Greece today
Sir: The outlook of the 'new' SPECTATOR is commendable both for its realism and for the artic- ulate way in which this is usually presented. Clearly we owe more to Peterhouse than we realised. (Incidentally, now that scholars have published a Festschrift in honour of Sir Herbert Butterfield in his old age, one would expect the SPECTATOR to perform SOME similar act of filial piety.) In general your edition of 2 January which has only just reached me merely confirms my opinion. However, in commending your advocacy of what Mr Szamuely rightly calls 'realistic policies' rather than the loaded word Real- politik, 1 am anxious that you
should not abdicate your moral duty to condemn wrongs even when we are powerless to remedy them. The selective conscience of the left has been effectively exposed more than once in your pages (again the name of Mr Szamuely springs to mind) but your pub- lication of Mr Simon Raven's un- pleasant article on Greece leads me to fear a new selectiveness that would be as bad as that of the left.
Even if there is nothing we can
do about the state of Greece today, it would be criminal to forget it. Granted that refusing to take a holiday there will do no good, but if we cannot secure justice for the wronged, the least we can do is to respect and not distort the truth.
It is far from my intention to label the Colonels as fascists—a word that is virtually meaningless today, but really, Mr Raven's admiration for their incorrupt efficiency, punctual trains, non- aristocratic background and eco- nomic achievement is frighteningly reminiscent of the eulogies brought back by visitors to Mussolini's Italy. Does the SPECTATOR expect its readers to accept that these blessings can redeem the Colonels' regime? It is astonishing that Mr Raven can, in one cheap sentence, dismiss the irrefutable evidence of the Colonels' guilt carefully ad- duced by men like Anthony Merreco. 'Torture', says Mr Raven glibly, `to some extent there has been under the present regime: as when in Greece has there not?' Or in other words: 'They're used to it, so why worry?'
Of course, readers of the
SPECTATOR will know that Mr Raven prides himself on his amoral approach to life, but must he look down on the Greeks like this? If there was torture in England today would he be so complacent or seek to excuse it on the same grounds as he gives in the Greek case? In his isolated English se- curity, Mr Raven doesn't compare Greek life with English life, but instead reminds us unnecessarily that Greek life is better than life in China or Bulgaria. Such a re- minder will be of little comfort to a Greek friend of mine who does not know whether to go back to Greece or not for fear of imprison- ment on account of his political views. Mr Raven seems to be sitting back comfortably and saying: 'Blow you Greeks, I'm all right.'
As for the remarks about Greek
history in which his defence of the Colonels is shrouded, these are about as cliché-ridden as those of Mr Raven's 'female chum'. They were being trotted out about three years ago and they were succinctly answered in the SPECTATOR by your former contributor Mr Llewellyn Smith. Greece's record of democ- racy may not be impeccable but it is a great deal less worthy of isolated English scorn than Mr Raven's complacent insularity.
If the SPECTATOR has the courage
(and fortunately it has) to publish Mr Tibor Szamuely's unfashionable views about Russian prison camps, it cannot afford to publish Mr Raven's excuses for the Colonels —excuses which are themselves becoming increasingly fashionable. If it does so, its integrity will be compromised. The recognition of our inability to put an evil right is no reason for condoning it.
Timothy C. F. Stunt Aiglon College, 1885 Chesieres, Villars, Switzerland
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