The Left made a mistake, believing that the security issue must only concern left political parties. This is not the way it is. Ordinary citizens need to feel the sense of security much more than rich people do. I pointed this out to Mr Tsipras, in spring, when I came back from Mytilene. People living on those islands really needed to feel secure, but the government did not listen to me
“Insecurity makes people lean towards extreme right,” stated Stavros Theodorakis, in an interview with Nikos Evagelatos, asked to comment on the victory of Marine Le Pen in France.
The leader of To Potami said: “The Left made a mistake, believing that the security issue must only concern left political parties. This is not the way it is. Ordinary citizens need to feel the sense of security much more than rich people do. I pointed this out to Mr Tsipras, in spring, when I came back from Mytilene. People living on those islands really needed to feel secure, but the government did not listen to me”.
Asked to clarify whether cooperating with SYRIZA is still a possible scenario, Mr Theodorakis said, “This door closed, when Mr Tsipras announced that he would have another round of elections. The country must not have had elections and experience this hardship, which led the country to a governmental formation that is not sustainable. So, just to make this clear, the cooperation door has now closed. Of course, in a democracy, we are supposed to care about the life of the majority, the life of citizens, the society. To Potami is here to evaluate what is useful or not to the country. I am not talking about the SYRIZA-ANEL government, with a complementary role of To Potami. Yet, if the country, at some point, needs another kind of government, from the existing Parliament, To Potami can negotiate it. A government where both SYRIZA and New Democracy would participate”.
Asked to comment whether the government can rely on 153 deputies, the leader of Potami said: “The problem is not whether the number rises to 153 or 152. The problem is that the government is not working, it is not effective. You see the figures on exports, entrepreneurship and unemployment. Could someone possibly believe that unemployment rates keep rising, with a left government that has been governing the country for ten months? These are the actual problems of the country. Creative people must join their forces, so that we can have growth in the country. Since February, the government has been delaying denationalizations. Now it is bringing back the contracts signed by the previous government, without changing a single word. So, how can we explain this delay? So many job positions that have been lost all these months”.
Answering the audience’s questions, Mr Theodorakis pointed out:
- To Potami (The River) is not just a name we have selected. To Potami is the Movement for justice. This is the first thing that we stand for. Justice. Taxation justice, social justice. There is wealth in the country, but it has been robbed. Ships and shipyards are, traditionally, supposed to generate wealth in society. This is a major weakness, not only a weakness of SYRIZA. The previous regime also failed to shield the Greek shipping. Shipping companies relocate their activities in Korea and Japan. Greek politicians do not have a development plan for the country.
- The country “shrinks” in two different ways. Birthrates fall, while the brain drain rises. Our children keep leaving the country and this may end up to having worse impact than Memorandum itself. One can contradict this, claiming that Greeks have always been traveling. This is true. But, now, there is a feeling of persecution. There are young people leaving their country, on short notice. This deficit will be of major importance the day after. The Greek society will be an old one, lacking the perspective that only young scientists can bring in the country.
- Greece needs smart solutions. We suggested something in the Parliament, submitting a proposal, the implementation of which could generate revenues. Turkish trucks transfer products within Greece. Greece is the only country that has not imposed Euro-vignette to trucks coming from foreign countries. While crossing a country’s frontier, you are supposed to pay a 5 or 10 euros’ vignette, apart from tolls. We have calculated that we give away some 10.000.000 euros, because we do not impose the euro-vignette.
Photo credit: Theodore Manolopoulos
