More serious matters
Scandals have been dominating political life here in Greece these past few months. We must not, however, ignore a few basic facts. Scandal-mongering benefits no one and spares no one; the only thing it really achieves is to further undermine political credibility all around. As such, political parties need to take extra care to avoid being swept up in the frenzy, as they have nothing to gain ultimately and may even end up harmed. The truth is that the public is sick and tired of hearing serious accusations and whispered rumors about scandals, without ever seeing the guilty parties being punished for their crimes. Another reason why scandal-mongering is especially dangerous at this juncture, against the background of the international financial crisis, is that it is diverting the attention of the public and politicians from the real issues. On the one hand, the government should be focusing on reform and overcoming unreasonable resistance from certain union groups, while on the other, the main opposition party needs to step off the soap box and prove it is ready to take the reins of power if called on to do so.
