Dancing in the street over ‘No’ camp victory

GREECE woke up today to a stunning but uncertain new dawn.

Young liberals, socialists and communists had rejoiced and danced into the night at the country’s Syntagma or Constitution Square after the resounding victory for the No camp became clear.

Some skirmishes broke out briefly between anarchists and police in the traditional trouble-spot around the Athens Polytechnic. Red flags were predominant in the celebrations.

For the man in the street, though, once the rejoicing or lamenting subsided, the uncertainty persisted.

The 38 per cent of the Greek electorate which voted Yes were left in shock, not least because opinion polls gave their camp a small lead until the final day.

Dimitris Mathioudakis, 65, runs a small ship-maintenance firm. He said: “My business is ruined, because I cannot even send money abroad to pay for spare parts needed for ship engines here. We have been in the red for months, and now we will just have to shut down. This younger generation and the people dancing in the streets just don’t know what the real world is about.”

One of those who voted No was Katerina Haska, a 25-year-old actress and graduate student. She said: “I have nothing in the bank and no real job. So I voted No because I have nothing to lose and can only hope for a better future”.

Housewife Irini Skliris, 42, said: “Our main concern is whether the banks will open so we can get the minimum amount of cash required to buy petrol and feed our children. To the average Greek family, the rest is just meaningless political quibbling.”.

George Kyrtsos, a columnist and commentator, had little hope of reaching an agreement. He said: “Whatever in-fighting might follow among the winners and losers, I don’t think the rest of Europe will be moved. I feel that we are already with one foot outside the euro.”

Grigoris Psarianos, a Left-wing MP and pundit, said: “We lost so many chances to reach an agreement with the European lenders for a viable solution, and we lost many billions in aid. Now, I feel as if we are 6-0 down and struggling to make a comeback in extra time”.

Pavlos Tsimas, another TV commentator, said: “On the one hand the government and the prime minister have been streng thened by t hi s result. On the other hand, in terms of the real economy, we are in a far worse position.”