They are talking about “reform time” in the Maximos Palace, with the tax bill promoted by K. Hatzidakis scheduled to be voted on by December 8, while government intervention in the field of Health is also in the works by M. Chrysochoidis. N.D. it reasonably wants to take advantage of the momentum given to it by the recent renewal of the popular mandate, but also the fact that, as shown by the latest wave of opinion polls, it is not essentially threatened by the opposition. However, it should be pointed out that the public opinion surveys carried out by the Ministry of Finance on the tax bill show a “mixed” picture: it is obvious that the freelancers affected by the measures are reacting, while the “broader society” is positioned positively towards logic that “they have to pay too”. However, reservations are expressed as to the extent to which large-scale tax evasion is to be dealt with. In any case, however, the bill will be passed with only minor changes, as reported both by the Maximos Palace and by the Ministry of Finance. Practically speaking, this means that despite literature to the contrary, no bigger “discounts” will be put on the table at the end of the pretense than those already provided for in the bill. At the same time, as mentioned above, changes are also being prepared in the National Social Security System, which will have a wide range, as the system has long since reached its limits, with obvious consequences for the citizens. “Key” points for the improvement of the situation are the adaptation to the new economic data shaped by the increase in life expectancy and morbidity in combination with the fact that new and much more expensive drugs and treatments are constantly being created. And, of course, addressing the large wage imbalance in the private sector and abroad compared to those in the public system, so that the latter becomes attractive again to doctors and nursing staff. It is no coincidence that Mr. Mitsotakis announced measures to reduce waste in the health sector and an increase in on-call fees, and immediately.
PASOK’s dilemma
The ongoing decline of SYRIZA and the looming further drop in its percentages brings back to the agenda the discussion about the mix of opposition strategy that PASOK should follow. In other words, to what extent should he invest in a “left-wing” rhetoric in order to repatriate his old voters who had turned to Koumoundourou since the memorandum period, or is it better to aim towards the center. If the main goal at this stage is to dominate the space of the Center-Left, it is obvious that the first line of navigation is the appropriate one. If, however, Charilaou Trikoupis aspires to challenge the political hegemony of Mr. Mitsotakis, the second option may be a one-way street.
As pointed out, the “absorption” of SYRIZA can at best lead PASOK to percentages in the region of 30% (17% and 13% were received by the two parties in the June elections). However, in order for Harilaou Trikoupi to have governmental aspirations, it needs percentages of at least 35% and therefore it is necessary to claim centrist or even centre-right voters, achieving direct transfers from the ND. towards PASOK, which it has so far been unable to do: according to the latest Pulse poll for SKAI, at the end of last month, ND. with a rally of 86% it lost only 3% to PASOK – and 2% to SYRIZA. In fact, it also had inflows of the order of 2% from PASOK. While, at the same time, and in last Thursday’s Opinion Poll (ACTION 24), although PASOK passes SYRIZA and with 16% in the vote estimate rises to second place, the gains from the ND. are zero, as the ruling party remains at 38.5%. It is therefore clear that Mr. Mitsotakis has “entrenched” the area of the center which is a “key” for dominance in the political scene, with a portion of PASOK executives noting that it cannot be “broken” if from Harilaou Trikoupi chooses the complete refusal and not the submission of complementary – positive counter-proposals to government initiatives, such as the tax bill. After all, the first recipe, as followed by SYRIZA for the previous four years, failed miserably.
The embankment of “six”
It was not temporary, but probably the collaboration of Olgas Gerovasilis, Al. Flambouraris, Marilisas Xenogiannakopoulou, G. Ragousi, K. Zachariadis and T. Theocharopoulos, who last weekend submitted a joint amendment to the Central Committee of SYRIZA in which they requested that issues of disciplinary sanctions not be put to a referendum, sending a clear message of distancing themselves from the Kasselakis moves. If indeed the cooperation of the “six” takes shape, it will have a special weight on the intra-party chessboard of SYRIZA, especially if Tsipras’ behind-the-scenes but visible attempt to prevent further splits fails and the information according to which the Ahtsioglu team is heading for the exit is confirmed: Firstly, because it will be the only coordinated “bulk” in the new presidential majority and secondly because two of its members – Mrs. Olga Gerovasilis and Al. Flambouraris – maintain relations of absolute political trust with Al. Tsipras and allegedly contacted him before asking to put a stop to the plan for deletions. In fact, some believe that Kasselakis’ strongly critical reference to the budgetary “cushion” of 37 billion, which in essence constituted a questioning of a top choice of Tsipras’ prime ministerial term, was to a certain extent also a “response” to the initiative to file the disputed amendment by a bloc that until last week was much more cautious than the inner-party opposition in its positions on the choices of the new SYRIZA president.
