The optimists are beginning to see the glass half full.
They evaluate Mr. Tsipras’ turn at the very last moment positively, they consider it brave because he overcame his beliefs for the good of the country and because he clashed with the hard core of his party, jeopardizing his premiership.
They also estimate that this way the Prime Minister has buried the scenarios of a return to a national currency and – on the contrary – he confirmed that Greece will remain on the European course at all cost.
The same circle urges the other political forces to facilitate the Prime Minister, to support him in practice by offering their vote without complain in Parliament, so that the difficult and controversial bills may go through, which will ensure our Eurozone membership.
The more optimists also claim that the current government must be given at least 12 months to implement the measures and create the conditions for the recovery of the Greek economy, which may occur in the summer of 2016, if all goes to plan.
However there are also the pessimists, who have not hope in anything.
They believe that Tsipras failed miserably, that he ruined the economy by negotiating for five months with an unfinished plan, without guarantees, without provisions and ultimately without alternatives. At the last moment, in a state of panic and major fear, he was forced to retreat and accept the harsh deal that was presented to him by the Eurozone leaders.
They also estimate that he is not in the position to deal with the country’s affairs, that the new government precisely reflects his weakness and that during the negotiations in next few weeks it will collapse, dragging the country through a dishonorable Grexit, as imagined and planned out by Wolfgang Schauble, with the consent of the former Minister of Finances and about half of the previous ministerial council.
According to the same circle, under Mr. Tsipras’ leadership, the country has not luck and all that the Prime Minister can do is accept and support a national unity government, that will be capable of protecting the country against the real threat of the country returning to a national currency.
Nobody can side with the optimists or pessimists with any degree of certainty.
A friend of our reminded us of a saying that is ingrained in the collective memory of the Jews, according to which the pessimist Jews who were living in Europe during the interwar period ended up in New York, while the optimists ended up in Auschwitz.
Antonis Karakousis
Originally published in the Sunday print edition
