The re-establishment of the state
In one of his essays, Umberto Eco wrote, «There is no news in August.» We journalists can confirm that as we try to fill our pages with text. This year, however, August has proven to be an exception, with the war in Lebanon showing that life is still difficult and dangerous. To get back to Eco, think of Italy at this time of year, Ferragosto, when everyone from politicians and entrepreneurs to the workers of Turin and the restaurateurs of Rome go on holiday. A similar trend is evident in Greece. But for all the talk of «una faccia, una razza,» there are fundamental differences between Italy and Greece, the greatest of which is that in Italy the state functions all year round, even in August. The Republic of Italy has had 60 governments since the war. Despite this apparent political upheaval, which was mainly due to the fact that the governments were coalitions and thus short-lived, throughout that period a central and regional administration was maintained. Despite huge inequalities between the north and the south, the state mechanism efficiently administered Italy, the third-greatest economic power in Europe and in the club of the seven richest countries in the world. Governments come and go, but the Italian administration remains all-powerful. In Greece, where coalition governments are assumed to be weak and the omnipotence of one-party governments is glorified, we have had long-serving governments (first of New Democracy then of PASOK), but we have not acquired efficient administration. The state remained weak and, from the early 1980s, began to be dismantled by party politics and corruption. Hence Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis’s election campaign promise to re-establish the state is still the greatest challenge for the government and for the future of Greece.
