An opposition that’s diffuse and may lack a political structure, that has ambiguous and confused aims, a tangle of ideas and objectives.
But another opposition nonetheless.
With a powerful emotional element, as we saw at the demonstrations marking the anniversary of the Tempe rail crash. With contradictory priorities and, above all, conflicting viewpoints. And in a climate of unrelenting moral panic.
But another opposition nonetheless.
An opposition that may not show up in the opinion polls, that may show no interest in governing or harbour any other ambitions, which may not have a party political logo or affiliations, but which acts as a hotbed for challenges to government policy.
Fulfilling the role of a proper opposition, even if it is “other”.
Obviously the farmers, the students and professors opposed to non-state universities, the relatives of the victims of a train accident, the opponents of same-sex marriage within the church and outside it, do not form anything like a coherent whole. They may not have even one thing in common.
But, objectively, they form an opposition front. Whose actions may not destabilize the hegemony the government enjoys (for now, at least…), but who’s to say what the future will bring?
A future when issues less easily managed weigh down upon the social present—issues the government (like any government) will inevitably have to deal with.
It’s far from unusual in a democracy for negative reactions from a range of—sometimes heterogeneous—sources to start to pile up. All governments have to deal with this at one time or another.
But their capability as an administration lies in their capacity to deal with—or get through—such pile-ups without sustaining serious damage.
It remains to be seen whether the current government has what it takes. Because it won’t be easy.
An faceless opposition may equate to an opposition without physical substance, without a narrative or leadership, without either a guiding hand or duration. But it can also prove a tricky opponent in traditional political terms.
Because it’s hard to distinguish or weigh up something without a face. Without that meaning it doesn’t exist.
This singular showdown with the “other opposition” will most likely end with the European elections, after which it will be time for the country to go on holiday.
It is the good scenario for the government and for Greece.
Because there is a bad scenario, even if we’re not yet fully aware of just how dangerous it is.
