America, Check Out Yourself in Greece's Mirror

Jeff—Saturday

I was reading through the Greek newspapers this week looking for a story to write about for today’s blog, when I came across an article that reinforced my long-held belief that if you want to know what’s going on in US politics, read the Greek papers—and vice-versa—just remember to change the names to compromise the innocent. 

Assuming, if we may, that most Americans would agree the Democratic Party leans to the left and the Republicans to the right, what we have at the moment are two nations—Greece and the US—offering mirror images of the other’s dominating political parties.

 

Think of it this way. If you stare at yourself in a mirror full-on face forward, your right side reflects back as your left, and your left side as your right.  Got it?

That’s precisely what we have going on in the context of Greek and US politics. At the moment America’s (left leaning) Democratic Party shares the position of Greece’s (right leaning) New Democracy, what with neither controlling their nation’s executive branch of government.

It is leftist SYRIZA and its party leader, Alexis Tsipras, that’s in power in Greece, and Republican President Trump in the US.

AP photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

The article, titled “New Democracy is not SYRIZA,” appeared in Ekathimerini, Greece’s newspaper of record, and in discussing what Greece faces, raised mirror-like similarities to the state of political affairs in the US.  Here are many of those observations, editorially modified by me for clarity…or so I hope.

Greece’s conservative New Democracy [and the US’s Democratic Party] is a middle-class party with a long tradition, unlikely to transform into a purely leader-focused party like SYRIZA. SYRIZA, on the other hand, is Alexis Tsipras – nothing more, nothing less [SYRIA came into being essentially to elect Tsipras, much as Trump’s base came together to wrest control of the Republican Party.]

If Tsipras decided tomorrow morning to change jobs or pursue a fresh career in Brussels, his leftist SYRIZA party would most probably return to its small-party roots of yesteryear [as would likely Trump’s base without him.]

SYRIZA [and the Republicans] has a tactical advantage vis-a-vis its main opposition. No one in its party is pushing things to the limit and there is no such thing as party barons among the leftists [or US conservatives]. Even those who may sometimes criticize certain policies make sure they do not cross any red lines, not even pink ones for that matter.

Furthermore, being a relatively young party gives SYRIZA an extra advantage. Old party disputes and rivalries are not imprinted on its DNA. What happened 20 or 30 years ago interests no one and plays no role whatsoever [Trump, as the originator of his movement, shares that benefit.]

As we draw closer to the general election, the center-right party [in the US, the left leaning Democrats] should pay attention to the advantages of its leftist [in the US, conservative Republican] rival – whose officials spend much of their days conjuring up ways of sowing division in other parties.

A New Democracy veteran was saying the other day that his fellow conservatives are a “party of moaners.” [In our mirror world, read that as a Democrat going on about liberals]. 

In the run-up to the crucial next elections, there can be no room for long-running inner-party vendettas nor for those who want the stage for themselves. New Democracy [the US Democrats] will never resemble a church with only one person speaking. But it must not look like a gathering place where different people speak at the same time, creating a cacophony at the expense of a single, unified voice. 

As I said, if you want to know what’s going on in the US, pick up a Greek newspaper, take a look in the mirror, and repeat after me: “It’s all Greek to me.”

—Jeff

Jeff’s upcoming book events:

March 2, 4:00 PM

Tucson, AZ

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS – Student Union, Tucson Room

Panelist “Masters of the Police Procedural,” with Tim Johnston and Peter Leonard, moderated by Anne Segal.

March 3, 10:00 AM

Tucson, AZ

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS – Integrated Learning Center, Room 120

Panelist “CSI Publishers Row,” with Michael McGarrity and Martin Walker, moderated by Cara Black.

March 3, 1:00 PM

Tucson, AZ

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS – Koffler, Room 218

Moderating “A Legal Thriller Conversation” with Phillip Margolin and Harriet Tyce

March 3, 2:15 PM

Tucson, AZ

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS

Author Signing at CLUES UNLIMITED exhibition venue

March 29, 4:00 PM

Vancouver BC, Canada

LEFT COAST CRIME –Hyatt Regency Vancouver

Moderating “International Settings” with Alice K. Boatwright, G.M. Malliet, Sujata Massey, and S.J. Rozan

THE MYKONOS MOB book tour begins:

April 2, 7:00 PM

Seattle, WA

THIRD PLACE BOOKS (Lake Forest Park)

Author Speaking and Signing

April 6, 3:00 PM

San Francisco, CA

BOOK PASSAGE (Ferry Building-Embarcadero)

Author Speaking and Signing

April 7, 3:00 PM

Orange, CA

BOOK CARNIVAL              

Author Speaking and Signing

April 10, 7 PM

Pasadena, CA

VROMAN’S (East Colorado)

Author Speaking and Signing

April 12, 7 PM

Dallas, TX

Interabang (Preston Oaks)

Author Speaking and Signing

April 16, 7:00 PM

Scottsdale, AZ

POISONED PEN BOOKSTORE

Author Speaking and Signing

April 24, 6:30 PM

Houston, TX

MURDER BY THE BOOK

Author Speaking and Signing

April 26, 7:00 PM

Denver, CO

TATTERED COVER (East Colfax)

Author Speaking and Signing

April 29, 7:00 PM

Pittsburgh, PA

MYSTERY LOVERS BOOKSHOP

Author Speaking and Signing

May 1, 6:30 PM

New York, NY

MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP

Author Speaking and Signing

May 2, 7:00 PM

Naperville, IL

ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP

Author Speaking and Signing

May 3, 7:00 PM

Chicago, IL (Forest Park)

CENTURIES & SLEUTHS  BOOKSTORE

Author Speaking and Signing

May 4, 2 PM

Milwaukee, WI

BOSWELL BOOK COMPANY

Author Speaking and Signing

May 9, 5:00 PM

BRISTOL, UK

CRIMEFEST—Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel

Panelist on “Nobody Would Believe it if You Wrote it: Fake News, Post-Truth and Changing Words,” with Jørn Lier Horst, William Shaw, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, moderated by Paul E. Hardisty

May 10, 5:10 PM

BRISTOL, UK

CRIMEFEST—Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel

Panelist on “Sunshine Noir,” with Paul Hardisty,  Barbara Nadel, Robert Wilson, moderated by Michael Stanley

October 31-November 3

DALLAS, TX

BOUCHERCON 2019---Hyatt Regency Dallas

Panel Schedule Yet to be Announced

There is Much to Learn From the Greeks

I promised not to talk about what’s going on in Greece…at least not now.  Even though there are such juicy stories to pounce on, such as these three:

ONE.  Greece’s former transit minister, the nephew of the founder of Greece’s currently ruling political party, was arrested for running a stop sign and found to be driving an unregistered luxury vehicle bearing false license plates. If registered, he’d have had to pay 3300 euros in vehicle related taxes. He showed up in court wearing a 1500-euro jacket and claimed he was a "pensioner" affected by the crisis and only driving the vehicle to “charge the battery.”

 

Former Transit Minister in transit.

TWO.  Parliament agreed to block dispersal to neo-Nazi political party Golden Dawn of 300,000 euros it would have received as a member of Parliament, doing so on the basis of a law denying such funding to a party with leaders facing criminal prosecutions. On the same day it refused to allow an investigation into the role played by the leader of the ruling party’s coalition partner in a 360 million-euro loss sustained by Greece in a stalled, three submarine deal signed-off on by that leader who, incidentally, was recently reported to be perhaps the richest of the country’s party leaders.

Golden Dawn leader

PASOK leader

Savvas Xeros of November 17

THREE.  As reported by Ekathimerini, Greece’s equivalent of The New York Times, convicted terrorist Savvas Xeros—currently serving five consecutive life sentences plus an additional 25 years for his involvement in the November 17 terror group’s 27-year reign of terror covering 23 assassinations and thousands of related crimes—was granted a one-month furlough from prison by a Piraeus court on Thursday so that he could undergo medical treatment in a university hospital.  The issue stirred controversy in Parliament between opposition SYRIZA and ruling New Democracy, with the former’s human rights committee saying that the continued detention of an inmate diagnosed with serious health problems constitutes “inhumane treatment,” and the ruling party accusing the “leftists” of “trying to achieve the release of the murderer and terrorist by intervening in justice.”

New Democracy and SYRIZA leaders

Obviously, there are different sides to those stories, but I’m going to honor my promise and pass on offering my take. Instead, I’m posting what I think a very well thought out editorial by Alexis Papachelas, Executive Editor of Ekathimerini.  It appeared in last Sunday’s paper. And, yes, you might say it applies to us as well. That’s “us” as in US.  It’s titled, “Dangerous Ambitions”:

Alex Papachelas

I would very much like to ask all those dreaming of becoming the country’s next prime minister whether they have thought it through properly and are sufficiently prepared, with a specific plan and an even more specific team to implement it. 

Daydreamers abound. Some feel they have been treated unfairly by history while others wish to take revenge for injustices suffered by their parents. There are also those who are immature enough to believe that the premiership will simply fall into their laps, just like everything else.

Very few realize how tough the job of prime minister in a country which has fallen apart actually is. The way they seem to ignore danger is impressive. They could at least realize that for the first time in decades, a wrong move while at the country’s helm could lead to disaster for the country and themselves. But they still insist on working solely on their publicity skills. 

You hear supposedly serious people boasting about receiving backing from newspapers and businesspeople. So what? Even if they do get elected, who will govern the country amid such adverse conditions? Those who backed them in the first place will turn against them if they don’t return the favor – this has always been the case. And when the going gets really tough, whoever has realized this dream will find himself alone in the Maximos Mansion, feeling the tremendous pressure exerted by the Greek people, the country’s lenders and interest groups on the one hand and history waiting to issue its verdict on the other. 

Partisan sycophants who seemed like giants in party offices will seem like midgets as they take on positions of even basic responsibility. Ambition is legitimate. What angers people, however, is the shallowness and unbearable lightness with which everyone across the political spectrum is preparing themselves: with low-quality staff, a complete lack of planning, big words and ludicrous tactics.

Some of it is our own – citizens’ and the media’s – fault. We glorify communication mastery and light populism and condemn anyone who comes across as gray and serious. Acting tough and playing the media game properly is today’s winning ticket. But this doesn’t lead anywhere. 

Antonis Samaras will eventually leave office and history will tell whether he did everything in his power to accomplish his mission. He has certainly given his role as premier much more than most people expected. It’s time to get stricter with anyone who wants the country’s top job. In the past we put our trust in people who had never worked before, who had never felt the threat of getting laid off. We considered pamphlets with pretty graphics sufficient plans for governing. 

We should not fall into this trap again because things are really serious this time around.

*****

As is often said, we can learn from the Greeks.   Let’s just hope they do so as well.

By the way, the photo at the top of this post is of a Christmas tree erected two years ago by volunteers in front of Greece’s Parliament building.  It’s made out of donated milk cans, later distributed to the needy.  In that spirit, and an ecumenical prayer for better times for all on earth, Merry Christmas and Kala Kristouyenna.

Jeff—Saturday