This is what we’ve got to work with
The so-called center – voters with common sense and no party affiliations of any color – has entered a period of detachment and indifference toward the political developments in this country. This is not a positive outcome, neither for the political system nor themselves.
As soon as anyone suggests they should make the effort to vote in the main opposition’s election for a new leader they react like children who are being forced to drink something they don’t like.
Meanwhile, other pro-European opposition parties don’t seem to seduce them in any way and in some cases even seem to repulse them. When you ask them, “Well, what’s to be done?” they shrug their shoulders in resignation.
In a certain sense they have fallen victim to a certain kind of snobbery. They don’t like anything. It’s not really an absurd thought, given the political cast currently acting on stage or waiting in the wings for the next performance. Being in denial, however, is not the solution. Anyone expecting some forgotten prophet to appear and save the day must have great, if not metaphysical, faith.
Greek society, of course, has expressed a desire to break free from that which is old, systemic and traditional. A portion of society found the answer to this request in the face of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
As they become increasingly disenchanted, however, they are going in search of new faces and formations. This process could take a while and no one is in any position to know whether it will ever bear fruit. The country has very few true reserves left. The gap between Greece’s intellectual and business elite and large portions of the population is huge.
In the meantime, the country must have a strong opposition and alternative choices of government. That is why it’s wrong for anyone to snub whatever lies on the political horizon, for that is one sure way for the rule of mediocracy to be consolidated and for the dynamic part of society to find itself on the sidelines or even abroad.
Until something new appears on the horizon, let’s have our own opinions and participate in what already exists. I know that there are plenty of people out there who get angry when they hear this. I absolutely understand their position. Despair and anger abound. But if I remember well, Giorgos Seferis used to say, “This is our cast, and we have to play with it.”
