A harsh attack on the government and the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for the exclusion of «thousands of candidates in this year's national exams», unleashed from the podium Parliament, the president of SYRIZA-PS, Alexis Tsipras, calling it a «crime by design».
He accused the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education of deliberately changed the examination system«You have excluded at least 30,000 students from higher education, so you can push them as college clients which your ministers are shamelessly advertising. Because in colleges there is no admission basis. There is only an income basis. Anyone who can pay, goes in... And I'll tell you straight up: You are the biggest interest dealers that have ever passed through the country.», he argued while clarifying: «I have no problem with colleges or with children whose parents can afford them, I have a problem with the misery of Mr Mitsotakis and Mrs Kerameos to lead thousands of students there when they could be studying in public universities».
He repeated his appeal: «We say to you once again. The deadline for students to submit their computer forms is still not closed. Do not implement the EBE. Give 30,000 students the opportunity to fill out computerised forms like last year and fill the vacancies in universities. Don't go ahead with the crime against so many thousands of young people and their families. But also against dozens of regional schools that you are leading to annihilation and closure as they will no longer have students.».
Your criminal responsibility for the management of the pandemic
For disastrous management in the health crisis, accused the government, SYRIZA President Alexis Tsipras, in the Parliament, saying “you have made the same criminal mistakes again”. Tsipras recalled the Prime Minister's statements to Bild that “we will have a normal July and August” and the tourism minister's statements that “the shielding of Greece against the «D» mutation will be its best advertisement”, adding that “the shielding did not come because you did absolutely nothing to support it”. He then said: “Where are we today? The situation has begun to deteriorate again before the «Delta mutation» has even made its appearance. And we are facing a fourth epidemic wave of unknown intensity and duration. Your responsibilities are criminal”.
He made special mention of Mykonos: “Mykonos, gentlemen of the government, has a vaccination rate of almost 100%. And supposedly, tourists arriving on the islands go through checks. So how did you manage again to blow up both public health and our country's most internationally iconic tourist destination in the heart of the tourist season?; How did you again manage to turn your celebrations into yet another fiasco at the expense of public health? but also workers, entrepreneurs and tourists; Is this the normal summer you promised?”.
He went on to accuse the government that “instead of health protection of the islands, instead of extensive testing, instead of reliable tracking and acceleration of vaccinations, you were celebrating and congratulating each other. In your world.”.
He accused the government of failed to convince people to get vaccinated and added: “You have thrown the blame for strict controls on shipping companies and businessmen, the state is non-existent. So it came to gentlemen of the government that Mykonos and other islands are boiling from coronavirus while almost all the residents are vaccinated... You ignored not only our call for strengthening the NHS and Primary Health Care in the islands, but even the need for the State to provide for quarantine hotels. As a result, tourists who are sick with nowhere to stay and who denigrate the country internationally... There are only 40 quarantine hotels in the country. Is it possible that there are enough?”.
He then accused the government that its only response “when things go wrong is to divide again” and explained: “You insist on talking about a return to normalcy only for the vaccinated. What are you going to do with the other half of Greece? Are you going to make it disappear?; And how do you think half of Greece will be safe when the other half will not be safe... Penalties and threats for the unvaccinated are proof of your failure to convince citizens. Stop this discussion about compulsory vaccination and try to convince the citizens, not blackmail them. You will get the opposite results. And leave the division and the divisions.”.
Tsipras reiterated his appeal to citizens but accused the government of creating a climate of complacency among the vaccinated: “The vaccine saves lives. Vaccination of all of us is a necessary weapon against the disease. But you should not give the impression even to a vaccinated person that he or she is not at risk. That he can huddle and have fun without a mask in enclosed spaces. It is wrong...Do not signal total relaxation while the virus is among us. And stop the nonsense of threats and division.”.
You have made buffoonery a science
Referring to the energy bill, he accused the government of “you have turned buffoonery into a science and are already legislating it”. With the bill, he said, addressing the government “proves how out of place you are, how idealistic and short-sighted towards the great challenges of the time”.
He referred to privatisations saying: “The only strategy of the New Democracy government in the energy sector is the privatisations to the detriment of the public interest and society. And in this bill you are bringing in legislation to sell off another critical infrastructure for the green transition, the Operator of the Electricity Distribution Network (TEN-E). After first giving golden bonuses of hundreds of thousands of euros to the blue children in PPC and DEDDIE, which are of course paid by consumers with the increases in bills. And while on 15 July, binding bids were submitted for the sale of the 100% of DEPA Infrastructure. And you have completed another step in the sale of the Gas Network to a private party....A private monopoly will now be the one that will decide, on the basis of private profit, of course, whether and which households and businesses in which areas of Greece will have access to natural gas.
Continue with the market and the cost of energy: “A Market Monitoring and Supervision Mechanism is being established with delay by the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE). You do so after you have raised the price of electricity for households and businesses, after the wholesale records and obscenity throughout 2020. After you left the manipulation of the electricity price unchecked. We warn you: After the summer, consumers, both households and businesses, will see huge new increases in their bills.”.
He then blamed “a mess in the field of RES where conditions prevail in the Wild West, without rules, after the famous anti-environmental law Hatzidakis” and added that the bill allows only large companies to obtain licences. “You are completely contradicting your narrative of allegedly simplifying and speeding up the licensing process for renewable energy projects that you used back then...Now you are trying to pick up the bubble that endangers the country's energy transition after local communities rise up against renewable energy sources. Result? No one knows where RES projects can be located, ultimately jeopardizing the Green Transition in the country.”.
In conclusion, he argued: “In short, with the same sloppiness and amateurism with which you are dealing with the pandemic, with the same expediency to serve interests that you demonstrate in education, you are dealing with the critical issue of the climate crisis and the environment. You are a danger to Public Health. You are dangerous for the young generation and the future of the country because you are depriving thousands of young people of knowledge. You are dangerous for the environment and for the natural wealth of our country. The sooner you leave, the better for the country.
