With a speech that functioned simultaneously as a political manifesto, a strategic warning, and a public test balloon, Alexis Tsipras returned decisively to centre stage in the Greek political landscape. At the packed Pallas Theatre in Athens, during the presentation of his ter sent his clearest signal yet: he intends to play a leading role in reshaping the progressive camp — potentially through a new political platform, free of “reserved front-row seats,” as he put it.
The message between the lines: “There is no credible opponent to the government — so I will create one.”
A central thread of Tsipras’s address was that Greece is governed by a “wrong government”, responsible for deepening inequalities, social insecurity, and institutional erosion. But the line that set off the strongest political tremors was his blunt critique of the opposition itself:
“There is no political force capable of giving real perspective for change.”
Insiders in both SYRIZA and PASOK interpreted this as an unmistakable prelude to a new progressive organisation, with Tsipras presenting himself as a unifying yet catalytic figure.
The new ideological frame: “New Patriotism” and a “New Metapolitefsi”
Tsipras laid out what looked unmistakably like the scaffolding of a future political project:
- A New Metapolitefsi (a democratic reboot)
- A New Patriotism (social, democratic, anti-oligarchic)
- A Shock of Democracy (restoring trust in institutions and participation)
According to sources close to him, these concepts are being shaped into the core narrative of a potential new political formation — broad, progressive, civic-centered, and structurally different from both SYRIZA and PASOK.
Parapolitical backstage: Who showed up — and who conspicuously didn’t
Despite Tsipras’s insistence on “no reserved seats,” the audience composition did not go unnoticed:
- Former ministers of the SYRIZA era attended — many at odds with the current party leadership.
- Up-and-coming figures seeking a fresh vehicle for their political future.
- Local officials and civic actors who have recently signaled interest in a new progressive coalition.
On the other hand, senior figures of SYRIZA-New Left stayed away — a reminder that relations between Tsipras and the current leadership remain frosty.
The phrase that lit the political fuse
“I resigned from the safety of the parliamentary seat because today’s political system is part of the problem.”
Observers say this was effectively a declaration that the era of the existing party structures has ended — and that Tsipras intends to operate outside the confines of the current system, preparing something new.
The proposed new social contract
Beyond rhetoric, Tsipras presented a substantive political agenda:
- A patriotic levy on very high incomes, dedicated exclusively to youth housing.
- A strengthened welfare state, countering expanding privatization.
- A new production model focused on industry, tech, and innovation.
- Institutional reconstruction: rule of law, independent authorities, judicial integrity.
- A balanced foreign policy, resisting automatic geopolitical alignment.
The call to citizens: “Change will come from below”
Tsipras urged citizens to form self-organized initiatives of democratic renewal, signaling that the next months may see:
- grassroots committees,
- open assemblies,
- local, bottom-up political structures.
Some analysts already interpret this as the soft launch of a pre-movement network ahead of a formal new party.
Tsipras hasn’t returned — he has moved to the next stage
The Pallas speech was not merely a book presentation; it was the semi-official overture to a new political enterprise.
A project that may not yet have a name, structure, or launch date — but already has:
- a narrative,
- a target electorate,
- and an ideological foundation.
The question now is not whether Tsipras will form a new political vehicle, but when, how, and with whom.
And equally important: who will be left outside when the new centre-left map is redrawn.
Source: pagenews.gr