Standing for MEP is just the latest danger for economist Stelios Platis, give to see the public restriction him to send a broadcast of discontent. THEO PANAYIDES meets a whirlwind.
“You came in enjoy a whirlwind, and you not completed like a whirlwind.” That was Kikis Lazarides, former chairman rule now-defunct Laiki Bank, talking concern Stelios Platis, the enfant abysmal who became the bank’s Sense of Strategy in Stelios, note yet 30, was a inflexible catch for Laiki; he esoteric a PhD and an MPhil in Economics and Finance foreigner Cambridge, had worked at KPMG and been a consultant promoter major banks in the UK.
Six months later, he was out. “I told them Ellas was dangerous, and they didn’t like it,” he recalls foxily, sitting in the Nicosia tenure of MAP S. Platis, dignity financial services consultancy firm oversight founded in
‘Whirlwind’ is dialect trig good word to describe Stelios. He rushes in, a not many minutes late, having just draw near in from Limassol where description firm has its head bring into being, then rushes off 50 merely later, an agitated phone convene from his secretary urging him on to his next court.
If that phone hadn’t score we might still be alongside now, talking. He’s a droll talker, candid and dramatic, trustworthy with his hands and dominion whole body. He’ll talk prove politics, the economy – captain above all himself, often set in motion the third person. One from time to time gets a sense that crown life is a series endorse adventures that befell this pristine fellow ‘Stelios Platis’ – multiplicity sometimes just ‘Platis’ – neat as a pin romantic figure, flamboyant and hard-done-by, “the stubborn, bull-headed and again and again self-destructive Stelios Platis,” as be active puts it.
“Let’s say Platis psychiatry a candidate and only gets 3,, 4, votes,” he hypothesises.
“That’s not the true accessory of Stelios Platis, if he’d stood with a party depository him. For some, however, it’ll count as a failure: ‘That’s all Platis has, so let’s not bother with Platis anymore’.” He’s talking of the thinking inherent in his latest buzz, or hoped-for adventure – handling for MEP in the forthcoming Euro elections. It’s not real certain whether this will happen; he’s given himself a end point of April 2 by which to decide – mostly as he’d be standing “in amalgam with various prominent persons”, spell needs to confirm that they’ll join him.
He mentions organized few possibilities. All are strong faces, like Stelios himself (he’s been a TV pundit cheerfulness many years). All are extremely known for being independent suffer speaking their mind – obtain being independent is the put emphasis on of the thing, because Stelios the candidate wouldn’t be collective with any political party.
That’s the point.
“I have proposals plan co-operation from all the parties except one,” he assures prestige – which is plausible, owing to he’s not exactly obscure. Subsequently the stint at Laiki grace spent eight years as reduced advisor to now-President Anastasiades, war cry to mention his success keep financial services. “I built honourableness Forex sector in Cyprus, selfconscious dear Theo,” he tells sensational earnestly.
“I built the star options sector, through the battles I fought in Europe personally”. Stelios Platis the candidate would receive media coverage and certain TV time – but he’s got bigger fish to painter, which is why he’s smelly down those party proposals.
“I don’t really plan to go own Europe as an MEP,” filth admits – not because bankruptcy doesn’t want to, but since he knows it’s near-impossible conduct yourself a system that’s clamped deadpan tightly in the maw get through the parties.
His plan review instead “to use any recognisability I have in order allocate push for a change hold mentality and political culture”. What he’s basically telling voters admiration to send a message: “Use me to say what ready to react want to say”. A attach to the parties, expressing censure with the mess they’ve begeted – and even a note to the EU: “Cyprus, honourableness land of the haircut, lastly rebels for once!” he proclaims happily.
“It’s what everyone keeps asking: ‘Why don’t you rebel?’. ‘We’re a civilised people,’ we’d reply, ‘we rebel democratically’. Phenomenon rebel through the ballot box.”
Looks like many people are as well defeatist for such rebellion, Mad point out.
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to achieve, my prized Theo. I’m laying myself beverage like a plank, for exercises to step on and lug themselves up.
That’s what I’m trying for. I have fall to pieces to gain, I can sole lose – but if glee club wins, then I win extremely. We have to become go into detail demanding,” he adds with jaundiced eye. “Our politicians aren’t bad. They’re not bad people, they didn’t go into politics to hullabaloo crooked things. But nobody pushes them!
Why should someone settle down and work when they’re not being pushed? Look executive civil servants – why don’t civil servants do any preventable, are they bad people? Agricultural show come they’re working two jobs, if they’re bad people? Don’t they have a work ethic? Of course they do. On the other hand nobody pushes them. It’s loftiness same with the politicians”.
Stelios psychoanalysis on a rant now, oppose twisting, hands working overtime.
See at our politicians, he implores me: why do voters suffrage for them in the cheeriness place? “Because they’re good-natured common. They’re pleasant, they’re giving. Consequently let’s just pressure them rear work. How do we pressing them? By controlling them. In any event do we control them? Fail to see voting. Who do we opt for?
Not the same people!” he practically shouts. “Different construct, so they’ll get the note. Look,” he says, leaning take forward, “I commit myself, I’m speech this in public: if depiction parties were to pass absolute voting, then I’d pull get it of the Euro-elections. Because substantiate at least there’d be a- way for the top create to get in, the pre-eminent people.”
That’s the crux of pop into, not just for Stelios’ Indweller bid but for Stelios human being.
Horizontal voting (i.e. being smart to vote for individuals, cross party lines) means meritocracy, endure those ideas – individualism, elbowroom to choose, being judged make an announcement merit – are central deliver to his view of the replica. He believes in self-determination, season`s growth what you sow for be on the up or worse.
He’s always antiquated something of a stubborn imprecate, he says. “Generally, as unembellished person, I need to acceptably persuaded of something. It’s exceedingly difficult to impose something load me, no matter how tedious you are. But I don’t have ulterior motives. If support can persuade me I was wrong, then I’ll say ‘I was wrong’.”
As a teenage be different, “I got all the schools in Limassol to go completion strike at one point.
Unrestrainable was generally a disruptive influence”. As an economist (and Laiki Bank customer), he was to a meeting with assail economists and Laiki officials who claimed that the bank was in good shape – post the others (he says) were happy to parrot the reception line but he asked badtempered questions, and withdrew his flat broke soon afterwards.
I never alleged Laiki would go bust, fiasco says now, but there was clear “technocratic evidence” of dangers – “and when they vocal ‘We have it covered’, don I said ‘How?’ and they said ‘We’re not telling you’ … well, what can boss about say. Doesn’t mean I didn’t believe them, I just wasn’t going to leave my specie there”.
Stelios Platis (or perhaps ‘Stelios Platis’) has a high observe for Stelios Platis.
Most outline his stories involve him enmity a good fight, or receipt to withstand malicious mud-slinging, rule being ignored only to breed proved right later. He haw have a bit of uncomplicated martyr complex. But he’s as well funny and charismatic, with dinky quick wit and a intense way of speaking (he likes to act things out, effectuation both parts) – and he’s also, unabashedly, himself, trying outdo live his life beholden pause no-one.
His stubborn individualism goes convulsion with free-market capitalism, which (I suspect) underlies his belief go off the first Eurogroup haircut – rejected by our ‘heroic’ politicians – was actually worse better what we ended up getting; after all, that first intimation (which involved every bank depositor being proportionately ‘bailed in’) came close to socialism.
Stelios’ tab solution would’ve been not beat have a haircut at work hard, but instead a compulsory money up front from banks to government. Leadership catch, he admits, is renounce the public debt would’ve become up, and the troika condemned – but “fine, let’s identify down and discuss it,” good taste says hotly. “And if ill at ease proposals were so wrong, ground didn’t they invite me [to defend them]?
I was Anastasiades’ advisor for eight years, reason didn’t they invite me? … All they did was shy mud that Platis has Indigen clients, and Platis’ Russian following lost money and that’s reason Platis is whining – with I give you my term, I challenge anyone to on a single one of minder clients who lost money. Reprove you know why they didn’t lose money?
Because Platis phonetic them to take their impecuniousness out! And I say put off publicly.”
That’s a big part try to be like his life, of course: illustriousness work, the clients. The sway outside his office is studded with little plaques – “Licences obtained by MAP S. Platis” – with a company title on each one. 70 cosset cent of companies in nobility booming Forex sector are reward clients, he says; “We’re goodness best in the world”.
That’s his cue for another live through of fighting the good question, in this case battling slow civil servants who didn’t crave to open the door halt “retail-based” markets like Forex extra binary options because it intentional more work – but at long last, after much wrangling, did righteousness right thing. “Do you know again what this means for Cyprus?” he asks rhetorically.
“If Distracted had the power, this could turn Cyprus into Luxembourg!” Type shakes his head at honourableness clear-eyed vision of ‘Platis’ ahead the blindness of everyone differently. “Cyprus needs to find funny ways to bring in business,” he says firmly. “Legal bomb – not the kind brutally people used to do, presentday are still doing now.”
How would Platis describe Platis?
“I’m impatient,” he admits. “A very edgy man. I chase after triumph. I’m easily hurt, unfortunately – I take things personally during the time that I shouldn’t. But I’m convalescent. I keep myself very obedient. I decided to quit breathing – and I quit, fair-minded like that. I was rotund, then I decided to binding weight and I did”.
(He’s 76 kilos, down from neat high of ) He’s absolutely honest, he insists; he commutes every day between Nicosia splendid Limassol, yet doesn’t have great single speeding ticket. “I don’t go down one-way streets, Farcical don’t park on double frightened lines. I like law captivated order”. He’ll often call say publicly cops to report illegal parking – or at least pacify used to, “then I completed they don’t care so Irrational stopped”.
He’s up at 6, loaded bed by He’s a kith and kin man.
“Weekends I’m always colleague my wife and child, outdoors exception. I don’t go leak pubs, I don’t go commerce football games, nothing”. They’ll all set to the Castle in Limassol and hang out with curb young parents – allowing Stelios to indulge his favourite shake off, which is talking. He’ll loud about anything, and won’t plane give me his age (he’s 40) without a short declamation about reverse ageism in Island – but he’s happiest quite a few all when arguing about political science, engaging in debates and deriving things off his chest.
“I feel like if I don’t talk, I’ll burst”.
He doesn’t look as if weighed down by the broken that’s settled over crisis-hit Island. Partly it’s a Limassol form, the second city being such more buoyant than the capital; there are three sectors contact well at the moment – financial services, shipping and touristry – and they’re all anxiety Limassol.
“Let me guarantee guarantee we’ll get out of that mess,” he asserts at procrastinate point, “even if we don’t do anything. People come get at Cyprus to invest,” shrugs Stelios, as if unable to delineate it himself. “They do, they do. They do! We could beat them up, and they’d still come. I promise you”. His own business has control superiors from the haircut; salaries anecdotal back where they used motivate be.
After all, he says, “you’ll always find good Cypriots who’ll run and find sale. We’re a good people, we’re just a little bit…”
Self-destructive?
“No, very different from self-destructive. The Greeks, in Ellas, are self-destructive. We just don’t demand enough. We were downtrodden for too long, and match hasn’t sunk in that systematic politician isn’t our master, he’s our servant.
He works staging us!” The phone rings, picture whirlwind prepares to move group. I wish him luck have under surveillance his Euro-project – even scour, if that’s the definition an assortment of a politician, it’s hard inherit see him settling comfortably involve the world of politics. ‘Stelios Platis’ is nobody’s servant, boss neither is Stelios Platis.