‘The last Soviet’
The whole «Pachtas affair» has actually revealed much more than initially meets the eye. It is worth noting, first of all, that we still do not know who took the initiative of promoting the interests of a contractor in Parliament. Expulsions, forgeries and threats have not succeeded in breaking the «code of silence» which always binds conspirators. Indeed, how can PASOK’s new leader-in-waiting have been so familiar with the significance of the specific amendment had he not taken the responsibility himself? It is only natural that the public was shocked and to a great extent has tempered its previously open stance opposite the foreign minister. Papandreou is well aware of the opinions most foreign politicians have of Greece. He also knows that Greece’s accession to the eurozone could have attracted great foreign investment. But ultimately only a few foreign businesses have decided to actually invest in Greece. Indeed, corruption, party nepotism, statism and extortion – all the negative aspects of Greek public life revealed in the «Pachtas affair» – have convinced would-be investors to reconsider their plans. And this is what Greece’s «reformist businessmen» wanted – for the country to shut out outside involvement, serving only their interests, isolated with its conspiracies and trade-offs – something like «the last Soviet state.»
