No political folklore

We have come to accept political parties’ efforts to outbid each other in their financial pledges as an element of political folklore, as it were. 

Regrettably, when it comes to foreign policy, the country really does not have the luxury to tolerate similar attitudes – even less so when these are displayed by a leftist opposition which only recently accused the conservatives of having played to voters’ nationalist reflexes to damage it politically. (This week nevertheless, SYRIZA chief Alexis Tsipras said that extending Greece’s western territorial waters to 12 nautical miles was “the only way forward”).

We are living in historic times and the actions of political parties must be guided by the knowledge that they will be judged by history.