Intense verbal confrontations between the Minister of Labor, Adonis Georgiadis and the ND parliamentary representative, Thanos Pleuris, with the SYRIZA MP Theodora Tzakri, took place in the Plenary Session of the Parliament, during the discussion of the labor bill.

The tone was raised, initially by the parliamentary representative of the ND, Thanos Pleuris, who called on SYRIZA and the president of its KO, Sokratis Famellos, to take a clear position against the unacceptable references to the Cyprus issue, by the candidate for the presidency of the party, Stefanos Kasselakis, who spoke about the state and the northern part, stressing that he did not make a verbal mistake, as he hastened to justify, that is why he did not talk about occupied territory.

At the same time, he also referred to today’s televised statements of Mrs. Tzakri, who left spikes for her companions, saying that “some wanted the Prespes of the Aegean”.

The political thermometer rose even more when Ms. Tzakri attacked Mr. Georgiadisaccusing him of not believing in anything and his only desire is to be in a chair of power.

The reaction of the Minister of Labor was intense, who told her that “moderation is something that is missing in her entire political journey” and called her accusation that she loves the chair “over the top” and emphasized that when he disagreed with the party she resigned to him and surrendered his seat, which she herself never did.

“Yesterday Mr. Famellos called us that he is very concerned about the discussions that are taking place these days with the prime minister in America, and whether or not we raise the issues related to Cypriot and Cypriot Hellenism. And last night, one of the SYRIZA candidates, who may be president on Monday, mentioned in his 10-second statement, about state, northern section, their own section. And I would not be concerned at all with Mr. Kasselakis and what his positions are, but SYRIZA is currently still represented in parliament and must take a position. Mr. Famellos must come here and say if this is SYRIZA’s position. Because Mr. Kasselakis has not made a verbal mistake. His Greek was not to blame, because in Greek he was able to say the northern and the state and theirs. And in any language he would say the same thing”, said Mr. Pleuris initially, going up to the podium. And he added:

“The man who can be president on Monday, talked about the north, he talked about their own section, he talked about the state. And Mrs. Tzakri in the morning, on SKAI, said that some people wanted the Prespes of the Aegean, recognizing that the Prespes only have a docile approach to national issues.”

To the question of SYRIZA MPs why the ND government, since it is opposed to the Agreement, did not change it, Mr. Pleuris characteristically replied:

“We must act only within the framework given by the convention that you voted for, because international treaties based on Article 28 of the Constitution have super-legislative force and you knew this when you voted for it.”

Mr. Pleuris continued to direct his fire at Mr. Kasselakis, calling on the SYRIZA executives to take a clear position.

“I am addressing the K.O of SYRIZA. He won’t avoid it. He has elections on Sunday, but today he will take a position. Does it express SYRIZA’s K.O. that there is a northern state of theirs? Does it express you or not? You must position yourself. Here you are a parliamentary group and one who can be your leader on Monday has set a specific point of view.

His Greek is not his fault. And in English he would say exactly the same. In Greek he was able to say north, he was able to say state and to say theirs, he could not say the word occupation in Cyprus.

These positions are completely consistent with a man who is against conscription, and he even said something that is even worse for us Greeks, that there should be paid people on the front line. Watch out! This place was left free because at the forefront were always people who had Greece in their hearts. We were not saved by the Goldman Sacs executives. They didn’t come here to fight from Massachusetts. The Greeks have always fought”, underlined Mr. Pleuris.

“Because the Left has a very nice connection with the chair you look at what has happened. Because on Monday it could be Mr. Kasselakis, or Ms. Ahtsioglou. Already, those who are members of parliament who have the chairs and have the possibility to concede by resignation, the possible leader to be in the Parliament, are starting to take a position.

They say no we don’t quit. So you see that the position of the Left for the chair is not changing, no one is going to resign, because no one is leaving their position from here”, concluded Mr. Pleuris.

Stepping up to the podium, SYRIZA MP Theodora Tzakri personally attacked the Minister of Labor, Adonis Georgiadis, stressing that together with his fellow traveler Mr. Pleuris, they have exceeded every acceptable limit.

“Your political insolence and arrogance, both of you and of your fellow traveler Mr. Pleuris, has exceeded any tolerable limit. It is based on the belief that the Greek people have forgotten that until a few years ago you were the right hands and political incense of Mr. Karatzaferis. You think the world forgot that in your political breaks as a telemarketer of wax, you became the troika’s hymnexclaiming that if it didn’t exist we had to invent it and that no one will steal the glory of firing workers.

Your entire political journey and political career is a story of corruption and disorganized service. You believe in nothing but yourself and the your desire to be in a seat of power“, argued Mrs. Tzakri.

The reaction of Mr. Georgiadis who responded, saying characteristically: “Me and Mrs. Tzakri share a parliamentary similarity. We have voted on all three memoranda. I voted the first as LAOS, the second and the third as an ND MP. She is perhaps the only member of parliament who also voted for all three memoranda. The first as an MP of George Papandreou, the second as a PASOK MP and he gave a vote of confidence to the government of Loukas Papadimos, thus also to the Deputy Minister of Development and Food Adonis Georgiadis and a vote of confidence to the government of Samaras-Venizelos, thus to the Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis. I’m sorry that later he understood and saw the real light.

But we have one big difference. When I was expelled from my party at the time, LAOS, because I voted for the PSI that my party at the time did not want to vote for, the next day I submitted my resignation as Deputy Minister of Competitiveness and Shipping in the government of Loukas Papadimou and then I also resigned as an MP and gave the seat in my party with which I was elected.

Mrs. Tzakri, on the contrary, when she was elected with PASOK in the June 2012 elections and was deleted from PASOK, kept her seat because she liked the chair. For Mrs. Tzakri to accuse me of love in the chair is beyond the pale».

And Mr. Georgiadis concluded:

“In politics, what counts most is character, as in life. In the morning, when I heard you accuse Nikos Fili of indoctrination, I had some kind of political shock. You, PASOK from your youth and minister of the first memorandum, accuse – a man with whom I personally have a huge ideological difference, but who has built the Left and the Coalition since his youth – from the television, in the style of a hundred cardinals, because you were with Kasselakis. Be moderate, Mr. Tzakris. Something that is missing in your entire political journey.”