Consensus does no harm to opposition
We rarely agree with the Greek Communist Party (KKE) and the positions it takes, but the stance of the party’s general secretary on the FYROM name issue was worth noting. Bluntly, and without hesitation, Aleka Papariga stated that she was in favor of finding a compromise in a composite name for Greece’s northern neighbor. She expressed in public what other political leaders have had trouble confessing openly for years, that is, the need to reach a compromise with Skopje. The fact that the head of a major party did so yesterday tells us that there is hope for a consensus on major political issues without that excluding tough opposition. We hope that PASOK, after the elections for its president on November 11, will follow the same path of responsibility and isolate the extreme voices from within its ranks that persist in presenting unfeasible and feckless solutions. The public expects politicians to act in a responsible manner and to have the courage to deal with vital issues without first considering the political cost.
