Economou: Tsipras unable to address the concerns of today, the questions of tomorrow

Government spokesperson Yiannis Economou on Sunday accused the leader of the main opposition, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance President Alexis Tsipras, of "being stuck in the past, in a world that does not exist", in an interview on Mega television.

Commenting on the main opposition leader's speech at the 85th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) on Saturday, he said that Tsipras showed himself unable to address the concerns of the present or answer the questions concerning the future, while attempting to create class issues in Greek society.

"As long as the country's wealth increases, the fiscal space will expand and there is no doubt that we will all have a share in this dividend," he stressed.

Commenting on Tsipras' speech, Economou noted that the one conclusion was that "Mr. Tsipras, in spite of the very expensive props and the set that he attempt to create in Thessaloniki, once again proved that he is outdated, that he is stuck in the past, in a world that does not exist. That he is unable to become synchronised with the challenges and the needs of the time in which we live, the questions that have arisen not just in Greece but the whole world after 2019."

He also accused Tsipras of condoning tactics of "character assassination" adopted by members of his party and not being in tune with the needs, ambitions and demands of the whole of Greek society.

"He had nothing to say about populism, nihilism, the political speech that is endemic to his party, in all that has to do with managing the pandemic and that has does such great damage to Greek society. He did not manage to present a properly structured and considered economic plan. Yesterday, we again heard about uncosted handouts. We heard, once again - I think it was the 11th time - about writing off private debt. It was as if the date on the calender was 2014," Economou noted.

According to the spokesperson, the measures announced by Tsipras would amount to 11 billion euros, without any explanation of where this money will be found. He criticised plans to increase the minimum wage as something that will undermine growth and raise unemployment, saying they marked a return to "the excessive taxation and nihilism of the past."

Economou said that the prime minister had, by contrast, presented a costed programme of 3.5 billion euros with horizontal measures for all of Greek society that will increase income and create more jobs, allowing the Greek economy to reach higher growth rates and generate wealth.

"Every citizen, the middle class, the younger generation, enterprise and people looking for a job will have their own share of growth, with justice. This is the programme of Kyriakos Mitsotakis...a policy that supports Greek society and has a strong developmental dimension," he added.

The spokesperson pointed to measures announced by the government to support those on lower incomes without jeopardising the overall economy: "Greece is on a path of growth, a leap of prosperity that leaves no one behind. We are certain that, as time passes and our government plan unfolds, our performance will be even better on all fronts."

The spokesperson also commented on the retroactive reimbursement of scissored pensions awarded by Greek courts, saying that the repayments due will defintely be paid, while some repayments were also the result of changes to the Katrougalos law that led to pension cuts.

With respect to vaccinations, he emphasised that all public figures have an obligation to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, without "asterisks and provisos". On mandatory vaccination, he said this was an option that continues to exist and that the government was currently focused on increasing vaccination rates where there were margins for significant improvement, such as among minors or people over 60.

"Our young people and every citizen must get vaccinated because this protects their health, shields them against the pandemic and is the greatest guarantee, the greatest insurance for getting their life back. The children will be in their classrooms with their teachers and fellow pupils...we will not shut down again. We will not shut down not just in business and professional terms but our lives will not be shut down again," Economou stressed, adding that the government had proved it was doing all it could to persuade every person to get vaccinated.