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Pretenderis, Ioannis
To Vima, Greece
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5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Papandreou passes mood test for now
Despite heavy losses for his Socialists in Greece's regional and local elections Greek head of government Giorgos Papandreou has precluded early parliamentary elections. The left-liberal daily Ta Nea asks whether the whole thing was not just much ado about nothing: "We have already written that Europe is full of governments that have lost regional or local elections without this stopping them from governing. ... Was anybody surprised by the message of discontent and disapproval? Was there anyone who was flabbergasted by the results? I don't think so. ... After yesterday's results we will now see not only whether Greece has a strong government (which no one disputes) but also whether it once again has a strong opposition. At the moment it certainly looks like it. The rest will soon become obvious. Because it could indeed all have been a lot of fuss about nothing. But it could also be that a little fuss makes a difference."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Greece
Parcel bombs from Greece spread fear
A number of parcel bombs have been sent from Greece to, among others, the German chancellor, the French President and several embassies. All air freight being sent abroad from Greece has been stopped for the time being. The left-liberal daily Ta Nea asks what more it will take for these acts of aggression finally to be taken seriously. "We must be absolutely honest. There is no worse way of dealing with a threat than playing it down. ... Out of its own paranoia and for probably inexplicable reasons our society has tended to demonise the security issue. Security against terrorism, but also security against all the dangers and threats of modern society. Is that a sign of anti-authoritarian posing, ideological nonsense, social backwardness or left-wing parochialism? It's up to the experts to find out. ... But no one can deny that this aggression exists and is growing. And as long it prevails and continues to be nourished we will be a society that steadily becomes mired in fear and insecurity. And in terrorism."
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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Crime, » Greece
Cabinet reshuffle endangers Greece's rescue programme
The Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has reshuffled his government, appointing new members and increasing the number of ministers and their deputies from 37 to 48. This could however delay the government's plans for getting the country back on track, the left-liberal daily Ta Nea fears: "The composition of a government is no guarantee in advance that it will perform well. This is even less so given that the current constellation is much more complicated than it was before. ... The risk the prime minister is taking concerns the scale of the reshuffle. We must hope that the new people get used to their new roles very quickly. Otherwise the government is in danger of losing the race against time and the troika [composed of the European Central Bank, the EU Commission and the International Monetary Fund] is already lying in wait."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Economic Policy, » Greece
Giannis Pretenteris on the banality of violence
Violence has become established in Greek society, columnist Giannis Pretenteris writes commenting on the street battles between youths and the police in Athens in the daily To Vima: "The mood in Athens on the weekend was warlike - as if the Turks were about to attack. Unfortunately the riots are no exception. The same happens every year when the Polytechnic [the uprising of students at the Athens Polytechnic on 17 November, 1973] is commemorated. … We all experience this as if we were obliged to identify with one side or the other. As if we were doomed to live in a permanent state of civil war. … The problem is not the violence. The problem lies in the legitimation of the violence of those who perceive it as 'part of the game'. During the Eichmann trial Hannah Arendt spoke of the 'banality of evil'. I fear that in our society the banality of violence is prevailing."
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More from the press review on the subject » Social movements, » Greece
The government in difficulty
"The ship of state has been sailing in uncharted waters for two years and this is being reflected in the polls," analyses the daily, taking stock at the halfway point of the current legislature. "The change of crew, during a recent reshuffe, along with poor management of Greek-Turkish relations and handling of the country's economy with respect to EU recommendations, the Pakistani scandal [involving alleged terrorists supposedly arrested on Greek territory], the tapped-telephones affair, the attachment to ecclesiastical power ... All these things have left public opinion foundering in a state of great confusion, with severe consequences. Hence, the conservatives of New Democracy remain at the top of the polls, but with only a 0.2% lead. And this is only because the Greeks still don't trust the socialists of Pasok to govern the country."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Greece
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