Greece needs a more civilized public discourse

Public dialogue in Greece often looks like some kind of theater of the absurd. On the one hand we complain about the vulgar political squabbling that is so prevalent - especially on television - and, on the other, we applaud conflict for conflict's sake, political bias, absolutism and aggressive rhetoric. The result is a shortage of serious debate and an almost unbridgeable gap between the different sides on a slew of issues that require cross-party consensus to be effectively addressed.

Instead of applauding those politicians who have the guts to make the notion of consensus real with their actions and statements, even to a small degree, we openly doubt them, criticize them and even ridicule them. Possibly as a result of a certain tendency to look for the positive, the effect of having spent many years abroad, I believe that capable and moral officials are found in most...