Editorial Ta Nea: The bane of toxic politics

One does not know whether to call it sexism, vulgarity, or infinite idiocy.

What is certain is that the remark of a main opposition SYRIZA cadre about a tennis player on the Greek Olympics team, the prime minister’s son and ERT state-run television is yet another example of toxic political rhetoric that further burdens the political climate.

Before that, a former SYRIZA minister had verbally attacked a current minister based on the idea of the former that he would be more persuasive by using the children of the latter in his argumentation.

For his part, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras has the led the criticism of the prime minister. Recently, he called the PM a Herod who kills children. Yesterday, he declared that the PM has ideological fixations and that he is fanatical and a liar.

He accused the PM of being particularly hostile toward Greece’s youth and charged that he has been blinded by the arrogance of power and cuts deals with private interests.

Leading SYRIZA cadres in this manner demonstrate that they have learned nothing from their defeat in the 2019 general election.

Instead of engaging in self-criticism and trying to contribute to a productive and civilised political competition, they continue to cultivate hatred and polarisation.

Instead of calling to order those who behave improperly and provoke, they themselves engage in personal attacks. Instead of opening new roads they engage in disaster-mongering.

Opinions polls indicate, however, that citizens reject such opposition tactics.

Greek society does not want any more division.