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Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Ghosts at the feast

Rajoy, haunted by spectres GREAT political debates in Spain can generate a powerful sense of occasion as legislators flock to a parliament building which is guarded by two large bronze lions as well as lots of police. But when deputies gathered for a solemn state-of-the-nation deliberation on February 24th, two of the four most important parties were missing. Chief among them was Podemos (We Can), the upstart left-wing group that leads some polls and has drawn comparisons, albeit imperfect ones, with the Syriza movement that has upended Greek politics. In recent weeks, however, a new player has arrived. Ciudadanos (Citizens), a centrist party, is scoring up to 13% in polling and it looks well placed to hurt the Popular Party (PP) led by Mariano Rajoy, the prime minister, and also to put a lid on the meteoric growth of Podemos. With parliament closed to newcomers until a general election late this year, these insurgent parties have found a home just around the corner at the CĂ­rculo de Bellas Artes, a cultural centre. That is where Pablo Iglesias, the Podemos leader, delivered his alternative state-of-...


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