The Hispanist and biographer, Ian Gibson, born in Ireland but now holding Spanish citizenship, in an interview with Deutsche Welle (in Spanish), has said that the Spanish right-wing has "Francoism in its DNA". "It's outrageous. The Spanish right says that it isn't Francoist but it has Francoism in its genes, in its DNA," he said. As such, almost half a century after the dictator's death, some official archives remain closed, some historian friends of his, like Paul Preston, say.
However, according to Gibson, those with the greatest blame for this situation are centre-left PSOE, for their attitude when in government. "For me, those most to blame for the current situation are PSOE. When they had, from 1982 on, an absolutely astronomical majority, they decided to 'not get things moving', thinking that it was better to wait. They were in power for fourteen years and did nothing. And today, in 2018, Franco is still in the Valle de los Caídos [memorial], with fresh flowers every morning paid for by the Spanish people! As a Hispanist and naturalised Spaniard it causes me real shame," he said.
Gibson believes that the Spanish people have a clear identity problem, unlike other European countries. "The Spanish have a serious identity problem, they don't know where they're from and don't know who they are. The French do know where they come from and who they are. The English too. Obviously I'm exaggerating a little, but not much," he said.