A characteristic of Greek tragedies is that someone who has risen to a great height fails to understand why they are falling from grace. And a typical reason why many fall from grace is down to the company they keep.
The unholy alliance of the far left Syriza and far right anti-immigration Independent Greeks (ANEL) parties who yesterday formed a new anti-austerity coalition in Athens suggests political naivety on all sides, with the biggest losers those that are hit hardest under austerity.
The BBC are calling Independent Greeks “centre-right”, but that depends on where you locate the centre. In reality ANEL are a hardcore nationalist, and virulently anti-immigration, outfit who want to deport a million foreigners.
They are probably a bit less Nazi than Golden Dawn but then again the BNP are probably a bit less fascist than Combat 18.
When a gang of skinheads are chasing you down the street the slight ideological differences between them scarcely matter.
The Beeb aren’t alone in feting the ‘revolution’ in Greece while ignoring the fly in the ointment. Russell Brand led a gaggle of Left radicals in toasting the election result while Owen Jones wrote: “This is what the politics of hope looks like.”
Read the rest of this article on the Media Diversified website.