I remember many years ago I spoke at the launch of a book by political analyst and communications consultant Yannis Lulis. A close associate of the then Prime Minister also participated in the discussion. Alexis Tsipras. For each of my disagreements, the partner reacted extremely irritably, and his answer always sounded in a raised voice.

I could not resist and told him: “For many years, when your party had low interest rates, journalists, artists and even political opponents “caressed” you. Now that you are in government, you see political criticism as a personal attack.” This is how, in my opinion, the lack of tolerance for both is interpreted polls. Unacceptable and unheard of by the measures of a party that likes to think that it is progressive.

“We were beaten”… was heard from the lips of many sociologists on election night, when the results showed a historic difference between the first and second parties. We have all witnessed these bullying, which sometimes came “obviously” from the leader of SYRIZA and his cadres, and sometimes the underground war of Internet trolls.

To the question whether they were afraid as people and whether they did not faithfully serve their science, there are two answers. Yes and no. “Yes” because SYRIZA constantly threatened them with harsh rhetoric, lawsuits and criminal charges in a committee of competent parliamentary institutions. No, because there are other factors to consider. The environment has changed exponentially compared to the past, when measurements made predictions in decimal precision. Especially with regard to SYRIZA, both in the elections of 2015 and in the referendum of the same year, as well as in the elections of 2019, there were big differences.

Fluctuating factors included undecided and brand new voters, who often made up 15% of the electorate, while the apparent fluidity of the past two and a half months was exacerbated by events that seemed to strengthen SYRIZA. Finally, as the day before yesterday shows, 20% of those who voted behind the screen decided.

In my opinion, responsibilities are not distributed equally, but fall on both sides. SYRIZA is largely responsible for the activities of its now famous bowling alley and the constant attacks on the entire scientific discipline.

But the share of responsibility lies with sociologists, too, because instead of defiantly confronting each other as an organized group of serious scientists, which they are, they all together closed themselves in four walls and, in order not to interfere, exaggerated the results. their investigations so that their heads haunt them. Unfortunately for them, they achieved the opposite.

* Mr. Thodoros Roussopoulos is the Member of Parliament for New Democracy in the northern sector of 2nd Athens.