The day before the latest elections in Athens, the German tabloid Bild published an open letter. ‘Dear Greeks,’ it read, ‘Please don’t do anything stupid … The only reason that you are able to get euros out of your cash machines is that we, the Germans, and other euro states have put them there … Tomorrow you have a choice. But it isn’t really a choice. Because the only alternative to seeing reason, however painful, is total destruction. We worry you still haven’t understood that. Love, Bild.’ A Greek translation was posted on the paper’s website. Syriza’s leader, Alexis Tsipras (‘the man who has everyone quaking in his boots’), couldn’t have dreamed up a better election-day ruse. Bild is Germany’s bestselling newspaper, and according to the latest ABC figures, it has the highest circulation of any publication in Europe: 2.67 million people buy it every day, the Sun comes close at 2.61 million. It is also one of the country’s few national dailies.

LRB 5 July 2012 | PDF Download