While efforts continue to undermine the return of Alexis Tsipras by party officials who face the biggest problems from the former prime minister’s comeback, he appears with his latest post to not only take the side of farmers, but also explain why they are right in their demands. This post is part of the interventions the former prime minister has decided to make throughout the upcoming period. In fact, next Wednesday, the day the budget is voted on, he will tour the Achaia prefecture as part of his book presentation.
Read: Tsipras reshuffles the center-left deck – Brings PASOK, SYRIZA and New Left closer
Tsipras’ new post raises the stakes on farmers and scandals: Expected to join the blockades
The former prime minister is expected to stand with the people and speak about their problems, while if the farmers’ blockades continue until then, he is expected to be found alongside the people who have been on the streets throughout this period demanding their money. Explaining why farmers are right to protest, Alexis Tsipras emphasized that: “Are the farmers right to revolt? Let’s see. In recent years, production costs have been steadily increasing by 8-10% annually. The price gap between farm and shelf products is now 3 to 4 times higher. Energy costs increased by 40%, while the energy communities we designed in 2018 for producers finally opened only for the benefit of large energy companies. The estimated damage this year from sheep pox reached 750 million euros, while compensation was only 15 million. For six years now there has been no support planning, as only 4% of the Recovery Fund went to the agricultural sector”.
He even referred to current figures saying: “The government supported the ‘coffee shop owners’ and ‘butchers’ and because of them this year the subsidies that should have been given to those who really needed them will be reduced and delayed”. At the same time, he referred in his own way to all the scandals that have occupied the country in recent years: “Those who orchestrated the OPEKEPE scandal and ate the farmers’ money by distributing it to friends should be charged as criminals. Those who set up the wiretapping scandal. Those who have set up this circus with direct assignments. Those who let cartels run unchecked, buying cheap from producers and selling expensively to consumers”, he said.
At the same time, PASOK president Nikos Androulakis appeared in a television interview attempting to devalue the former prime minister in his own way, saying: “Let’s leave the Messiahs and theories aside. Our country needs serious changes so that the people can unite behind a political plan. Why do I commit myself? If PASOK wins the elections, the day after the next national elections should be a new beginning for our homeland. The phenomenon of Mr. Tsipras. Mr. Tsipras fought PASOK fiercely. His goal was to close PASOK; he didn’t succeed. PASOK endured and has a serious and strong prospect. Then he did everything he could to dissolve his own party. He succeeded. So here we’re talking about behind-the-scenes practices”.
However, SYRIZA officials, prompted by the Sunday Dawn case, argue that there are behind-the-scenes dealings elsewhere and more specifically say that between Socrates Famellos and the PASOK president there may be a communication channel that could lead to future cooperation. SYRIZA spokesman Kostis Zachariadis, referring to Tsipras’ re-emergence, noted: “If there is the possibility and dynamics of a reconfiguration in the progressive space, a big bang in the progressive space, overcoming dividing lines. And with Mr. Tsipras… Reconfiguration of the space without Alexis Tsipras cannot happen. He has a leading and leadership profile. But everyone has important things to contribute”.
Panos Skourletis, for his part, pointed out in his interview that: “In the book it appears that he has decided to move forward not from the ground of the Left. Alexis Tsipras doesn’t even claim the Left in the name of the Left. Alexis Tsipras, in consistency and continuity with what he did after ’19, follows the path of centrist turn”.
