In 2014, we were left open-mouthed at the laxity with which highest European officials<\/b> were treating the risks of a potential Syriza<\/b> election victory. <\/p>\n
As the documentary prepared for SKAI by journalists Eleni Varvitsioti and Victoria Dendrinou<\/b> is now not only acquiring historical value, but is becoming a vehicle for revelations about the future Alexis Tsipras<\/b>, it is worth saying that it was not only the German ambassador<\/b> to whom the “Chavez of the Mediterranean”<\/b> had submitted his credentials.<\/p>\n
In 2014, as a government spokesperson and Deputy Minister of State to Prime Minister Anthony Samaras<\/b>, we were often left open-mouthed at the laxity with which senior European officials treated the risks we pointed out to them in our meetings with them.<\/p>\n
They were at ease, not at all worried, not at all concerned about the day after the election. “They have agreed,” <\/b>I thought, but I had no way to prove it. And as the years went by and the nightmare became reality, I didn’t want to hurt the country by revealing private dialogues. But now that everyone’s tongue is loosed, let the river take it.<\/b><\/p>\n
On 2 July 2014<\/b>, we were in Strasbourg as a Greek delegation, where Samaras was to deliver a speech before the plenary of the European Parliament on the results of the Greek presidency.<\/p>\n
In Athens, Tsipras had begun the “battle of DPP”<\/b>, calling for a referendum on the “small PPP” bill and aggregating his party’s votes with those of Chryssi Avghi<\/b> – just as he later did by bringing down the Samaras-Venizelos government on the pretext of electing the President of the Republic and while there was a 162-vote majority in Parliament.<\/p>\nA revealing dialogue<\/b><\/h2>\n
In Strasbourg, we were greeted by the then president of the European Parliament, Social Democrat Martin Schulz<\/b>, who had just been re-elected to office. There was an interval of waiting and he led us into the Protocol Room, with orange juice, coffee and so on. It was a closed meeting and he gave me a probing look. I was meeting him for the first time in my capacity as a government representative and introduced myself.<\/p>\n
The conversation begins with the expected question “What is happening in Greece? <\/b>Of course, I get going: “Tsipras has declared a revolution,” I say. “He’s put on his fishekies and climbed the mountain (ed: he had climbed Amyndeon and pretended to be Ares Velouchiotis). He is calling for a referendum on the privatisation of the PPC”. “But how?” replies Schultz. “It is an obligation arising from European competition rules. It is not a question of a memorandum.”<\/b><\/p>\n
“And what does Tsipras care what it is?” I reply. “His slogan in the European elections was ‘No sacrifice for the euro’. He says he’s going to change Europe and he’s going to bang dulcimers for the markets to dance to. In the European elections he was calling on people to vote against the current Europe of banks and multinationals, the Europe of neoliberalism and austerity, the Europe of Merkel and Schulz,<\/b> the Europe of German domination and imperialism which, he says, “are conducting their man-consuming experiment here in us in order to export it everywhere afterwards”.<\/b><\/p>\n“He is absolutely law-abiding here”<\/b><\/h2>\n
“But when he comes here, he is absolutely law-abiding, he doesn’t speak against Europe”<\/b>, Schultz counters with some disbelief at my words. “He’s making fun!” I reply, but Schultz insists: “And how did Tsipras stand up for Juncker?” <\/p>\n
Note that their adventurism was such that they had come to support Juncker for the presidency of the Commission and somehow they had messed up there in Europe. But they still remained relaxed.<\/b> <\/p>\n
“We support Juncker because Merkel is conspiring to elect a straw man to be president of the Commission, who will do whatever she wants with him,” D. Papadimoulis had said on 30 May 2014 on Mega.<\/p>\n
Back to Mr Schultz’s question, I remember I had answered: “It’s simple. He wants to say that Juncker’s party is first in Europe and his party is first in Greece. And that the first are first.”<\/p>\n
Of course, a few days earlier, on 27 June 2014<\/b>, SYRIZA had said in a statement that “the Greek people do not deserve to be represented by the friends of Mr Juncker and Mr Merkel”!<\/b> <\/p>\n
And during the European election campaign period, back when Tsipras had taken down the “Tsipras List”<\/b> claiming the… leadership of the EU and was touring Europe, he had said in an interview (Rai 3, 6 April 2014): “I think the most dangerous politician, for the European people, is Mrs Merkel. We ask all citizens to decide and judge: Has this policy of Mrs Merkel succeeded? If so, then let them vote for Juncker or Schulz, and for Mr Renzi’s party or the right in Italy. If they think it has failed, they should support the alternative proposal for another Europe, represented by the forces of the real left<\/b>.”<\/p>\nCalled, endorsed, called again<\/b><\/h2>\n
When the European People’s Party<\/b> chose Jean-Claude Juncker as its candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, Mr. Tsipras had not stopped subjugating, along with Merkel (whom he called “the new Frederick”), Schulz and Juncker.<\/p>\n
Then, suddenly, he began to support Juncker. When Tsipras visited Brussels on 3 June 2014, he made it clear that, while he remained totally opposed to Juncker’s positions, “the result of the European elections should be respected”.<\/p>\n
And that “respect for the democratic process” stipulates that Jean-Claude Juncker has the right to receive a mandate of inquiry and to seek a majority in the European Parliament to become the next Commission president.<\/p>\n
Then he went back to berating him. That is, on July 2, 2014<\/b> when we met with Schulz, Tsipras had already first cursed, then supported and then cursed Juncker again. <\/p>\n
I tried to somehow explain all this on July 2, in that brief welcome before Samaras’ speech, but it was not an easy task.
<\/b><\/p>\n
However, all this made Schultz recall that the first time he met Tsipras, he told him that the Europeans should write off the debt because that is democracy.<\/p>\n
“When I replied that the German or Dutch taxpayer can also say he doesn’t want to pay any more, he was surprised. It seems that he then understood that there can be democracy outside Greece,”<\/b> Schulz commented.<\/p>\nTsipras for Merkel<\/b><\/h2>\n
Three years later, things had changed. Tsipras was prime minister and Merkel… was asking for his intercession, shortly after the collapse of talks to form a government in Germany<\/b>, in order to convince Social Democrat president Martin Schulz to work with her!<\/p>\n
On December 4, 2017<\/b>, Schultz himself revealed, speaking to the Sunday “FAZ” newspaper, that in recent days he has received several phone calls and messages from European leaders encouraging him to work with the Christian Democrats to form a government<\/b>. Among them, he said, were French President Macron and Greek Prime Minister Tsipras.<\/p>\n
According to the newspaper, Tsipras, in a text message to Martin Schulz, after stating that he respects the SPD’s initial decision, asks him not to refuse the opportunity to play a role “at this so critical juncture for Europe.”
<\/b><\/p>\n
And he (Tsipras, right?) went on to make concessions, stating that participation in the government “is a precondition for fighting together for necessary progressive reforms and democratization in Europe, for social rights and a meaningful fight against youth unemployment.”<\/p>\n
And he concluded: “Don’t forget that a truly left-wing and progressive position does not lie in keeping your own identity as clear as possible, but in fighting for real change and reform in the interests of the many. I am sure you will make the right decision. And he did, as in Germany, in February 2018<\/b>, another grand coalition government was formed.
<\/b><\/p>\n
In the summer of 2018<\/b>, after the supposed “clean exit”, Martin Schulz was among the European personalities who sang the praises. He said of Mr Tsipras: “I trust him. If he remains prime minister, the Greek people will decide. But I think he deserves to be trusted with the future of Greece. I say this, of course, with my heart beating for my friends in PASOK, who also paid a heavy political price in this country<\/b>“!<\/p>\n
Now that Tsipras is jousting with PASOK (of his heart), I don’t know what Schulz would say. He probably shouldn’t have changed his mind, judging by his June 2025 statements to Deutsche Welle.<\/p>\n
As he said, “what has happened over the years has shaken people’s confidence in fundamental values. It is good that there is a relative economic recovery and, as is often the case in politics, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is reaping the fruits of Alexis Tsipras’ sowing, which of course was linked to very great sacrifices.”<\/p>\n
In short, he said he was very happy that Tsipras was promising other things at home and other things in their discussions, going so far as to say that Tsipras sowed and Mitsotakis reaped<\/b>! The difference is that Tsipras sowed lies, signed everything and the other day, from Chalandri, he told us that… “the reaper is coming”!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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