Heavy climate in the PASOK national council

A heavy atmosphere prevails at the meeting of the PASOK national council, while the PM was given a lukewarm reception upon his entrance.

"Loan or not, we do not negotiate our own affairs" said the PM in his speech, unleashing a scathing attack on ND about the situation in which it left the country. "The road is long, but it's ours. The truth is our guide. Who believed that recovery will be a walk in the park?" he said, describing the debt as a "noose around the neck of our children". As for ND, he said it had doubled the deficit and debt "so that it and a few of its members would live in prosperity".

On his part, Venizelos rushed to explain that "my point neither was, nor is Ragousis. I spoke with the Prime Minister and I am satisfied by the response of our representative" he said, and continued in a sharper manner:

"The problem is different, Greece is in a deep crisis and there is social tension. We must charge the climate. Composure is required by all, responsibility, resourcefulness, flexibility, determination and consent also. For the government, what matters is the outcome, which should be the safe future of the country and social cohesion" he said in a statement to multiple recipients within the Government, too.

Calm observers believe that the clash between 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 recognize 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.