Kolotoumba (term)
The term "kolotoumba" or "kolotumba" (Greek: κωλοτούμπα, meaning somersault) has been widely used by media and politicians in Greece to indicate the political inconsistency and complete reversal of a party or political figure from their original political positions or views.[2][3]
This Greek term was internationalized especially after the summer of 2015 - on the occasion of Alexis Tsipras' total political transformation and his agreement with the "Troika" - and was widely used by the international media to describe this phenomenon.[4]
History
[edit]Politically, the term was used by politicians in Greece, but quite rarely. It began to be mentioned very frequently in several Greek media outlets after 2015 to characterize the total political shift of then-Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after the "no" vote in the referendum he called and his agreement with the "Troika" in July 2015.[5][6][7] However, since then it has been widely used for any politician who radically changes his views.
Τhe more polite term κυβίστηση, also meaning somersault, was also used metaphorically to describe a politician retreating from their original views or positions, and a complete reversal in relation to what they initially supported.[8][9][10][11]
Internationalization
[edit]According to a source, "the word (kolotumba) has dominated and characterizes the Greek political scene and the majority of parties and their representatives and, for those who don't know, it has been informally adopted in Brussels. It is pronounced with a slightly foreign accent in the corridors of the Commission when they want to characterize how someone has made a complete change from what they previously supported."[12]
The term appeared in January 2015, just a few days after the formation of the Alexis Tsipras Government, in the German newspaper Die Zeit.[13] In April of the same year, it was used in an article in the British newspaper Financial Times.[14] In July of the same year, it appeared on the front page of the Belgian newspaper De Standaard.[1] It was followed by a number of international media outlets.[15][16][17][18]
In 2017, the Spanish newspaper El País, explaining that it is a Greek political term (Kolotumba es un concepto politico griego),[19] used it to refer to a political event in Spain. Specifically, the article referred to the Catalan "kolotumba", according to the newspaper, i.e. the revocation of the declaration of independence of Catalonia by the regional Catalan parliament within a week. The same year, the term was used again by the Financial Times[20] to criticize then-Prime Minister Theresa May for her political stance regarding Brexit.[21]
In 2019 the term was used by the Portuguese newspaper Público.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Tsipras doet opnieuw een'kolotoumba'". De Standaard. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Παπαχελάς, Αλέξης (2017-07-23). "Πολιτικές κωλοτούμπες". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Καραμαγκάλη, Έλενα (2017-10-11). "Kolotumba και pasokification: Όταν η Ελλάδα δημιουργεί νέους πολιτικούς όρους". CNN.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Γιαννακά 2021.
- ^ Νέδος, Βασίλης (2024-07-24). "Εντός και Εκτός – Τσίπρας: Η «κωλοτούμπα» έσωσε τη χώρα από την άτακτη χρεοκοπία". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Ευαγγελίου, Τάσος (2021-07-05). "5 July 2015: Όταν η «kolotoumpa» έγινε διεθνής όρος". Liberal.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "Πώς ο Αλέξης Τσίπρας έκανε την κωλοτούμπα πριν από δύο χρόνια". Παραπολιτικά (in Greek). 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Ψαρράς, Δημήτρης (2022-07-10). "Η «kolotoumpa» του κ. Μητσοτάκη". ΕΦΣΥΝ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "Είναι κωλοτούμπα". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ (in Greek). 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "Χαρίτσης: Καλοδεχούμενη η κωλοτούμπα Μητσοτάκη". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ (in Greek). 2024-05-13. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "O Αρκάς για την κωλοτούμπα Τσίπρα στη Welt". στο Καρφί (in Greek). 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "Η ελληνική γλώσσα ακόμα μαγεύει. Εξάγουμε λέξεις. Η «κωλοτούμπα» τώρα έγινε διεθνής". HuffPost Greece (in Greek). 2017-10-11. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ ""Kolotoumba" oder Katastrophe". Zeit Online. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Barber, Tony (14 April 2015). "Don't bank on Tsipras dumping Syriza's leftwing diehards". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ "Greece: The Kolotoumba Waltz". National Review. 11 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Volk z Wall Streeta: Kolotoumba". Delo. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Synchronised somersault". The Economist. 26 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2018-11-16. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "L'Italia e l'euro: perché è meglio evitare la «kolotoumba» greca". Il Sole 24 Ore. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Bruselas rechaza ejercer cualquier tipo de mediación". El País. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Greek lessons for Brexiters: A 'kolotoumba' would require public to swing strongly against Brexit over next year". Financial Times. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Financial Times:«Kolotoumba» για τη Μέι". LiFO.gr (in Greek). 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "Alexis Tsipras: a kolotumba do enfant terrible para ser um político-modelo". Publico. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
Sources
[edit]- "Η «κωλοτούμπα» έγινε διεθνής πολιτικός όρος". ΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ (in Greek). 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- Τζίμας, Σταύρος (2015-01-26). "Η «κωλοτούμπα» στο πολιτικό λεξιλόγιο". Η ΚΑΘΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- Γιαννακά, Σοφία (2021-07-05). "Όταν η kolotoumpa έγινε διεθνής όρος". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-09-06.