A step in the right direction
Prime Minister George Papandreou and the leader of the main opposition New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, yesterday proved that they can agree, if only on a few points, when it comes to policy that will affect the entire nation. The fact that they agreed there was a need to review the Constitution, as well as to amend a law that grants ministers and former ministers immunity from prosecution, is a big deal and may prove to be important if it goes beyond just words and is actually put into practice. It was also a positive sign to see the ND leader agreeing with the government’s plans to privatize and streamline debt-ridden state-owned companies. Some may argue that this rudimentary level of consensus is nowhere near enough, considering the challenges that Greece is facing. But Samaras certainly showed himself to be more responsible than the chief of the Communist Party, Aleka Papariga, who all but declared war on the government in what is an obvious hint that her party is poised to test democracy’s tolerance of mass protest action.
