The reasons that led him to write the book ITHACA, as well as what each chapter he has written separately contains, will be discussed today by Alexis Tsipras in a conversation with the narrator of his book, Aimilios Cheilakis, and Spilios Lambropoulos from Bookvoice.
Read: Alexis Tsipras’ “Ithaca” is coming: On Tuesday he will speak for the first time about his book on the Bookvoice podcast – “We all experience our own Odysseys”
Alexis Tsipras: Reveals how he was led to write the book “Ithaca”
Alexis Tsipras announced the discussion by presenting an excerpt from the video, where among other things he appears to say: “Ithaca is not a destination, it is an eternal journey. And this concerns each of us. We all experience our own Odysseys and our own Ithacas. But it also has to do with politics, it has to do with the Left, with society, social struggles, the evolution of the world“.
The former prime minister refers to this excerpt in the title of the book saying: “And Ithaca is somewhat like socialism we used to say in the past, that the more you go towards it, the more it will move away. Like the horizon that the more you go, the more it moves away. In this sense, the title I chose also has a philosophical value. I chose it six months ago, having structured the book and having finally realized that there is an allegorical field of everything we lived as a collective adventure and the adventure that each person has struggling, claiming, hoping, dreaming and conquering some of these“.
Nikos Marantzidis’ comments that enraged SYRIZA
At the same time, however, what member of the scientific council of the Tsipras Institute Nikos Marantzidis said about SYRIZA has caused displeasure among Koumoundourou officials. Commenting on the former prime minister’s resignation from his position as SYRIZA MP, he referred to the situation prevailing in the once-governing party, characteristically saying that in his estimation “it has closed its cycle as a party of power“.
“Alexis Tsipras made a move that marked Greek political life both for its moral weight and for the messages he sent with his resignation as a SYRIZA MP. This move contains an element of descent to the people. He said he wants to listen to the anxieties of Greek society. He could not do it as an MP, he had to be within the framework of his party. Today he is free to shape his political aspirations based on reality. Tsipras was suffocated by SYRIZA and there are many examples of leaders who felt this way with the parties they headed” said among other things Alexis Tsipras’ collaborator. And he added: “I have publicly supported that as a party of power, SYRIZA has completed its cycle. It offered significant things to Greek politics and society“.
Koumoundourou officials did not hide their annoyance at these references, noting that Nikos Marantzidis, who was a fierce enemy of SYRIZA and Alexis Tsipras in the past, is not entitled to speak about the situation prevailing in SYRIZA. Most, in fact, appear outraged, recalling past statements by the well-known pollster about the former prime minister.
Nikos Marantzidis in his interview avoided, however, referring to Tsipras’ party saying: “How would I know what Alexis Tsipras will do? This is the $10,000 question, the gift certificate I would get if I knew the answer“. As he explained later “the scientific council is part of the Institute and its role is to contribute to the production of ideas and public policies that obviously relate to the prospect of progressive governance. However, the scientific council and the Institute do not constitute an anteroom of a new party“.
Continuing his analysis and asked to answer if the new party will have SYRIZA and New Left officials, he argued that “I don’t know this answer. But I know the needs and that there is a need for a reconstruction. Is society discussing Tsipras’ party today because it’s pretty? No, it does so because it perceives a dead end in the progressive space“.
Answering, however, what new thing Alexis Tsipras will bring since he has governed before, he replied: “Did Andreas Papandreou emerge from virgin birth? However, wasn’t PASOK something new? Did Karamanlis in 1974 emerge from virgin birth? Wasn’t New Democracy something new? Every politician carries his baggage. For life. But we are in need of discussion about the future and what is urgent is to discuss specific proposals for tomorrow. We can’t just talk about the past. That’s not what people expect, they are concerned about the next day“.
