The people of Greece are eager for new faces, fresh blood to enter the political arena. They are ready to place their trust in new people and ready to nurture hope that someone may actually come along to change the country’s political landscape.

But, they then suffer bitter disappointment when they pin their hopes for change on certain politicians who, as soon as appointed to one ministerial position or another and under the pressure of gleaning votes at the ballot box, resort to populist behavior, acting altogether the stereotypical politicos of bygone days.

It is most definitely a great pity to watch people who, although once upon a time stood out for their clarity of thought and their sensible point of view, have now reduced themselves to making a mockery of their good name by linking themselves to the lowest common denominator of the country’s political life.

Hopefully such behavior will not become permanent and is, instead, a case of pre-election mania.