Deadlock must be overcome
At some point, the representatives of Greece’s two main parties will have to sit down at the same table and – at least attempt to – reach an agreement as to how they plan to rescue the country’s bankrupt social security system and remedy the burgeoning fiscal crisis. So far, the conservative New Democracy government of Costas Karamanlis has come up with little more than half-baked measures while, for its part, the socialist PASOK opposition under George Papandreou has reduced itself to blanket rejectionism without even lending an ear to the arguments of the other side. The result of all this is a rather predictable situation that is guaranteed to solve no problems. Voters have every right to be sorely put off by the posturing of the two biggest parties. To be sure, the responsibility for the current deadlock lies with specific people and governments and these must be held accountable. But, above all, the country needs to find a way to overcome the existing deadlock. Unless the two mainstream parties come to grips with this hard truth, it will be the voting public’s turn to make them face up to it.
