Undeserved bashing is the real Greek tragedy

Greece has been cast as Europe’s bad boy, with other states happy to deliver a kicking, but in fact it fulfilled many of its troika commitments, writes Europe Correspondent Ann Cahill

IN MANY ways nothing is exactly as it seems. For the austere German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble, it was all a matter of principle, of showing people that once they entered into an agreement they had to stick to it to the letter.

He was fully supported in this by a range of countries with Spain to the fore, with the acquiescence of France, with a milder form of support from Italy and with Portugal, Estonia, and Slovakia behaving like harridans.