SYRIZA: Guided by wiretapping and economy

By Niki Zorba

The current political situation is not going badly for Koumoundourou. In the sense, at least, that the issue of wiretapping – no matter how much the media complained that they downplayed it – is at the “heart” of the current affairs and that the government is being hammered by the opposition.

Polls

The first opinion polls of the autumn may not be encouraging for Koumoundourou – a permanent fixation in the percentages of SYRIZA and show little deterioration for the government despite the undoubted blow caused by the case of surveillance -, however in the headquarters of the party they seem to be a little worried.

The once-declared war on polling firms has given way to irony. Alexis Tsipras’ entourage comments on the findings of the polls with a sneer and somewhat drugged remarks: “Mr. Mitsotakis doesn’t believe these polls either. If he believed them, he would now go to early elections”.

Behind the puns, however, there is satisfaction, not necessarily for SYRIZA’s fixed poll performance, but for the fact that the more the government wears out, the more it says goodbye to the goal of self-reliance. In the official opposition party, after all, they have already buried the N.D.-PASOK co-government scenario after the revelations about the monitoring of Nikos Androulakis by the EYP and the complete rift between the parties.

Instability

Their analysis – beyond the logic of their rhetoric that whenever elections are held, SYRIZA will be the first party – is that Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as part of the solution for political stability in the country, running out of potential post-election allies since PASOK lost -KINAL, is now part of the problem. Even if he is led into co-government with Kyriakos Velopoulos.

What is certain is that, guided by wiretapping and the economy, Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA will play their part for the complete deconstruction of the government’s profile, of a capable and liberal government.

From there they will continue to connect, on the way to the visit of Alexis Tsipras to the Thessaloniki International Fair, the issue of “democracy” with issues of the economy. In both, the government has failed, they will insist, claiming that, as the government deals with issues of democracy and law, it does the same in the economy: state-spoils, subsidizing filthy lucre, protecting the interests of the few, and so on.

TEF

This is also the pattern that Alexis Tsipras will follow in the TIF (unless other issues arise in the meantime), for the preparation of which a first meeting has taken place between Tsipras, the financial staff (Efis Ahtsioglou, Alexis Haritsi), Dimitris Tzanakopoulos (in charge of recording the government program of SYRIZA) and his close associates.

Based on the “sketch” of how Mr. Tsipras will move in the TIF, his speech to the productive bodies is expected to have a strong programmatic discourse, with a presentation of the main points of the SYRIZA government program regarding the economy.

Obviously, other meetings are pending in the next two weeks or so until the ascension of the president of SYRIZA in Thessaloniki.

Examining

As shown by the marathon meeting of the Committee on Institutions and Transparency last Thursday, “knives” are expected to come out (also) from SYRIZA in the investigation committee for the surveillance case of Nikos Androulakis, under the general title: The government wants to cover up the case, hides behind the invocation of “confidentiality” (with direct reference to P. Kontoleon – G. Dimitriadis), but maintaining the conviction that… he will not succeed.

In this case, however, despite the certainty in SYRIZA that it is decided by Maximos not to clarify the case, associates of Alexis Tsipras estimate that not all the variables in the equation are “controllable” by Maximos and, due to the multiple critical and “sensitive ” issue, they cannot dictate developments. Not in any case in cases like ADAE, “holding” from what its head, Mr. Rammos, allegedly stated to the Committee on Institutions and Transparency, that: 1. Confidentiality cannot be maintained and they must file regularly with the Committee on Institutions and Transparency those called to audition. 2. How will the EYP investigate the file and the case of Nikos Androulakis.