The Greek Election

Here in this little Aegean island I am in most senses except the geographical further away from current major Greek political goings-on than I would be in England, but I’d better just say what I know or think I know.

The likely final figures will be such that Syriza (the left-wing party that is promising Greeks the earth, and most of all escape from the fierce austerity measures that are causing so much misery) has the most votes. Next will come Nea Demokratia. (The current ruling party, roughly Thatcherite.) Then the appalling ‘Golden Dawn’; out and out Nazis. Then a number of small parties such as the ‘Greek Independents’, led by the aptly named ‘Kamenos’. (It translates as ‘burnt’ and the word is a common metaphor for ‘cheated’). They are something like the English UKIP, but they too are against the austerity measures.

Syriza will not have an overall majority, so that to form a government it will have to form a coalition. Their likely (!) partners will be the party of Kamenos, as of course Golden Dawn is beyond the pale of decency. Unfortunately Golden Dawn, as the second runner-up, will get a disturbing number of seats in parliament.

That’s how I understand things to be, as far as we can see, at the moment. Now we shall just have to wait and see what happens. There is a strong possibility Greece will, to some extent, disengage itself, or be disengaged, from the European Community.

But as I say, let us WAIT AND SEE!