Living in the past

Greek politics is not just revisiting the past; it's living in a bygone world. You cannot cure old-school political mentalities and pettiness with spin alone, try as you might. Look at New Democracy, for example: It chose to throw a street party rather than a formal function with names on the seats to celebrate its 50th anniversary, yet the talk, right up to the last minute, was all about whether two former party leaders and prime ministers would turn up.

PASOK, for its part, has elections for a new leader on Sunday. All six candidates adequately presented their respective positions in a televised debate and at pre-election rallies, smiling hard, shaking a lot of hands and exchanging friendly fire and gentle jabs instead of taking a firm stand.

SYRIZA is disintegrating into a toxic pool of infighting and introspection. Stefanos Kasselakis, the unknown from America,...