it for 50 years and recounts it in the book Light and shorthand (Plaza & Janés).

She joined Congress as a stenographer when Franco was still alive and retired during Sánchez's presidency.

— Yes, I've been fortunate enough to see how Spain has changed through parliamentarism. I've seen 17,500 speakers pass before me. I entered the Cortes under Franco, when they weren't deputies, but representatives. Then came the Constitution, the Statutes of Autonomy, two kings, seven presidents, fifteen legislatures, a pandemic...

In the book, you speak nostalgically about the debates that took place during the Transition. Has the level of the political class worsened?

— The legislatures are getting worse and worse. Aside from the insults, the language is poorer. We lack quality, in-depth parliamentarism.

When there are extremely harsh remarks, the Speaker of Congress requests that they be removed from the Journal of Sessions. Should this be done more frequently?

— Under Ana Pastor [president from 2016 to 2019], it was a disaster. And now, in every plenary session, there are at least three or four withdrawals. It's crazy. But it's not really withdrawn. We put it in brackets and italics. We indicate in the footnote that it has been withdrawn. It's symbolic.

Which deputies have you had to withdraw the most things from?

— To Gabriel Rufián, to Vicente Martínez Pujalte, to Pablo Iglesias... When certain representatives are given the floor, as is the case with Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, you know there might be trouble. And you have to be very aware of the atmosphere. We also note the shouting and the complaints.

Do you remember any cases that were particularly difficult to transcribe?

— There are some deputies who are indecipherable. Juan Tardá was a tough cookie. The problem isn't when they speak quickly, but when they don't finish their sentences, change the subject, lose the thread, and then you have to shape the transcription. It was also difficult with Miguel Ángel Moratinos and Cristina Almeida.

You experienced the February 23rd coup attempt from the inside. Is this the moment you remember most?

— They grabbed me at the door of the chamber. They wouldn't let me in. We were incommunicado for two hours in the stenographers' office. A guard sneaked in through a bathroom that connects us to the chamber, not knowing where he was going. [The coup plotters] had no idea who we were. But at that moment I was very calm. What I experienced with great tension was the commission of inquiry into the coup. 11-M attacksWe never make faces, not even if a congressman says something funny. During Pilar Manjón's appearance, after she lost a son, tears came to my eyes and I had to bow my head. I'll never forget that moment.

When you entered Congress, there were practically no women. How did you experience that?

— The early years were tough because it was a man's world. The first female stenographer entered during the Second Republic and had to go into exile. The next one joined in 1968 and suffered a terrible time. Now the body has become feminized, and this has led to the rationalization of work because working conditions were initially brutal.

He devotes a chapter to sexual harassment. He says the Errejón case has opened a Pandora's box.

— Now that I'm no longer inside, I can tell you about it. Until now, it seemed like Congress was an angelic institution, unaffected by society's problems. The truth is, it's never been revealed. There's been secrecy and obscurity.

You describe having suffered several episodes in the first person.

— The first one is from 40 years ago, and the congressman is already dead. And 24 years ago, a very important person with whom I had coffee once a month tried to take me to the Prado Museum. While we were looking at a painting, he suddenly pushed me against the wall and started touching and kissing me. I kicked him and ran away. Now I'm sure I would have reported him. But I'm not a heroine, and even if I were a civil servant and they couldn't fire me, they could have made my life miserable.

What future do you see for your profession now that AI-powered transcription tools exist?

— Artificial intelligence is wonderful, but without a human being, you can't grasp the environment; you don't know what's going on. I give it another 200 years.