While thousands civil servants are confronted with the nightmare of unemployment, another Greek drama occurs every night in an air-conditioned bedroom. A man is being plagued by difficult decisions. Minister of Administrative Reform Kyriakos Mitsotakis cannot sleep.
“I do not sleep well at night when I know that they will lose their jobs.” Mitsotakis revealed his very own personal drama emerging from the responsibility of his position in an interview with Bloomberg.
“It’s not easy, even for emotional reasons. However, if I have to sign dismissals the best I can do is to meet the best choice as to who should lose his job.”
Bloomberg interview
For the time being the “best choice” is to proceed to mass lay-offs through horizontal criteria. Meaning, just cancel institutions like the municipality police or dismiss teachers from secondary education and erase the technical high schools form the Greek education maps..
PS why Mitsotakis’sleepless nights met the irony of Greek internet users click here in comments section.
He could of course solve a few problems in one faul swoop. He could help in restoring some faith in politics and government and lead by example. How about sacking himself? It is after all about getting rid of political appointees and waste in the civil service, no? And such patriotic action would automatically solve his sleeping problems…
The Romanian government has announced plans to promote Transylvania, a region of the country associated with vampires and Dracula, as their most promising tourist destination.
The Dracula brand existed for a long time and based on a recent proposal from Dr. Dorin Florea, the mayor in Târgu Mureş (north-central Romania), pertinent promotion plans will go forth ASAP, as clever Romanians are eager to profit from vampire tourism, even if it means tainting the reputation of a national hero.
The mayor had said in an interview to the International Press:
“We only need to exploit it and wrap it properly and then sell it in a modern manner. We have invited His Excellency Domenico Mitsotaki to support our promo-video campaign by taking off the role of the literary character Count Dracula, The Vampire that had been inspired by a real person: Vlad Tepes, the prince of Valahia (Wallachia for English speakers). Nobody could ever surpass THE acting of Count Domenico shouting in fluent German: Ich glaube nicht, nachts gut schlafen (in Neo Gk.: I do not sleep well at night)”.
sleepless nights in Athens, Transylvania. thanks for the inspiring joke.