Hopes for Greece

When George Bush senior conceded victory to Bill Clinton on the evening of 3 November, 1992, Bill Clinton appeared before the waiting media on the deck of his home in Arkansas and started his victory speech with the words: “It doesn’t get better than this.”

However, the responsibility of those given the levers of power only kicks in when the really tough decisions have to be made, when blaming others is no longer relevant.

Seldom, certainly for politicians, and perhaps the rest of us, do we get anything better than that adrenalin-fuelled euphoria we experience in the moment of great victory or success.

Listening to many of the  people of Greece celebrating the victory of the Syriza Party it was the expressions of hope and the restoration of dignity that were at the forefront of their minds.

From the outside looking in I sense a need for renewed compassion for those who have and will continue to suffer the most. Those in power and those who had power are unlikely to really suffer much.

The result was understandable but it is predictable that the brutal reality of their economic chaos will continue and will  escalate.

Yes, it doesn’t get better than the moment of victory and it’s a good time for those given the responsibility to be reminded of the old proverb: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”

Of course, we may all get an unexpected surprise if the second part of the proverb comes to pass: “But a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Gavin Cargill

Edinburgh Road

Linlithgow