I don’t know if Sir Starmer’s victory in the UK elections has whetted PASOK’s appetite, if we decide to at least live with the 8th place presidential candidates, it certainly has given hope. Anna Diamantopoulou also announced her candidacy yesterday.
The truth is that many saw behind Labour’s victory a theoretical denial of Europe’s far-right turn and were quick to read the Starmer phenomenon. Notably (and again) he didn’t increase his percentages spectacularly, but he was good enough to win almost all single-seat constituencies against the Conservatives, with Farage stealing a crucial 14%. .
After all, copying is fashionable. Here some are trying to oust the new front populist in France – although the front is already not doing well, judging by its disagreement with the proposed prime minister and government plan – will Starmer be nailed? Between us, he didn’t do anything very original. Tony Blair had done it successfully before. He brought the party back to the center and won moderate votes. (Let them also see this in New Democracy as a proposal).
Personally, what impressed me the most was that the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, throughout the transformation of Labor from the far left to the party of power, stubbornly refused to bow to the sirens of populism and made no promises. Everything for everyone, as usual in Greece. Indeed, he had the audacity to say no to the demands of the hard-working people at the tested National Health Service and even just before the election. Judging by the result didn’t hurt him. The rule he worked for was social sensitivity, but with financial rigor, he worked this rule to the end.
After all, voters in Great Britain are wary of big and expensive promises because big spending usually means new taxes. We know better. Sometimes they also bring souvenirs.
Enter Anna Diamantopoulou at this point. None of the PASOK presidential candidates have a close profile to the new British prime minister, at least in terms of views on the economy and reforms. A centrist profile so to speak. Are these qualities – along with personality – enough for the ex-commissioner to spring a surprise in internal party elections?
Anna Diamantopoulou is not ready to become Mitsotakis’s minister, a regular counterpoint to those reacting to his candidacy, accusing him of right-wing deviance. Isn’t this what Haris Doukas kept repeating during the campaign – having already started bashing Nikos Androlakis – that PASOK will not become the crutch of the new democracy? (P.S. To be precise, Ms. Diamantopoulou was chosen by Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis to claim the presidency of OASA and not participate in the government).
Would a PASOK voter vote for a leader who “flirted” with New Democracy? Or have they at least shown the resilience to return to normalcy, the Mitsotakis story of the first four years? Where didn’t he go up to bars to wiretap?
The difficulties of Ms. Diamantopoulos’s endeavor are many. Reuniting with PASOK, an estranged party for years, will be a difficult process. Anti-rightist sentiment is strong among movement voters and the former education minister is sure to pick up some wins below the belt. The internal party process can become ruthless and fraternal. Let’s remember that even the extortionist green unionists who were active in the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Athens, some were quick to “blame” one of the presidential candidates.
Yes, the difficulties are great, the ratings are very dangerous, but it would be wrong to see the process as a race where a certain PASOK voter audience tests the candidates and measures how true each of PASOK is, how green the candidate is. He votes accordingly. Perhaps the benchmark will be which candidate Mitsotakis can defeat…
I like to say that the electorate is made by the candidates. The electorate in October’s local elections is the same if there is a showdown between Nikos Androulakis and Haris Doukas, and another internal party election if Androulakis, Doukas and Anna battle it out. Diamantopoulo. The electorate is a fluid quantity that can be shaped by the dynamics of the candidates.
The former commissioner is now addressing centrist audiences who want to move to and claim the new democracy. He wants social democracy to come back to the fore and make PASOK the party of power. Her first appearance, along with a text of ideas and intentions, had the intensity, persistence and organization that distinguished her. I don’t know if he will win and thus endanger the monopoly of Kyriakos Mitsotakis (he needs to win the hearts of the Pazokos first), but now that Stephanos Kassalakis’ skills are exhausted, Syriza is no more. Now offers a scene, he may be interested in the party kitchen again.