It is customary for those in power to determine the reach of Democracy according to their wishes. That is why what are nominally referred to as democracies are essentially tyrannies.
In recent days the political and partisan identity of New Democracy has come under question. The informal election for a new president allowed the main opposition party to celebrate the mass participation in the vote. At the same time though, endemic clashes were revealed amongst those who in their pursuit for power change according to how the wind blows…
The much-debated political consensus is a revealing example of this, since everyone claims to desire it when they need it, but reject it when in power.
The only time that there was a true consensus, where the major parties (the right wing and the liberal one) agreed on the implementation of a policy was in the late 1940s, when the leader of the right-wing majority allowed the leader of the liberals Themistoklis Sofoulis to become Prime Minister. Since then and up to 1989 – when the Tzannetakis government was formed with the support of New Democracy and the Communist Party (in an effort to attract PASOK) – there has been no consensus for a stable government.
Centrist leader Georgios Papandreou ruled out any discussion with the popular front. Under Konstantinos Karamanlis, the Right rejected any alliance with the Left and spoke of companions. When the leftist PASOK came to power, Andreas Papandreou never pursued a political consensus.
The Center, as it exists today, spoke about a consensus shortly before the recent elections.
The negative response from SYRIZA at the time was unnecessarily harsh. Now “the night is pregnant” just like the late Charilaos Florakis used to say.
Stavros P. Psycharis
Originally published in the Christmas print edition
