So, apparently, Alexis Tsipras is not going to wear a tie any time soon.

The Greek PM had promised to proceed with a sartorial celebration of his government’s successful policies, which should result in the country exiting its current financial status and becoming eligible to borrow from the markets once again.

“The news is so good that I may have to put on a tie,” he said.
And why wouldn’t he? After all, this is the last concession he has to make.

Refusing to wear a tie has been a symbolic gesture to show that he’s not a ‘suit’, but a rebel, a fighter of the left. Since he has conceded to everything else, he might as well put on a tie.
But for now, this will have to wait.

Because for now, the Greek economy still has a long way to go – especially after this week’s Eurogroup meeting which, once again, failed to reach a conclusion on the bailout program.

Surprisingly, this time, it was not the Greek side that stalled talks.
No, Greece has agreed to implement pretty much any austerity measure requested AND committed to a primary surplus target of 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) from 2018 onwards.

By the way, the European Stability Mechanism, for its part, estimates that if Greece meets a goal of a primary surplus above three per cent of GDP for the next 20 years, it won’t need debt relief.
Yes, in twenty years’ time, it will be great to live in Greece.
For the moment, we’re just waiting for others to decide our fate.

On Monday’s meeting, the Greeks were sidelined, watching the International Monetary Fund and Germany fighting over the notion of debt relief for the country, with everybody involved blaming the German Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schauble, for blocking the deal.
Everybody?
No, not everybody. Back in Greece, the Opposition still thinks that Schauble is right and Greece is in the wrong to even ask for debt relief.
It doesn’t make much sense, does it?

But then again, what does?
It’s Greece that we’re talking about. The country where public opinion is divided over whether Yiorgos Lanthimos deserves the international success he gets.
His new film The Killing of a Sacred Deer opened this week as part of the official competitive section of the Cannes Film Festival (the world’s most important film event).

The film is another fine example of the Greek ‘weird-wave’ movement he all but spearheaded; an undecipherable horror-comedy-drama starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, and influenced by Greek tragedy and Stanley Kubrick.
Most reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with The Guardian awarding the film four out of five stars. Yet, when the film was screened, some people booed. Which is a very common reaction in Cannes, a festival that welcomes challenging works of art.

Now, try to guess what Greek social media focused on: the positive reviews or the booing?
You guessed right. It appears that there are many people in the country who can’t wait to see Lanthimos losing his status as an internationally acclaimed director.

Who never forgave him his success. And who never got his ‘sick’ movies, either way.
To be fair, they are not as many. But they are certainly loud.

Pretty much the way that anti-vaxxers are loud. Despite only three per cent of parents in Greece refusing to vaccinate their children, they are gradually leaving their ‘flying-below-the-radar’ mode and starting to organise a grassroots movement, spreading fears and lies.
Vaccination in Greece is mandatory, in the sense that no child can start school without a certificate of vaccination. However, the law is not updated – and there are no provisions for the – few – doctors who provide parents with false certificates.

The Greek Ministry of Health avoided taking a firm stance on the issue; instead it issued a new directive saying that parents who do not vaccinate their children should have this stated in the new electronic health records.
Yes, that will show them.

Meanwhile, in Italy, the government passed a law that says that anti-vaxxers will risk losing custody of their children and many in Greece believe that this is an example to be followed.

What about the Medical Association? Well, for the moment, they have other problems to deal with.
Such as anaesthetists on the island of Samos refusing to deliver anesthesia to abortion procedures.

Which proved to be another excellent opportunity for another round of social media wars, between people angrily punching their keyboards, hidden behind their avatar anonymity.

One thing they seemed to agree upon: support for people working in food delivery, who were on strike, demanding better working conditions.
That was a wise choice; you don’t mess with the person bringing you pizza.

However, division was also created regarding how best to support them: by not ordering food, thus depriving restaurants from money, or by ordering, thus exasperating restaurant owners who will struggle to deliver?

So, to sum it up, this week the Greeks were divided on: cinema; politics; public health; and pizza.
Not a bad week, Greece, well done.