Eight in Greece
So 'gratifying is the spectacle of the Greeks electing j strong Government, with a large Parliamentary majoi for the first time for twenty-four years, that nobody, excci1' possibly the defeated Communists, can feel any immedial urge to raise doubts about the permanence and stability of tlic, new regime. The simple majority vote, that much disputed electoral device, has at least ended for the time being the wearisome and dangerous divisions and intrigues of the GI ea politicians. The integrity of Field-Marshal Papagos, his great record of patriotism and personal courage, and his clear recognition of his responsibilities as the new Prime Ministef all bode well for the future. The very orderliness of the elections and the heaviness of the poll indicate that the Gree people, after their harsh sufferings of the past twelve )ears, are themselves anxious to settle down to a period of stead) consolidation, both political and economic. The unfortunatO tension of a few months ago between Field-Marshal Papagos and certain officials of the Court must now surely be ended for good. In fact Greece, in its exposed key position amoni. the Western Powers, is behaving just as its most sincere fiends had always hoped it would behave. The steadfastness and consistency of the Greeks, for whom the war was so long extended by the Communist pressure from the north, has never been in question. And if they can now import some of these qualities into their day-to-day politics they will do nothing but good to themselves and to the world: It will of course take some years for them to work out of their present economic difficulties. And since, after all, the small parties and their leaders who now make up the governing coalition of the Greek Rally are the same old parties and politicians who have quarrelled and intrigued, to very little purpose, for years, the task of maintaining unity which Field-Marshal Papagos has assumed can hardly end soon. But it has been well begun.
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