GRIEF, psychiatrists say, has many stages, from denial to acceptance; and Greece seems to have raced through them all. Ten days after 62% of voters rejected the terms of a harsh bail-out package, the country’s parliament voted with clenched teeth for an even tougher set of reforms. After a long, anguished debate, with protesters hurling petrol bombs outside, some 229 members backed the changes needed to unleash a new aid package, while 64 voted against and six abstained. At least 38 of the 149 legislators who belong to Syriza, the ruling leftist party, refused to back the changes, Among the rebels was Zoi Konstantopoulou, the parliamentary speaker, who spoke of a “ very black day for democracy in Europe”. Still, rather than cry “betrayal”, seven Greeks out of ten accepted that bowing to the European Union’s diktat was the right thing to do, according to a poll. A similar number said that Alexis Tsipras, who called the July 5th referendum in a spirit of defiance, but later settled for a much worse deal, should remain prime minister. Indeed his transformation has been a big shock. The firebrand leader...
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