When the British despair over their political scene, us Greeks can’t help but giggle. We have seen it all; corruption to the point of selling your soul to the devil (Siemens scandal), bitch slaps on 8am national television (yes Mr. Kassidiaris it was a bitch slap), MPs on hunger strikes for inconsistent bundles of reasons (including fired workers and the greenhouse effect). Finally, this past Sunday we broke every record of political absurdism by electing the sassy Mr. Alexis Tsipras as our respectful Prime Minister to lead us in these turbulent times.
For the time being, public opinion seems to have focused on the implications of his wife’s name. It translates exactly into “Pigeon”, which some stipulate could create confusion amongst political leaders in that introducing a woman as a bird is somewhat difficult to digest. The extent to which he actually can introduce her though, is an entirely different matter. In past interviews he has confounded the global community using highly symbolic, yet seemingly grammatically incorrect, phrases such as “Yes I does”. The perfect exemplar of Mr. Tsipras’s lyrical and literary genius is the name he has given to Angela Merkel; Madame Merkel. This he pronounced with an alloy of Greek, Russian, French and German accents of his own invention. Critics have still to determine the reading between the lines, but most seem to converge in the following interpretation. The transnational nature of this name is a satirical take on the futile, in Mr. Tsipras’s opinion, political, economic and cultural unification of Europe. Furthering the evidence on his political strategy of disorientation are his statements on the notorious memorandum. Employing the mantra “If you can’t convince them, confuse them”, he baffled the Greek populace by announcing that we will absolutely and most definitely exit the Eurozone and scrap the imperialists’ plans one day and “We’ll talk about it” the next.
You may have guessed, I am not his biggest fan. And I haven’t even talked about his hair yet. All jokes aside though, the situation in Greece is very serious. This may be stating the obvious, but the obvious needs to be addressed. I will not indulge in a rant against his policies, especially given that no one is exactly sure what they are. The election of such a clown indicates some deep problems.
We all know the economic reasons why Mr. Tsipras is so popular. The Greek people have been dragged around and brought down by a high-powered political struggle over how to DIY save an economy. They may be partly to blame, but they have been reduced to a desperate electorate that will vote for anything that promises change. Anything that hasn’t promised it already only to deliver nothing.
We were spoiled by an illusion of bipartisanship that looked like the deep-rooted one in the US, but was only a result of the relative affluence and, dare I say, party that was going down for the past few decades. We let ourselves believe that politics were stable. Election after election, parties’ political will and capital for actually addressing issues has decreased. And the Greek people went back to voting as they should. Not according to who will give their cousin a job in the public sector, or what their family votes for, but voting who they think may have the guts to turn things around. In this sense, the panic we saw in these elections was but a little too late. All parties should have been respectful enough of their voters to actually carry out their promises.
It’s funny how you actually have an opinion when Firstly : You dont suggest a solution
Secondly : You weren’t even here to vote or actually participate on that you’re writing about
Thirdly : You don’t belong to the percentage of people that actually faced difficulties as we can easily see your studies in England and your attendance on the best private school on Athens. Dont forget I was there too,with you. So how do you actually have an opinion? And why are you attacking so roughly a government that hasn’t even been tested yet. Do you prefer either of the two parties that brought us here on the first place? Or WHAT? Cause you dont say an opinion ,you just criticize. You know what at least they are an honest government.Definitely not everyone but most of them. Even if they fail, even if things turn and we owe more than before at least they tried doing what they said. And that’s why people voted them for. I didn’t, but i should have. And please on the next article clear your mind and dont type down whatever comes to your head (or translate from Greek to English) cause the one that is blurred may actually be you. Thanks (:
PS.
Also i loved the part about the illusion of bipartisanship..that was funny
Dimitri,
Just because old governments are crap doesn’t mean that a new government that is ‘less crap’ is any better. You point out that the author of the article is criticizing too much yet your comments are sarcastic as they are grammatically and syntactically incorrect.
Ps, the fact that you think they are an honest government is very adorably naïve.
I think that that very last sentence indicates the root of your misapprehention. The zest of this article is that the SYRIZA win makes sense given his opponents’ complacency. It is not a commentary on SYRIZA’s policies and I do not claim insight on their next moves nor their efficacy. I know I’m not a fortune teller. Basically what you consider funny was the only serious point of this piece. I’m sorry if my English was too complex for you to grasp that.
My not participating in the elections is a result of what I’ve seen happening in Greek politics the past years. I will not vote for someone I don’t believe in out of fear. Also, the £200 I would have to spend because the government hasn’t planned for the thousands of immigrant Greeks is a con. Also, I prefer to step foot on university grounds on a regular basis.
I lived in Greece during the crisis and I am neither blind nor an idiot. You should entertain the possibility that your preconceptions about my life are divorced from reality. Take your judgement home to Psychico. Opinion doesn’t require direct experience. I’m sure you have a lot to say about Gaza. Have you ever been there?
I’ll suggest a solution when I run for PM.
Preconceptions about your life? I dont think i stated something wrong. Its facts. You are studying in England and you went on a private school.Have you ever worked on your life? And im not talking about articles or the IB. Cause you critisize the voters (people that worked their whole lives) and you say that his election indicates deep problems.You dont have nor the knowledge nor the experience to talk and criticize something you know nothing about.Me neither thats why im just criticizing your article. Also opinion doesn’t require direct experience? Really? Thats what they learn you on your school? I really know almost nothing about gaza except what i hear from others or the News.Am i eligible to write an article about Gaza?.No cause i have neither facts or experience to support my opinion or even criticism .”The election of such a clown ” Clown? Who are you again?. Also the part i said was funny it was obviously ironical.Cause i dont see any illusion about the bipartisanship that Greece faced the past 30 years.Last thing if you dont want to vote then be happy about what the others voted for you. You didn’t participate so dont criticize. You have the right to do it,but its at least morally wrong. If you want to be an observer be an observer. Tsipras friend the fact that you actually point out only the grammar and syntax of my comment and not its essence makes your comment pointless and just supportive on the author of the article.Next time state an opinion about what i said please and not how i said it. Im trying to be plain and simple. I know im not using fancy words or complex syntax as you guys who im sure your English level is much higher than mine. The point is not to confuse the other but make him understand what your trying to say.
PS,
Im open on any grammar or syntax corrections you wanna make. Please reveal me the path.
Dimitri,
I do not see how the school Eliza went to, or the country she is pursuing her studies now is relevant to whether or not she can criticize the current situation of the political and economic situation in Greece. If you believe that not everyone has been impacted by the economic crisis you are indeed extremely naive. Also, you cannot use the fact that someone went to a private school as an argument against his/her criticism. I believe you do not know Eliza’s economic situation or bank account balance as it is private information.She may be on a scholarship or she may be the richest person in Greece. In any case, you cannot know about it and you are definitely not allowed to use it. Just because someone went to a specific school does not mean he/she cannot have an opinion. Additionally, I cannot see how the fact that she may not have as much work experience as an older person right now may be relevant either. Does this mean she cannot have an understanding of what is going on? Or does this mean that most young people cannot express themselves about the current situation?
I am not saying that I agree or disagree with what Eliza is saying. I do think that her article is clear and her arguments are well constructed, in contrast to yours that are based on conceptions about Eliza’s background.
P.S. I am sure Eliza’s goal was to confuse you because she is immoral. She has been an observer and she did not live in Greece for at least the first 18 years of her life.
Dimitri,
check this out you might find it enlightening:
http://bit.ly/tBNqQ9