<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of the new decade the political\nlandscape seems cloudy. The whole world, and in particular Greece, is faced\nwith dire circumstances, which are the result of poor political decision-making\nduring the last decades. The fact that the political and economic situation in\nthe competitor countries has improved makes the situation in our country even\nworse. The hope for determined intervention on Greece\u2019s behalf by other\nfriendly states has been overestimated. <\/strong>Unfortunately, in our country we do not even\nhave the unanimity needed to face the complicated issues that lie ahead. It\nseems that the only thing we can do is to display individual courage so that we\ncan manage the complicated problems that we are faced with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bravery\n<\/strong>was the virtue that\ncharacterised our ancestors in similar circumstances. This has been proven by\ntheir stance during the corresponding decades of the 20th<\/sup> and the 19th<\/sup>\ncenturies. Because of their bravery, they were able to deal with problems\ndisproportionally severe compared to the small size of our country and to the\nlimited political and military resources of such a small population. Until the\nbeginning of the 20th<\/sup> century, the vision of \u201cthe greater Greece of\nthe two continents and the seven seas\u201d was simply an unreachable dream. Before\nthat, until 1820, the possibility of putting an end to the Turkish rule was\nalso considered utterly unrealistic. However, in both these cases, two brave\nmen rose above the difficulties and brought results favourable for our country,\nresults which before could only have been dreamt about. Venizelos, <\/strong>a master in politics, external affairs and diplomacy,\nwas able in 1920 to materialise the dream of the \u201cgreater Greece of the two continents\nand the seven seas\u201d. Papaflessas <\/strong>(\u201cthe mad priest\u201d, as\npeople called him) was able in 1820 to inspire his compatriots, so that they\nacquire the necessary courage to abolish the servitude and to get our country\nliberated from the formidable Turkish rule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, what usually happens is that after\nthe first enthusiasms and the successes of brave patriots, division follows,\ndue to greed, pursuit of personal interest and egocentricity. The toppling of\nVenizelos\u2019 government and the \u201cAsia Minor Disaster\u201d occurred in 1922, just two\nyears after the brave exploits of 1920. The same happened with the civil wars\nof the period 1824-1827, which could potentially have led to the loss of\neverything that had been won through the bravery of 1820. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is beyond doubt that Maniots have always\nbeen extremely brave. Unfortunately, we can also be extremely divisive, a fact\nthat was observed in both decades of 1920-1930 and 1820-1830. <\/strong>In the first\ncase, the unanimous enlisting in the victorious wars of 1910-1920 was followed\nby the deep division of the citizens in two groups: the followers of Venizelos and\nthe royalists, a division which brought catastrophic results during the next\ndecade. In the second case, the unanimous enlisting in the victorious independence\nwars of 1821 was followed by the discord between the leading warlord families\nof Mavromichalis and Mourtzinos and the troops they commanded in Mani; this\nconflict reached a peak during the governance of Capodistria and brought\nsubsequent catastrophic results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\nis needed during these hard times is not only bravery, but also continued unanimity\nand agreed upon planning and actions. If this base exists, then it is almost\ncertain that competent leaders with strong personalities will emerge, who will be\nable to create the right conditions in order to manage the current complicated\nissues.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of\ncourse, creating the positive climate that will bring the right conditions is\nthe responsibility of the political parties, and the political system in general.\nThe central government is responsible for creating the conditions for\nconsensus. However, this is only possible if the opposing parties also recognise\nthe need for these particular consents. <\/strong>It would be a blessing if the general consensus\nregarding sensitive issues such as national sovereignty could also be applied\nto other areas. Political parties should be able to express their ideological\nmindset in calm and resolute terms, while always keeping in mind the\nseriousness of the issues to be dealt with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the\nmunicipal level, it would be a good idea if the pluralistic municipal councils\nin Mani could achieve a common base of understanding on issues of public\ninterest, and could express these positions in a low-key, matter-of-fact manner.\nIt is certain that the expression of the political word in calm terms will help\nbring unanimity in the small communities of our region.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the beginning of the new decade the political landscape seems cloudy. The whole world, and in particular Greece, is faced with dire circumstances, which are the result of poor political decision-making during the last decades. The fact that the political and economic situation in the competitor countries has improved makes the situation in our … \u03a3\u03c5\u03bd\u03ad\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1 \u03b1\u03bd\u03ac\u03b3\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 ECTIONS AT THE DAWN OF THE NEW DECADE<\/span>