Even after the austerity imposed on them, the Greeks know isolationism is not the way forward. It’s a shame the UK doesn’t The mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris, sighed. “Why are you doing this?” he asked. He was referring to Brexit. There were several aspects of it he didn’t understand. Why allow a simple (and small) majority vote to bring about such a massive change? Didn’t we understand the harm we would be doing to ourselves? He was forced to consider, sadly, that perhaps General de Gaulle had been right about us all along. It is the fate of Brits abroad these days to get asked these questions. I was in Thessaloniki a few days ago to witness the launch of the new Empress Theophano prize, which will be awarded every year to people or organisations that have made an important contribution to European culture and identity, and that in particular reflect the rich diversity of Europe – its eastern (Byzantine) traditions as well as its western ones. Hence the involvement of many senior Greek figures, and the launch in this most historic city, where the Theophano Foundation, named after a 10th-century Byzantine and Holy Roman empress, is headquartered. Continue reading...
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