Conventional wisdom has it that David Cameron’s decision to make the ‘In’ cause in the European referendum the one that asks Britons to vote ‘Yes’ is one that gives the Prime Minister the upper hand. Saying ‘Yes’ makes people feel good. It’s positive. It’s progressive.
Perhaps that was true in 2008 when Barack Obama swept to power, but times have changed. Last Sunday 61 per cent of Greeks voted ‘No’ to the bailout terms proposed by the country’s creditors. Many commentators argued that ‘no’ had a stronger case, whatever the question, in Greece given its history.
On October 28, 1940, Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas was faced with an ultimatum: allow the Axis powers to occupy Greek territory, or face Mussolini’s army. Now, this is the kind of decision one tends to mull over – but Metaxas was not one to hesitate.
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