Theory: John Kerry in Athens
Next week, John Kerry, former US Secretary of State and current representative of the Biden administration on climate and climate change, will be in Athens.
The American official who has four-fours with both Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, which is part of the government’s – anyway – dense contacts with political figures from the other side of the Atlantic.
After all, the meetings with John Sarbani, an elite member of the Greek-American community and known for his friendly feelings towards Greece, Bob Menendez, had been preceded.
Leader of the opposition
I am now taking you to Parliament and to the debate that took place on Friday on the subject of surveillance. It did not go unnoticed that most of Alexis Tsipras’ speech had the character of a defender of Nikos Androulakis. No, the president of SYRIZA did not love PASOK and its president, but – in the absence of Androulakis – he sees a golden opportunity to appear as the head of the opposition and above all to speak to the public of PASOK.
Hidden objective
Many analysts, however, see behind Alexis Tsipras’ tactics a more long-term goal. After the elections and with the condition that the numbers will allow, to invite Nikos Androulakis – with the surveillance vehicle – to form a partnership with the government, with the main purpose of clarifying the surveillance case. The thinking that exists in Koumoundourou is speculated, and to a large extent not unjustly, that it will put PASOK in a difficult position, as the specific issue primarily concerns its president.
Dora’s opinion
However, the Center will continue to monopolize the interest of the parties. Dora, for example, said on Friday in a meeting with MPs that under no circumstances should New Democracy abandon its strategic approach to this space, regardless of whether the relationship with its top executives, such as Evangelos Venizelos, has definitively broken down. .
Finally the juice
On Friday, after all, there was a new attack by the former president of PASOK on the government, which, however, this time was caused by the prime minister himself, who apparently did not forget the harsh report of Venizelos after the coverage of the surveillance and made a personal comment. of the former president of PASOK. “If you believe Mr. Venizelos’ opinion that on principle no politician should be monitored, say so. But let’s first think about how the Golden Dawn disintegrated,” he said addressing Mr. Tsipras.
The former deputy prime minister, Samaras, was sure to pick up the gauntlet, despite what happened: with a long post, he cited legal arguments in response to the prime minister. However, the political essence was at the end, where Mr. Venizelos closed by saying that the prime minister “if he doesn’t want to respect my political opinions, he doesn’t have to take my legal opinions into account. This could help him in dealing with the crisis of the centralized and one-person model of power.”
Partisan
I am staying in Parliament because so much happened on Friday. For example, Dionysis Hatzidakis – from the cradle a partisan and factionalist – took it upon himself to boost the fallen morale of the Parliamentary Group. Every time Mitsotakis raised his voice, he was the first to start the applause and shouted to the rest, “get up rreeee”.
Messages in and out
I close with the Parliament, as the Mitsotakis reports were of interest to those who want weak governments inside and outside Greece. “I am well aware that there are interests that do not want an autonomous government”, he said and added that “I know the forces outside Greece that do not have a stable western path that our liberal democracy has chosen”. And he ended with a specific message: “To all of them I want to address strongly. In the Greece of 2022, the other ports from which some once looked for rubles or drachmas will not be resurrected, the media will not be financed by foreign centers with the aim of influencing the political scene.
Interventions in media
The Prime Minister, after the brake was pressed on critical journalism working in foreign media, is preparing a counterpoint with personal interviews in the foreign press, in order to formulate his own perspective on the issue and change the climate that has been formed.
Climate
In order to give you an atmosphere from the other camps as well, in Koumoundourou they were satisfied after the debate in the Parliament. Their assessment is that Mitsotakis played such a defense for the first time and despite his efforts he did not manage to not score a goal. As for Charilaou Trikoupis, things are more ferocious, as Nikos Androulakis was furious with the prime minister, saying that he will activate his own weapon which is the European Parliament.
In Lesvos
At the annual symposium in memory of Professor Stavros Tsakyrakis, which will take place in Lesvos on August 30 and 31, will be the PtD Katerina Sakellaropoulou. The symposium is now an institution for Molyvos, the hometown of the great professor of Constitutional Law.
Support?
Many say that the speech of Kyriakos Velopoulos on Friday in the Parliament had “sly” points with which he gave a helping hand to the government. I listen to it and record it.
Puzzle
Next Wednesday, Kostas Karamanlis will speak in Anogeia at a political memorial service in memory of the Anogea politician Yiannis Kefalogiannis, on the 10th anniversary of his death. The situation is such that the eyes will fall even more on Karamanlis, as everyone is waiting to see if he will say something – and what it will be – about the surveillance case. History has shown, however, that those who discount his attitude are wrong, as the former prime minister is hardly influenced and always speaks based on his conscience in the end.