CLOSE
Loading...
12° Nicosia,
07 September, 2026
 
Home  /  Comment  /  Opinion

Politics Blog: Hallelujah, Guterres is here. Now all we need is a miracle

As Cyprus waits for a breakthrough on the Cyprus problem, the island continues solving its own unique problems—with confusion, contradictions and a little chaos.

Onasagoras

Onasagoras

Guterres is in Cyprus. Hallelujah. Should we celebrate or mourn? Or perhaps do both, just to cover all the bases?

His first pledge is to help find a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem. Uh-oh. What exactly does that mean?

First of all, whenever we hear anyone say "I commit"—or any variation of the word—a chill runs straight down our spine. Second, what kind of solution could possibly satisfy both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots when we Greek Cypriots can't even agree among ourselves on what we actually want?

In any case, despite Little Nikos' "optimism," I'm personally keeping my expectations low. How low? About the size of a thimble.

---

Meanwhile, Mylonas' name is once again being floated for a ministerial post, and honestly, he'd fit perfectly into the Christodoulides government. What could be more appropriate for a Cabinet that already includes some of the country's most hardline rejectionists?

Not even ELAM leader Christou would have put together such a rejectionist Cabinet—he'd at least have tried to keep up appearances.

Meanwhile, we have a president who never misses a chance to say we "must continue from where we left off at Crans-Montana." So what better symbolic message than appointing someone who believes Crans-Montana was a complete disaster and that we did the right thing by running away from it? F_ck logic, as we say back in my village.

---

But the weirdness doesn't stop there.

While Little Nikos is telling the European Union and the United Nations that Cyprus wants a bizonal, bicommunal federation, we haven't heard a peep from coalition partner DIKO—or from the unofficial-but-very-much-governing ELAM—both of which advocate the exact opposite.

Remember that old Anna Vissi hit? Schizophrenia.

Wouldn't that make the perfect new national anthem?

---

And in the middle of dramatic developments on the Cyprus issue, wildfires, heatwaves, famine, earthquakes, and biblical disasters, we finally got the answer to the hottest question of the year.

Who exactly was our national developer talking about when he famously said, "He is like my girlfriend"?

Brace yourselves so you don't fall off your chair.

It turns out our national "girlfriend" wasn't the president after all—thank God, I don't think I could have handled that—but former energy minister Giorgos Papanastasiou.

And if this latest version doesn't sound particularly convincing to you, just chalk it up to 'faflatismoi' and hot air.

Paschalides, you absolute legend—you've left us with a line that will live forever.

Respect.

---

I was driving through the mountains—yes, the ones we burned down last year—when I heard the community leader of Agia Anna calling for the arrest of both the defense minister and the president over yesterday's wildfire.

Now, they certainly bear their share of responsibility, but arresting them over it? Let's not get carried away.

I completely understand the community leader's—and the residents'—anger. It's justified. But let's not turn ourselves into the land of endless exaggeration.

Let's wait for the investigation to conclude. And let's all pray Paschalides isn't put in charge of this one too; otherwise we may end up with yet another round of... 'faflatismoi'.

Still, you can't help wondering just how much of a "projectile" the people were who decided to destroy projectiles in the middle of a heatwave, at the height of a Cypriot summer.

Some situations leave you speechless, wondering how we've managed to survive this long on nothing more than pure luck.

Then again, let's look on the bright side.

As Diplaros would probably say, it's a good thing we burned almost everything down last year—this year there's less left to catch fire.

TAGS
Cyprus  |  politics  |  opinion

Opinion: Latest Articles

As Nepal counts its dead and missing, the world must confront the inequality behind a crisis driven by unchecked consumption and powerful economies. Photo credit: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP

Why is Nepal drowning?

The climate crisis is not a disaster for which everyone shares equal responsibility, even though its consequences are often ...
Paris Demetriades
 |  OPINION
Sometimes the wisest response to another person's grief is to pause before passing judgment. Photo credit: Unsplash

A little silence

When pain and trauma shape a person's actions, perhaps we should choose empathy before judgment.
Paris Demetriades
 |  OPINION
As marina and port projects reshape the coastline, protecting the marine environment must remain a priority. Photo credit: concretelayer.com

Can the sea be bought?

Cyprus’s coastal development is putting increasing pressure on the seas that residents and visitors have long enjoyed for ...
Paris Demetriades
 |  OPINION
The government's handling of the CY-Alert failure still leaves unanswered questions about a system designed to protect lives in real time. Photo is screen captured from Atlas Fireteam Facebook video

No fault, no accountability

The defence minister's public show of anger quickly lost credibility once the full facts behind the National Guard operation ...
Thanasis Photiou
 |  OPINION
Record revenues came with record controversy. Photo credit: Alfredo Estrella/AFP via France24

Infantino’s promise

The 2026 World Cup delivered record revenues and strengthened Gianni Infantino's vision of turning FIFA into an even more ...
Opinion
 |  OPINION
This summer, as vacation posts flood our feeds, it is worth remembering that what we see online is rarely a complete or accurate picture of anyone's life. Photo credit: Unsplash

The FOMO industry

As social media turns everyday life into a carefully curated performance, the fear of missing out has become less of a personal ...
Paris Demetriades
 |  OPINION
X