A society in need of fresh policies
Since the mid-1980s, when Andreas Papandreou’s PASOK government launched its «stabilization» drive after acknowledging that the Greek economy had hit a crisis, working Greeks have been under pressure. Indeed, it is the workers who suffer the consequences of our governments’ great weakness for drafting policies aimed at boosting growth; it is they who must endure the repercussions of the country’s excessive indebtedness; and it was they who showed remarkable maturity and tolerance in supporting Greece’s entry into the eurozone. Greek society, which continues to possess considerable strengths including strong productive forces and a dynamic youth, now has a pressing need for serious government policies and, more generally, for action from a political elite with an unwavering awareness of its responsibilities. The year 2006 is one for politics in Greece. The authorities who are faced with tackling the country’s economic and social problems should not forget that they are all, without exception, exclusively responsible for creating the adversity our nation is experiencing. After all, the current situation is the result of decades of their policies. So it really is time that both governing and opposition politicians realized that they have no more scope for flippant decisions and behavior and for petty political games – especially with municipal elections on the horizon – which is burdening a society already troubled by serious problems.
