Great Britain and Greece, Boris and Kyriakos
On the map we are the two ends of Europe. From the side of Great Britain. On the other hand, us. Both countries lived and are living the most intense fifteen years of their recent political history.
I recognize that it takes leaps of thought to compare the political life of the two states, but the fact that the Prime Minister emphatically stated that he would go ahead with elections at the end of the quadrennial, acknowledging that there is political risk, tempted me.
The truth is that Mr. Alexis Tsipras in a role Jeremy Corbyn gives reasons. Mr Corbyn lost two separate election battles to two different Conservative leaders, who had been made Prime Minister first by internal party processes and then by election victory. Theresa May became Prime Minister after an internal Conservative process on 13 July 2016, replacing David Cameron, and defeated Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn in the National Election held on 9 June 2017. Boris Johnson became Prime Minister on 24 July 2019 replacing Theresa May (struggle with internal party procedures) and made the elections on the 12th of 2019 in the Gulf.
Alexis Tsipras and Jeremy Corbyn have one thing in common: an electoral minority that loves them, a majority that loves to hate them. So both were, and in the case of Mr. Tsipras are, relatively easy opponents. Of course there is a noticeable difference. That Alexis Tsipras won 1+1 electoral battle. However, in practice, Mr. Tsipras only gained the trust of the citizens for a period. And not at a spectacular rate. Let him fight for his survival ever since.
The two states had another point in common in recent years. The referendums. On the other hand, Great Britain for Brexit. And Greece, seemingly for nothing. But also in the case of Greece, the stakes were huge. Another thing if in practice it turned out to be a political bubble. Brexit for Great Britain has ended and is a turning point.
Brexit reminded us why while democracy is a Greek “product”, Great Britain is considered the homeland of the modern Republic. The way the British Parliament has managed itself in recent years is unique. And the process of changing political leaders in the Conservatives is memorable. Especially when it comes to Boris Johnson it is unfair to judge in terms of communication. Personally, I will always honor him for the fact that he respected and served the opinion of the majority of his fellow citizens. Even if he had personal criteria and ambitions, he served the republic.
On the other hand we can easily rank the long list of politicians who face the lawlessness of the vicar in the unique times we live in. Boris Johnson on many issues moved on the edge of political genius. Structured, effective, with historical imprint decisions. However, his political arrogance and his mania for the game of political strategy bordered on the supernatural. I am not in a position to know how History will behave. I know that in the age of technology and the speed of information, you can’t live on the edge all the time.
The choice to live on the edge seems to be made by the Prime Minister as well. It is a given that there are arguments for and against early elections. Nationally, moreover, it benefited Greece that the elections were held last year in June 2021. It would have had four years of stable governance ahead of it and would have faced the storms with a stable captain until 2025. It would also have benefited Mr. Mitsotakis and the politics of inheritance . Until last year at this time the mistakes were few, the successes great. And there was a strong political imprint. Today the interest in the date of the elections is governed by another targeting.
From a party point of view, it makes sense to see Mr. Tsipras as the Corbyn of Greece. To manage the time of the elections with the logic that, whenever they are held, Mr. Tsipras will be defeated. On the other hand in turbulent times it is wrong to underestimate. Simultaneously Greece no longer has two poles. He has three. Elections are not only the New Democracy and SYRIZA. They are also about PASOK. Yes, it is a fact that PASOK can collapse and remain only in its poll footprint. Yes it is a fact that it is almost funny to make national election predictions when we do not have the result that the first ones will leave. But as the difficulties increase, so does the possibility for Greek men and women to look for another option. And the opinion polls say this clearly. As they also indicate that the difficulties are almost insurmountable.
Why, then, Kyriakos Mitsotakis takes this political risk remains to be seen. Just note the phrase we wrote a little bit above: “in the age of technology and the speed of information, you can’t always live on the edge”.