When young Foreign Secretary Antonis Samaras was calling the Greeks to take the streets for the Macedonian name issue, I was 8 years old. Although my parents used to vote for Socialist PASOK back then, they told me in 1993 that Samaras was a “clean” politician for leaving the Conservative party New Democracy, because of a dispute about the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Macedonian issue with the Prime Minister at the time Konstantinos Mitsotakis.

               I was sad when in 1999 his party, called Political Spring (POLAN) didn’t make it into the European parliament.  For some years now though the once young and full of hope politician seems to be one of the worst and clearly dangerous Greek political figures.

               Initially Antonis mocked all the former members of POLAN that returned to New Democracy after his…Political Winter. As for himself, he  was saying that he would never return to New Democracy, even as its leader, but a few years later begged to come back. Even so, he never forgave the members of his old party that returned before him…We are counting already 3 changes of principle and position here.

              Later on, as a minister of culture, he appointed people almost only from his hometown Kalamata to the new Acropolis Museum in 2009 – a man who claims to be against corruption… At the same time he was saying that Kostas Karamanlis was such a beloved leader that he would be the first politician to be elected for the 3rd time in a row in Greece. Of course after a very short period he was a candidate and got elected president of New Democracy. Since then he didn’t even want to ask Karamanlis what happened with the Greek deficit. His logic was to cover everything under the carpet…Another 3 changes of principle and position.

              Now some facts that everybody knows: Samaras said no to the memorandum, and threw former Foreign Secretary Dora Bakoyannis, daughter  of Mitsotakis out of the party because she said yes to the bailout. He was screaming that there is “another way” than to follow the memorandum while staying within the Eurozone. After 1,5 years though, he voted for the 2nd memorandum and threw out all of New Democracy MP’s who said no to it. Then he decided to take them back to the party… Now he says there is no other way except for following the new memorandum, claiming that SYRIZA will take Greece out of the Euro with its policies, if the left coalition ever rules the country… Are you dizzy from his position switching? I am, so I stopped counting.

              Apart from the constant position changing though Antonis has another drawback – he is an old style politician in a society that is changing rapidly.

Since he became New Democracy’s President, he decides and rules with an iron feast, speaking only to a couple of his consultants about his decisions. His MP’s are only good for giving him applause, while he never asks their opinion. In order understand his 19th century mentality, look at the positions the other conservative leader, Panos Kammenos of Independent Greeks party, has in terms of calling for electronic referendums as well as the relaxed party discipline of his MP’s. Sometimes it feels like Antonis doesn’t even know what the internet is!

              Let’s take his statements and actions after the elections in comparison to the leader of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras. While Alexis doesn’t even breathe publicly without discussing first with his Coalition members, Antonis took and gave back the official mandate from the Greek President almost without asking anybody! Then he started copying badly SYRIZA’s moves by trying to gather all the right wing powers close to him, and talking to his MP’s about the dangers of Greece leaving the Euro if Tsipras forms a government. Again probably he did not ask their opinion about anything. Well done Samaras! Do everything to become Prime Minister even if that means, being totally undemocratic and defaming  the country. Give more hugs to Karamanlis, so that no court will ever call him over about the scandals and the deficits of his era in the government…

              What he doesn’t realise is that these kind of leaders are dead in Greece, since Socialist (PASOK) leader Andreas Papandreou was taken to the cemetery with 1 million people sad on the streets singing his name in the mid 90’s. Since then we had the Olympics of Atlanta, Sidney, Athens, Beijing, and we have reached London Antonis!!! And you still think that you are a charismatic valuable unique leader Antonis!!! Wake up!!!

              Instead of realising that the percentage of his party (from 33% dropped to 19%) fell because of his policy to follow the memorandum and use it as an opportunity to change them, perhaps as the head of an anti-memorandum block, along with Kammenos for example, he insists in punching the knife as we say in Greece. He claims it is a matter of principle not to change his views, but as we have seen, he changes his principles every couple of days…

              Are we going to trust the fate of our country in this Palaeolithic politician who knows only to spread fear and terror towards the people in order to get votes? To an arrogant undemocratic figure who accuses the left of being irresponsible, at the same time that he decided not to unite with Bakoyannis and that’s the main reason that Greece doesn’t have a government right now?

              I say that we need to get rid of him and fast because instead of getting to Agia Sofia in Istanbul, as his political adverts suggest, if he happens to rule we will lose what we have already and maybe more! Samaras is the perfect leader to divide Greek people and maybe lead them into a civil war in order to become ruler. In the next elections, make him disappear once and for all from the political map.



 
                 I haven't followed the French election campaign as closely as I wanted,  unfortunately. Following the political situation in Greece leaves me unable to get into details on any other issue. From the little I have seen, the deeply conservative European Union (EU) might have a chance to start changing if and only if French President Nicolas Sarkozy would step down come April 29th. 

                 Sarkozy played a very important role in bringing Europe through the mire it's in now. Since the beginning of his term he was always travelling all over the world, as if it was a lot easier for him to pretend solving everybody else's problems rather than dealing with his own country's. Marrying Carla Bruni was his only attempt to remain popular in France.  

                Despite his new marriage for the sake of popularity, he then fell in love, politically this time, with Germany. This alliance has suffocated relationships with the rest of the EU countries. It is not a coincidence that the social destruction and economic crisis of the P.I.I.G.S. (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and of course Spain) came partly due to how the 2 biggest Eurozone economies dealt with them: Domination, Insolence, Inexperience, Greed, Shortsightedness (D.I.I.G.S). The conservative European countries decided to support the banking system by providing it with tax payer money, instead of deciding to support its people. The puppets of the markets did a great job in reducing the living standards of their population. Sarko might say during his campaign that he saved the Euro, but in reality his leadership, alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel's, is to blame for many of the symptoms of Europe's crisis. 

                     On the internal front, the French economy is in its worst condition since World War II; unemployment and unhappiness rising every day like the sun in the done in the South of the country. Problems have only grown bigger since 2007. Pensions and working conditions have worsened in the last five years while prices are only going up. I struggle to recall any major issue or reform that Sarko has implemented in France which has changed the life of the people towards betterment. Without investigative research I struggle to find even one memory of a "unique", i.e. "new" proposal from a person that the media refer to as "highly intelligent". 

                  On the other hand, the Socialist Presidential candidate Francois Hollande says he belongs to the Left and that he wants to bring back social justice. If I compare him with other "Socialist" leaders in European countries, of the not so long ago past, (Tony Blair in the UK, Jose Luis Zapatero in Spain, or George Papandreou in Greece) it's unlikely he will do much. He just uses a rhetoric that the people like to hear, in comparison to the arrogance of Sarkozy. 

                   Hollande says he wants more just tax laws and a reform of the banking system. Surely we have heard this before from other leaders, but he gets a thumbs up from me since Merkel, as well as the bankers do not like him at all... 

                    The fact is, that I don't see how, if Hollande wins the French second round,  this can change huge issues like the EU bureaucracy, the one-way street of "Merkozy" and European Central Bank (ECB) in the economy, all by himself in a Europe without any allies.  Further, I cannot foresee what route he could possibly take to fight so many growing internal issues: unemployment, poverty, credit rating problems, immigration and crime. What are his goals, what are his policies, what is his ideology, his plan for the future? 

                    Lastly the left wing candidate Melenchon looks like he can bring some sort of hope. He believes in a different approach to resolve the issues that concern the French people, as well as a different approach to Europe. He supported the pensions two years ago, and left the Socialist party a few years earlier as he understood its political contradictions. Only yesterday (Thursday night in Paris) he said: "We will tell all those who are used to tightening their belt [...] we will tell them it is useless, because our Greek brothers did tighten their belts. They sold everything and they lost everything. In the end, they did not get anything in return, absolutely nothing. We must resist!" 

                   I don't believe that Melenchon could get to the 2nd round next week, which means that his voters will then probably support Hollande, an "inevitable choice" for the French left wingers... Recent polls suggest that more than 80% of Melenchon supporters say they would vote for the Socialist candidate in Round 2. Of course Sarkozy would take the Far Right voters in the 2nd round as well, but I don't want to talk more about the xenophobic supporters in France in this article as I am wasting my time and energy on small minded people. 

                         My thought and proposal is for the French to vote for Melenchon in Round 1 this Sunday. If I was French this is what I would do. He could be the only factor that could change France for good. And even if he doesn't get elected, a very high percentage in the elections could be a message to all Europe that the Left is present in this crisis, ready to play a big role and resist neo-liberal ideology. As for the 2nd round... We shall see next week.