Greece and Europe: a family drama with major consequences

Athens

WE ARE living through the denouement of a family drama. A very dysfunctional family is furious at a child who broke all the rules and lived for decades beyond his means, subsisting on gifts and loans from his richer siblings. For five years now, the child has been trying to clean up his act, but at the same time has had to put up with severe punishment. Now, under the yoke, the child is finally rebelling at what he regards as unjust treatment.

Europe is at an impasse. The Eurogroup of finance ministers demands that Greece respect the existing bailout programme. The Greek government resists accepting the status quo that it was elected to overturn.