Why Labour is obsessed with Greek politics

GREEK words loom large in politics, although some are better-known than others. Most people recognise the term “democracy”. “Politics” itself has Greek origins. Fewer people would be familiar with “Pasokification”—unless they are a member of the Labour Party.

Pasok, a struggling centre-left party from Greece, is surprisingly prominent in the minds of Labour activists. Where once the Greek party commanded the support of 44% of voters, a stint in government overseeing brutal spending cuts saw this figure dribble to 5% by 2015. Naturally, Labour wants to avoid this fate, dubbed Pasokification. So the Greek party has become a cautionary tale cited by Labour activists urging their leaders to maintain opposition to Tory austerity. Fear of the Pasokification of Labour boosted the far-left Jeremy Corbyn during his successful tilt at the Labour leadership in 2015, recall those who worked on his campaign.

It was another Greek party that Mr Corbyn’s supporters wanted to...Continue reading

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