If the political embarrassment had a face, it would surely have the characteristics of Socrates Famello at Monday’s meeting with his team of deputies.
In a session that was more reminiscent of a wreck survival gathering than an institutional briefing by a party leader, Mr. Famellos proved that all he is running at the moment is an empty shell, while the “real” party is packing its bags.
The scene at Koumundourou was almost comical. The president of Syriza called his deputies not to draw a line, but to… take their temperature, trying to guess who would stay and who would go.
It’s really a wonder how it feels for a leader to look his colleagues in the eye and see people who are just waiting for a “signal” from Sounio or Amalia’s office to leave him in the cold.
The hot topic of discussion is Alexis Tsipras. The truth is clearer than daylight: Socrates Famellos is acting as caretaker administrator of a property being auctioned. While he struggles to show that he is in control of the situation, the majority of his parliamentary group is on the earpiece, waiting for Tsipras to return.
It is the ultimate political absurdity. A president who doesn’t know what’s in store for him, in a party that may not exist tomorrow, trying to convince himself that he is producing policy. Everyone knows – and especially his own MPs – that Tsipras’ creation of the new body will not just be a split, but the definitive tombstone of what we once knew as SYRIZA.
