domingo, 26 de julho de 2015

Betty Batziana: “I told you not to trust Yanis, Alexis!


Betty Batziana: “I told you not to trust Yanis, Alexis!

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis were regulars at a Greek tavern on the isle of Aegina for two years. So it was in the cold of April, 2015, that the two men met again, clinking beer glasses in the name of their friendship. They were not alone. Seated beside Yanis was artist Danae Stratou, the dazzling blonde wife of the man dubbed the ‘rock star minister’ and the woman rumored to have inspired the song “Common People”. Peristera (Betty) Batziana was missing – as usual – for obvious reasons. She is the mother of two young children with family obligations giving her the perfect excuse to not be there.

Greece’s first lady, however, known as the woman who ‘radicalized’ the PM has surprisingly never participated in meetings between Varoufakis-Stratou with her husband. Rather than stay at Varoufakis’ villa, the couple stayed at the modest lodgings of senior SYRIZA minister Alekos Flambouraris.


Batziana’s friends are miles away from the circles of power, with her closest confidants being mainly women she met through her children – ordinary mothers. Unlike Stratou, Batziana views social gatherings as something of a chore. As couples, the Tsipras-Batziana duo are world’s apart from Varoufakis-Stratou in both interest and style.

Not once did the PM’s wife accompany him on outings with Varoufakis and on official gatherings she chose “the little black dress”, prefering to draw attention away from herself. Batziana is a woman of few words, prefering actions. People who know her say she is the “male mind of the family”, not one to fly in the clouds and always suspicious of people making big promises that aren’t backed by actions.

The third bailout dropped on Harmony Street, Kypseli, like a huge bomb. Batziana chose to swallow it as a realist and tells friends. “Alexis is decided on changing many things though nobody may believe it: He will be the first to fight corruption like nobody has until now,” she says.

She silently blames the “apolitical” Varoufakis for the nasty turn in Greece’s negotiations with creditors. She was never a huge fan of the flamboyant economist in the same way her husband was. When in Aegina, she avoided meetings with the couple, and those who knew her were aware that there was a deeper reason than the need to be with her children. There was always a strange distance caused by political differences between her and Varoufakis.


Batziana was also bothered by Varoufakis’ narcissism. It wasn’t just the tight shirts and red lines on his jackets that bothered him but the need to always stand out from the crowd and draw attention from himself.

The turning point for the worst came when the Varoufakis’ couple were spotted enjoying strolls at the shores of Lake Como, chased by the paparazzi, on the sidelines of a business conference in northern Italy. It was at this moment that she realized that Varoufakis was seriously harming SYRIZA’s image.

During their joint trip to Paris, the two wives did not sit near each other on the plane. The first lady chose to stay at the hotel while socialite Stratou carelessly posted photos of herself shopping in Paris on Instagram.

The final blow came with the Paris Match shooting. That was when the rest of SYRIZA – not just Batziana – realized that Varoufakis was tarnishing the party’s reputation.


Varoufakis’ attraction on Tsipras as a valuable mentor was never the same for Batziana. She could see the points worth admiring but was never totally swayed. Tsipras, however, was charmed because he felt trapped between State Minnister Nikos Pappas and reserved Giannis Dragasakis. Tsipras needed him because he was not from SYRIZA’s inner core.

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