Wrong message
The center-right has traditionally enjoyed a comparative advantage in the areas of fiscal discipline, privatizations and entrepreneurship.
Some people are now trying to defame these principles, which are at the core of every serious center-right party in Europe, by calling them “neoliberal.” They are the same people who were behind the unabashed hirings and unchecked spending which took place during their time in power.
Both candidates for the New Democracy leadership have steered clear of populist opinions and policies in the past. It would be a mistake if they were to now give into some sort of right-wing populism, dragging the rest of the conservative party down with them.
If voters want populism, they know where to find it – in fact in its most authentic, statist expression. But that is hopefully not what most ND voters are asking for. What they expect to see is a state in the direction of social sensitivity and fiscal discipline, law and order, and protection of the private sector against corruption and manipulation.
