HELBI

The times and the formidable power of television have supplanted the traditional balconies in city squares from which politicians once communicated with the people - initially in Korai, later in Syntagma and Omonia in Athens, the Electra Palace Hotel in Thessaloniki's Aristotelous Square, and the square in Larissa so esteemed by the late Constantinos Karamanlis when he was prime minister. It must be said that the television screen suited everyone. The political leaders looked spiffy in their suits. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis had a youthful blue-striped tie, PASOK leader George Papandreou's was grey and dark blue; Synaspismos Left Coalition leader Alekos Alavanos was in his signature open-necked shirt; Democratic Revival leader Stelios Papathemelis wore a dark suit; Popular Orthodox Rally leader Giorgos Karatzaferis brought an attention-grabbing lemon «to add some flavor to the soup» of the debate; and Communist Party (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga wore coral round her neck. As for the journalists, the men wore designer silk while the women displayed a preference for low necklines, and all had their minds on their notes except for Alexis Papachelas, who was completely at ease. It also suited the state television channels ET-1 and NET, which hosted both the politicians and the journalists from private TV stations, and showed us the offices of their managers (whom we pay through taxes added to our electricity bills), their bright, shiny studios with their rather harsh metallic surfaces, their equipment and their first-rate directors and technicians. ERT chief Christos Panagopoulos, formerly a newspaper journalist, looked serious and a little sad as he ushered the politicians into the building. The journalists entered one at a time, having first spoken freely to other TV stations. Elli Stai, immaculately made up, and Olga Tremi, looking fresh and natural, both expressed reservations about the time limits imposed and the format for putting questions in the debate. Yet nobody asked them why they were taking part. There's nothing quite like having an audience of 2 million viewers hanging on your every word. The debate lasted for 2 hours 22 minutes and it didn't seem like a debate at all. The acrimony of the questions was not reflected in the faces of the speakers, who all looked polite. Papandreou appeared as if we would have liked to smile but his deliberate seriousness made him look stern. He wants to come across as a future prime minister. Being prime minister and sure of his rhetorical ability, Karamanlis correctly addressed his answers to the medium rather than the journalist, unlike the other speakers. He emphasized his comments with expressive gestures, though no fewer than needed. At that point Papandreou clasped his left arm with his right hand, moving only the palm of the left hand. A tendency to the right with the heart going to the left? Alavanos's delivery was completely natural as he insisted that students not be branded troublemakers; he won over the young but others recalled fires and damage done to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Well, you can't win them all. Serious, voicing the same views she has held for decades. Papariga spoke to those who share her ideas, not from a position of power but from experience and knowledge. She is in Parliament and she'll get back there, where the two smaller parties would dearly love to be. Papathemelis, who has been in Parliament since 1974, and Karatzaferis who has never been a deputy, spoke calmly and were well focused. They want their voices to be heard and their positions have support from some voters, but they must overcome obstacles in the electoral law. They definitely gained from the debate, as they presented their views and personalities. As for the two main contenders, Karamanlis - justifiably subdued in view of the recent disaster of the fires and the responsibility he has assumed, was sincerely self-critical, admitting «that it was hard for people on low wages to get by.» So it was just as well that when Emilios Liatsos asked him how he would manage if «he and his wife and two children had to get by on 550 euros a month,» the premier did not copy Theodoros Roussopoulos and say «Natassa would work; she's a doctor.» He did right to keep his family out of it. What matters to voters are his views, which he stated persuasively: reforms and continued progress with a new mandate from the electorate. Some voters will have already made up their own minds for various reasons. The undecided will have been even more confused by Alavanos with his pro-youth views, Papathemelis with his Christian outlook, and Karatzaferis with his rigid stance on immigrants. Those wavering between ND and PASOK will choose on the basis of which leader they think will make a better prime minister. What was missing from the debate? More shots showing all the participants together; it was tiring seeing just the journalist and the politicians. Liatsos, from the channel with the «alternative news program,» was good in his role as a journalist, though perhaps more acerbic than was necessary. Nikos Hatzinikolaou looked pale, Nikolas Evangelatos was huddled over his notes, Stai was at ease and coquettish. Tremi was polite but colorless, and Papachelas was distant. Maria Houkli efficiently carried out the moderator's thankless task of keeping time. Was the debate boring? No, because it produced the news that Karamanlis wants to govern alone, without coalitions or any forms of cooperation. And if he doesn't achieve this, we will have new elections, which will please all the pupils in Greece because their schools will close again.