With or without a tie

If Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras wanted to go down in history as the "Greek premier who did not wear a tie," he has certainly achieved it and does not need to make any extra effort - provided, of course, that he remains (in this respect, at least) consistent, and does not start putting one on and taking it off on various occasions.

Tsipras mentioned the tie in an interview on Russian television ahead of his visit to Moscow, and then again during the joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that he wore a tie when Greece achieved a "very significant agreement with our European partners... but I took it off the same day and during the same speech."

The symbolism was further boosted when he described as an "accomplishment" the fact that he is "probably the only European leader who has gained entry to the most important forums and the most...