Twisting words

It was not the first such instance, but it was a blatant one. A single word from an interview by opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the weekend was taken out of context and turned into a tool of intimidation by SYRIZA.

The actual meaning of Mitsotakis’ statement was not even ambiguous. The New Democracy chief was clearly referring to a business contract that has already been approved by the Ministry of Labor.

There has been a lot of talk in the wake of the recent Parliament standoff between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Mitsotakis about the level of political debate. However, this is not only a matter of political etiquette. Partisan confrontation has to be confined to reality. It must revolve around what political parties and politicians actually say – not about made-up soundbites.