Vertigo in the government because of the economy and Hypatia

In a climate that smells of gunpowder in party matters, and intense concern about the state of the economy, the National Council of PASOK is meeting today. On one hand, the sudden initiative of Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou to call upon the political leaders on Tuesday in view of the summits in Europe and on the other the unprecedented public debate of two leading ministers, Evangelos Venizelos and Giannis Ragousis, on the issue of  the immigrants and hunger strikers of Hypatia, have created a very heavy atmosphere in the ruling party.

Calm observers believe that the clash betwwen the two ministers might be associated with the uncertainty about the course of the government, as they fear that any event, random or not, will become a fuse for rapid developments – for example, the case of Hypatia.

This uncertainty is compounded by the absence of the Prime Minister in recent days due to fever, which has intensified the feeling that things are not well with the economy and that the possibility for substantial support from Europe is small. The Papandreou initiative about meetings on Tuesday may be interpreted as a necessary political move so that the opposition parties recognise their responsibilities instead of inciting social reactions from a safe distance; however, it is being treated as a political attempt to over-dramatize the political scene. And as experienced government officials say, drama facilitates decisions such as a major reshuffle or even elections which, however, should be Papandreou's last resort.