Editorial: Courting the middle class

The approval of the 2021 budget by Parliament is a crucial political event as it indirectly but clearly constitutes a vote of confidence in the government and in its economic programme.

Traditionally, each political leader’s speech along with a presentation of the party’s economic agenda also outlines his or her message to targeted social groups.

This year the middle class was the focus of party leaders’ messages. That is logical and it will be a crucial issue in the future. Though under severe pressure, it remains a dynamic social force that has been rocked and transformed by the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.

In that sense, it will play a decisive role in determining future political majorities.

As a social class it will play a critical role in ensuring normalcy and safeguarding democracy at a time when extreme political forces are chomping at the bit to exploit further impoverishment.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is quite rightly thrashing out measures with targeted assistance for the middle class that will be a central part of the national reconstruction plan on the basis of which Greece will receive EU Recovery Fund liquidity.

The role of the middle class is so crucial that yesterday we saw former PM and main opposition leaer Alexis Tsipras donning the mantle of its newfangled suitor, coveniently forgetting how heavily he taxed it while in office.

Nevertheless, there appears to be a broad consenssu and understanding that it is imperative that the middleclass be able to succesfully weather the trials and tribulations brought on by the pandemic.