As the ELAS approaches its first anniversary—in its first month of operation—the… celebrations keep coming one after another. Wherever President Alexis goes, they set up a round stage (“cake” in the language of production companies), so that the leader is surrounded by his supporters and the shot is filled with people from all sides.
Of course, to avoid giving gossipmongers ammunition with the phrase “Alexis and the people”—an approach considered outdated—the new party’s organizers found a solution: citizens take the stage before Alexis, and he then appears to respond to them. This, too, is a truly unbearable cliché for an effort they’ve supposedly been preparing for years. Politicians did this back in the ’90s, and we all know how that turned out.
Manolis Christodoulakis organized a very interesting event yesterday at a trendy—one might even say posh—hotel in the Plaka neighborhood. As soon as our Cat saw the invitation, he threw his cap in the air, as he never misses an opportunity to enjoy a stroll beneath the Acropolis. Essentially, the former secretary of PASOK gathered the… KIDISO, since at the event on the environment and democracy he invited, among others, George Papandreou and Filippos Sachinidis. Who, of course, delivered the usual heroic rhetoric regarding these two substantive issues and how they are connected in their minds.
For the record, our Cat also spotted Stefanos Parastatidis, Kostas Kartalis, and a man with an English name that he didn’t catch, since it’s a language the “Red Cat” doesn’t know very well. You see, he didn’t study at Columbia; he took a few classes at a neighborhood tutoring center, peeking in through the window.
The most interesting part, however, was the invitation. Manolis is set against a red background of fire, while George Papandreou and the others are in green. Now that’s what I call knowing how to send messages to the subconscious.
What does Anna want at the bazaar?
Alexis Tsipras is “cakes,” and the “man of the people,” Nikos Androulakis, is baking in the oven. The PASOK president, too, succumbed to the cliché of the farmers’ markets, without adding any particular flair to the performance. He stuck to the classics: the angry leader with his MPs surrounded by all kinds of vegetables and citizens hailing him because he’s among them.
In fact, one woman told him that television doesn’t do him justice and that he’s more handsome in person. We recall that, years ago, when another woman had said something similar about Kyriakos Mitsotakis, PASOK claimed it was staged.
In any case, Anna Diamantopoulou is now so closely identified with Nikos Androulakis that, while the president was at a farmers’ market in the northern Attica Basin, the Network’s president was at a farmers’ market in the southern suburbs of Athens. You might ask, “A former Commissioner for ‘Smart Europe’ at farmers’ markets?” The answer is: if you want to be elected rather than appointed, you go.
As for her alliance with the PASOK president, the strategy that seems to have dictated it is simple: a weak leader is the best ally for a challenger facing others who want to become leaders.
That is one point of view, but there is a risk that this association could drag both of them down together. And “The Red Cat” points this out, because he sees Pavlos Christidis gaining ground both in the neighborhoods of the South and on the internal party “stock market” of Harilaou Trikoupi Street.
P.S.: It would be interesting to know about the cost and funding of the Hellenic Police (ELAS) events. Parliamentary parties receive state subsidies and are subject to spending controls. It is not right that the same rules do not apply to everyone.
A Date with Life
Zoe Konstantopoulou is preparing her own response to the media storm unleashed by the Hellenic Police. The president of the Freedom Movement is getting ready to set sail. Yesterday she posted a photo on social media showing a dark event venue in the midst of preparations, with the smokestacks in Keratsini in the background. It looks like a post-apocalyptic landscape, accompanied by the question: “Are you ready?” Isn’t that a line from a game show?
She’s preparing a comeback
But let’s stick with Zoe. Since entering politics, Maria Karystianou, she faces the risk of not only not being the only female political leader in Parliament, but also of seeing her rival’s back. And she has noticed this not only in the polls but also among party officials she once counted on as her own, whom she now sees wavering.
So, she is preparing a counterattack. According to information from “Kokkino Gato,” the president of the Freedom Movement will not be alone on the stage she is preparing. She’s going to pull an ace out of her sleeve. And we don’t mean some announcement, but a person who will be the talk of the town.
Stefanos is trailing behind
Stefanos Kasselakis may be talking about running independently, but the cat knows better. Stefanos is listening to ideas right now and accepting proposals. He isn’t rejecting them, since his goal is to get his own back. He believes that Alexis Tsipras deceived him and will do whatever it takes to give him the response he deserves.
