A step in the right direction
The makeup of the new government, announced yesterday by newly elected Prime Minister George Papandreou, is a positive move. It is a sign that the Socialist leader is aiming to renew his PASOK party by making good use of new faces rather than simply relying on people who have been raised in the party’s nurseries. Undoubtedly, Papandreou’s decisions can only be judged by the outcome so we will have to wait for the next few months to see whether the wager has been won – fully or even in part. In any case, the new Cabinet named by Papandreou yesterday seems to be a step in the right direction. Now it’s the turn of New Democracy, which was defeated so emphatically on October 4, to freshen its ranks by taking on personalities from outside the conservative apparatus, not just relying on party cadres. The people it welcomes into the fold must have the ability to inject the currently dormant party with new ideas and the appetite for change and reform.
