Greek “Citizens Protection Minister” wants Protection from Citizens

Probably the most ironic headline I have written. And it is not for effect, this is actually what Christos Papoutsis, the Greek “Citizens Protection Minister” is asking for. I think he may be in the wrong job

The PASOK party in Greece has appointed someone who supposed purpose is to protect the citizens (whatever that means) but the same person is actually afraid of the citizens. I am not sure if he is the best choice for the job. Perhaps Mr Papoutsis has bought into the reality of 1984. Perhaps he considers himself a member of the inner party whereas the public at large are the proles.

Papoutsis called on all political parties to state outright whether they support the tactics of film director Dimitris Kollatos, who is reportedly planning a march to Papoutsis’s home on Wednesday evening. “Are there any political groupings that do not condemn these practices?” Papoutsis said. – I am not joking, Papoutsis actually said this. Apparently Mt Paopoutsis does not like being held to account by the bourgeoisie or the proletariat. I think the ancient Greeks would be disappointed that a fellow Greek would be opposed to Greeks peacefully protesting.

About the protests outside the homes of ministers – Kollatos is leading a movement called Porta-Porta (Door-to-Door) that has organized several protests outside the homes of politicians in recent months. This on the other hand I think will be applauded by the ancient Greeks
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So to re-cap. The minister does not want the electrorate to voice their displeasure at his decsions. I think the minister is missing the point of what his job is. As for asking his fellow politicians to condem these practices, I am not sure what sort of society Papoutsis thinks he lives in. This seems to be another example of the Greek politicians being completely detached from the rest of society and another example of how they have lost sight of what their job as a politician is supposed to be ie represent the wishes of the electorate.

With politicians acting like they are a member of the “inner party” it is another reason why direct democracy is the answer for Greece and maybe the World, especially with the technology now available. It is surprising to me that more steps have not been made in this direction