The mess of history

The problem with the parliamentary lottery is that there isn't going to be a lucky winner. The reason for this is because the battle to win in numbers and the balance of power and the exhausting bargaining of the last few days can only work against the credibility of parliamentary democracy. In the final tally, no one will emerge strengthened - neither the country's political system nor Greek society. We're seeing a migration of deputies to other parties and the rearrangement of the political map in terms of who is with whom and especially for how long or, indeed, for how many votes.

The corrosive consequences of the economic crisis and the government coalition between leftist SYRIZA and right-wing Independent Greeks, as long as it lasted, are now visible both inside and outside Parliament. This is not just another important juncture in history, a comment on the news or a...