The event of Alexis Tsipras in Halandri attempted to restart the Central Left, but it was more reminiscent of reunion of old failed political recipes.
In a scenery of intense political staging, with slogans about the “ruling Left of the new era” and against the backdrop of the Rematia theatre in Chalandri, Alexis Tsipras attempted to present the next step of his personal political reboot. The event, organized by a civic initiative of northern Athens, had all the elements of a announcement of a new party: carefully selected words, “progressive” wrapping, faces from the old party apparatus and an attempt to present as a mature need of society what looks more like a need for political survival of a worn-out political space. The problem for the former prime minister is that no matter how much the scene changes, the public still remembers the play.
In his speech, Tsipras attempted to present himself as the natural leader of a new “progressive party” that – as he said – would not just oppose Kyriakos Mitsotakis but would defeat him. With heavy references to “undignifiedness”, “destruction of democracy” and “Mitsotakis Ltd“, the former prime minister returned to his favorite recipe: high tones, dramatization of the political situation and easy targeting of the economy and business. At the same time, he attempted a new opening to the middle class, rejecting any scenario of taxing it – even though the same social group remembers very well who once called it an almost… privileged tax pool.
The interesting thing, however, lies not only in what he said, but mostly in what the event image of the event unwittingly revealed. For behind the slogans of a “new era”, there was a intense whiff of political déjà vu. The same faces, the same political references, the same complaints and the same attempt to baptize as “new” something that in fact is a recycling of a political model that was tried and worn.
The “new era” with the old cast
If one only watched the attendance at the event, one would hardly believe that this was the beginning of a new political project. Executives of the old SYRIZA, figures from the wider centre-left, well-known figures from the anti-memorandum period and party actors who have been recycling in the same political space for years, formed a scene that was more nostalgic than renewing.
The picture was reminiscent of a political reunion of old power networks looking for a new narrative to return to the limelight. Except that the society of 2026 is not that of 2014. Citizens are now more suspicious of easy denunciations and lofty slogans.
The permanent investment in denunciation
Alexis Tsipras continues to invest almost exclusively in the rhetoric of denunciation. “Rule of law”, “oligarchs”, “banking excess profits”, “Mitsotakis Ltd”. The phrases have hardly changed for years. The strategy is always the same: create a climate of generalized decadence and moral denigration of political opponents.
The problem is that this tactic is beginning to look more and more like a political routine with no convincing impact. Because citizens expect concrete solutions, not constant repetition of slogans. And when the former prime minister talks about “obscenity” and promises that “the 1% will come off the bench”, the debate shifts back to a logic of class automatism that is more reminiscent of 1980s politics than of a modern European governance proposal.
The ghost of taxation returns
Tsipras’ attempt to reassure the middle class was particularly interesting. The need for this clarification in itself reveals the political weight his previous administration still carries. For the middle class remembers very well who raised taxes, contributions and burdens in the name of “social justice.”
So when he now appears to promise that the money will be found exclusively from “20 big business groups,” the picture looks more like an election slogan than serious economic policy. Easy promises of taxing the “few” have always been communicatively appealing. In practice, however, the economy does not work with political slogans.
From “Ithaca” to… harvest
The former prime minister’s reference to “Ithaca” and the “month of harvest” revealed something else: the attempt to create political momentum through symbolism. Tsipras is attempting to build a narrative of return, presenting the political juncture as a ripe historical point for his re-emergence.
However, the more he attempts to appear as the sole exponent of the “progressive party”, the more the basic question emerges: what exactly is new he is offering? Because so far, behind the theatrical lines and symbolic references, it is difficult to discern any substantial political renewal.
Society looks forward, not back
The biggest problem of the project is neither organizational nor communicative. It is political and deeply symbolic. The country has already gone through a period of extreme polarisation, economic uncertainty and experimentation that has cost it dearly. That is why any attempt to return to the same political model is now viewed with increased scepticism.
The Rematia theatre may have been filled with executives, applause and party presences. But that does not necessarily mean that it also filled the political vacuum that Tsipras is trying to fill. For in politics, nostalgia often serves as a consolation for insiders – but not always as a convincing proposition for society.
