Theodoros Bangalos: Controversial views, war with the left and the four-man panel – Newsbomb – News

With a modest post on Twitter, his family Theodoros Bangalos He declared Death of a Greek statesmanHe was one of the most discussed personalities of the country.

Theodoros Bangalos through his course in the Greek Parliament PASOK He went down in history with his cries, many of which provoked a storm of reactions.

The 1990 Theodoros Bangalos declared “Germany is an economic giant but a political dwarf» That statement caused a fierce protest by Helmut Kohl to Andreas Papandreou, and the former minister finally apologized. At the time, the former politician was the representative of the Greek Parliament at the Council of Europe, while PASOK was in the official opposition.

The 1994 He was a candidate for the Athens City Council and launched an attack on Dimitris Avramopoulos. “Mr. Nothing”.

The Dimitris Avramopoulos He responds with a verse by Savvopoulos of Olaria Olarus, “Strike me with a knife, you strike the wind, I’m not there… I forgive him”.

It is also known that Theodoros Bangalos reached the point of being expelled from PASOK with the disreputable. “Group of Four” With Kostas Simidis, Vasso Papandreou and Paraskevas Avgerinos, there was a stand on the issue of leadership change in the party.

Of course, the phrase attributed to him above all is popular “we ate together” On September 21, 2010 he pronounced from his seat in Parliament.

The answer to the outcry against the country’s political workers, where people ask us, “How did you eat the money” is this: We appointed you. We all ate them together. Within the framework of relations of political clientelism, corruption, expropriation and denigration of the concept of politics itself”, said the then deputy prime minister of George Papandreou’s government.

In 2014, Theodoros Bangalos returned to the statement: “‘We ate together’ is completely false. If we rewrite it and say it again we will eat together. Of course.” We still eat them Everyone who listens knows what we’re saying.”

However, in 2011, in a lecture at Oxford, he made the following statement: “No politician is corrupt enough to go out into the streets and recruit voters. He sits in his office and corrupt citizens go and find him.

Theodoros Bangalos also gained enemies from the Church because he insisted that he should be taxed.

“The Church claims its financial autonomy and manages an important tradition. It is normal for him to give money like everyone else. He should set an example for this,” he said. In the same interview, in a Swiss media outlet, he said: “The question I ask the Greeks is, do you always ask the plumber for proof? This has to change.”

Shortly before he retired from the political scene, in 2012, he implicated himself in the TOR-M1 case, saying he knew about the kickbacks but had no proof. “I talked about bribery, tax evasion and a lot of things that come out day by day,” he told parliament, while adding that he was “never a fan” of Agis Sossatsopoulos, though he never took up full-on politics. Responsibility for clients he described in his books.

A few years ago, the 2018 Theodoros Bangalos made another controversial statement, saying he lives “below the poverty line” and that his parliamentary pension was only 379 euros.

Of course, he had also taken a stand on national issues, and had specifically stated how “Turks have no concept of law” And the problems with Turkey are not going to be solved, “the enemy is relentless, no matter how good faith we show the problems are not going to be won”.

The 2011 However, during a visit to the neighboring country, he declared that “the Turks work hard while the Greeks are lazy”.

The 2016 He again “hit out” that the refugees disgrace the country and should be removed, while announcing that he voted for New Democracy in the last years of his life, and called Makis Voridis “a very good man”. He received threats to himself and his family members.”Thugs of the Left».

Besides, the 2015, Commenting on Syriza’s victory in the elections, he explained his most viral line, “Together we killed ourselves.”

Who is Theodoros Bangalos?

The Theodoros BangalosWho was also there Deputy Prime Minister in 2009He studied Law at the University of Athens and Economics (Doctor of Economic Sciences) at the University of Paris I (Pantheon Sorbonne) with a scholarship from the French government.

It was Founding member of Lambrakis Youth and took an active role in the anti-dictatorship struggle, which resulted in the military regime stripping him of his Greek citizenship in 1968.

From 1969 to 1978 Appointed Professor and Researcher in Economic Development at the Sorbonne, planning and spatial planning. He was also the director of the Economic Development Institute of the same university. In 1981 he was elected for the first time as a Member of Parliament for PASOK, a position he held continuously until 2012.

It was Deputy Minister of Commerce (1982), Under Secretary of State for European Social Affairs (1984), Deputy Minister of External Affairs (1985-1989). From 1989 to 1993 he was appointed as the representative of the Greek Parliament to the Council of Europe.

In October 1993 he was again appointed Deputy Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He took over in July 1994 Minister of Transport and Communications. In January 1996, he was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs and held his duties until February 1999.

He assumed office in April 2000 Minister of Culture He held office till November 2000. He was the head of the Greek delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union and the Council of Europe.

He was commissioned in June 2003 PASOK’s representative on the Foreign Policy Council. In November 2004 he was appointed coordinator of PASOK’s pre-election campaign. He was re-elected as a member of PASOK’s Political Council and appointed in charge of the Development, Competitiveness and Consumer Policy Department. He later took charge of the Department of Self-Government, Public Administration and Justice, and today he heads the important Department of Foreign Policy, Defense and Security.

The month of September In 2006 he assumed the post of General Speaker of PASOK In Procedures for Constitutional Review.

From the 2004 to 2009 elections, he represented the Greek Parliament in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Western European Union and the Council of Europe.

October 6th In 2009, he was sworn in as the Deputy Prime Minister. He held the position till May 2012.

He is the author of several articles and various books, including “Globalization and the Left” (2001), “Ephemeral Prophets – The Struggles of Neoliberalism and Social Movements in the Age of Globalization” (2005), “Europe at a Crossroads” (2005), “Intervention in Current Affairs”. ” (1994) and “Greece in the European Community” (1988).