Train to nowhere

The image of Greek government officials standing in a freshly delivered yet motionless metro car during yet another "unveiling" of the still under-construction subway system in the northern port city of Thessaloniki is rich in political context.

The smiling officials, some of them in construction site jackets, are anything but careless and unsuspecting. The image comes straight from Greece's political past. But it probably presages that political future which is to come. A government minister is seen flanked by several officials, all posing for the cameras of the media (and the Greek voters) and wearing a confident smirk, because, if everything goes smoothly, the metro will start working in late 2020. For the time being, the static car at the Pylaia depot worked as the perfect backdrop for a vacuous announcement.

Sure, publicity stunts are not exclusive to SYRIZA. The...