Whether in the open sea or in a 120 cm deep pool, Stefanos Kasselakis does not shy away from swimming hard. There are so many open issues in SYRIZA that it is necessary not to let it run the risk of “drowning”.
The radio interview he gave yesterday Friday (9/8) on NERA’s First Program was a sample of the tactics he and Koumoundourou will follow in general. Although there is a traditionally “dead” period for the Parliament and the domestic political scene, the leader of the official opposition is going to work with his colleagues on all that he will be called upon to manage very shortly.
It won’t be a quiet and inactive period for Stefanos Kasselakis that of the short-day vacation for the fifteenth of August.
The central line of Koumoundourou
On the one hand, every possible effort is made to erode government power. This attitude can be distinguished from the fact that SYRIZA responds with daily announcements to errors, gaps and inconsistencies that it detects in the structure of society.
Wiretapping, justice and the rule of law, punctuality (food, energy, cruise ships, etc.) and low wages, the situation in hospitals, the security of the country and Greek-Turkish issues are a raised flag of opposition. And they will continue to be so, because according to St. Kasselakis the politicians owe “with their judgment and their effort to influence the lives of the world”, as he underlined in one of his speeches on the state radio.
It will therefore surprise no one the expansion of the content with similar placements to reinforce what has already happened, as the repetition helps to consolidate as they say, or also highlight new omissions depending on the topicality of the days. Continuous meetings of think tanks are part of all this in order to identify imperfections.
Those executives who will not be invited to shows and have time, will go out and speak publicly.
Internal management
On the other hand, of course, it does not seem possible for SYRIZA to escape from the entrenched introversion that has plagued it for a year now. And if the antara calms down now and then, as long as the landscape remains cloudy, the situation will be irreversible until important decisions are made.
Nine weeks have passed since the European elections, but the two intra-party blocs are still competing in the tug-of-war. Sometimes one pulls the rope closer to her, gaining ground, and sometimes the other, resulting in an unpredictable balance.
The recent summons of Christos Spirtzis by the Ethics Committee added more water to the mill of the confrontation. St. Kasselakis refused to comment on the fact “because I do not belong to the body”, but it is clear that this move happened as a counterweight to the recent deletion of Polakis from the parliamentary group. After there were consequences for the Chanio politician, they could not fail to be for an executive who, for Koumoundourou, is an annoying cough that should be cut.
Obviously for a long time the leader of the faction has been trying to surround himself with a defensive zone that will protect him from friendly or enemy fire. Kasselakis’ “guard” has such a role behind the front line of ordinary “soldiers”, drawing up strategy and policy. Also, P. Polakis – although ostracized, but not useful – does not stop working beneficially with his own fire, deconstructing executives who fought hard and pushed in every way for his ouster.
At the same time, the “group of 87” organizes and draws up its own plan of action with constant consultations and remote contacts of its members. Opinions differ on how they should move in the next period. Some are tougher and others more flexible, in any case they stand against any presidential initiative that conflicts with the “identity” of the faction.
September with Central Committee and polls
That the decision of the disciplinary body for the former minister Chr. Spirtzis, expected towards the end of the month, partially delays the developments, but at the same time brings them much closer to the pivotal Central Committee which will meet again on the first weekend of September (7-8). It will also present the proposals (no longer ideas) for the statutory changes that will be voted on by the October Congress.
The issue of the Party Media, another “thorn” for the 7th floor of Koumundourou, will also have entered its final stretch by that time. Although the mobilizations of the workers to reverse the central decision are consecutive and uninterrupted, the leadership of SYRIZA sees no viable solution other than the one it has selected. And in this part, the mood is conflicting.
What will the polls say?
In fact, probably by the first general meeting of September, the leadership of SYRIZA will have the first opinion polls of the autumn in their hands in order to conclude the response of the citizens to all these moves. Admittedly, both the absolute numbers and the qualitative data will be of great interest in order to see where the tide is going.
The (always optimistic) St. Kasselakis would very much like to see, if not an increase, certainly a preservation of the forces, while the opposition bloc within Koumoundouros does not hide its concern for a further drop in the percentage of the European elections with a parallel contraction. A fear that, if confirmed, they will make sure to exploit properly, in public or behind closed doors.
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