Those who know…
“Many of our cadres have become part of the wealthy class,» former Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos said earlier this week with more than a small dose of self-criticism. He added that Prime Minister Costas Simitis «has made no effort to show the Greek people that those who have fallen under the secret charm of the bourgeoisie no longer deserve a place in our leadership.» He also reiterated his claim that vote-rigging allegedly contributed toward the current composition of PASOK’s Executive Committee. Besides his previous post as foreign minister, Pangalos was also one of four PASOK members – including Costas Simitis, Vasso Papandreou and Paraskevas Avgerinos – who comprised the cutting edge of a drive to reform Andreas Papandreou’s PASOK and who brought Simitis to power. So he knows very well what he’s talking about. And Simitis, for his part, knows that the current situation is incompatible with PASOK’s «socialist» character; and if he doesn’t, then he should extend an invitation to his former close associate and demand explanations and names. As Pangalos has not «given it on a plate,» Simitis should ask for it. And while Pangalos calls for the resignation of unspecified officials, Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos is saying that government policy needs to become sensitive and progressive – which simply suggests that it presently isn’t.
