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The key protagonists on the Greek political scene are acting in a vitriolic mode, and the government is subject to devastating criticism by the opposition.

The parliament passed a bill, which regulates the transfer of state institutions’ funds to the Bank of Greece. At the request of New Democracy and the Communist Party, it was a roll call vote. 156 MPs from SYRIZA and the Independent Greeks were "for". 104 MPs from New Democracy, the Communist party, Golden Dawn, Potami and PASOK voted against it.

The extremely negative news from the Eurogroup meeting, the situation created by the government decisions, as well as the insistence of SYRIZA’s parliamentary representatives that only the transfer of state institutions’ funds to the Bank of Greece would allow the disbursement of salaries and pensions, triggered a massive onslaught by the opposition in parliament during the discussion of the bill.

"You admit we are a bankrupt country. This is where we got only three months into SYRIZA’s mandate. I'm sorry that Greece came to this tragic situation," fulminated the parliamentary spokesman of New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. "We are left without money, and without allies," stressed Potami’s leader, Stavros Theodorakis. Extremely critical of the majority was the general secretary of the communists, Dimitris Koutsoubas, who said that the government "cribbed" from the previous government as far as policies and methods were concerned.

PASOK’s president, Evangelos Venizelos, also spoke about the utter failure of the government moves. He slammed the bill as a "silly act of obedience" and added that Greece had only experienced this kind of forced domestic lending shortly before the Asia Minor Disaster.

On behalf of the majority, Nikos Phillis left open all possible options: "We are not afraid of elections. If we need to refresh our political project, we will do so."

Out of control

Yesterday's session in parliament started at high pitch. The opposition accused the government of violating the statutes of parliament. New Democracy said the draft was unconstitutional. Tensions quickly erupted into a vitriolic squabble, which laid bare the profound divisions in parliament. The majority rejected the unconstitutionality claims, but this could not discharge the atmosphere.

The exchanges became incandescent after Nikos Phyllis said that "the state has an obligation to pay promptly people’s salaries and pensions and it is an urgent need that compels the government to come up with this bill", and the interior minister, Nikos Voutsis, blamed the opposition for perfectly representing the creditors’ demands.

"You're headed for destruction and therefore looking for culprits. If you are preparing to jump from the aircraft without a parachute, we won't be your parachute," said Kyriakos Mitsotakis while an MP from SYRIZA, Rakhil Makri, heckled him from her seat.

Some SYRIZA and PASOK MPs came pretty close to fist fighting. The icing on the cake of ill-mannered outbursts were the words that interior minister Nikos Voutsis tossed a colleague’s way: "I know how to give punches, you..." followed by an expletive. As a mike close by happened to be on, the phrase was clearly heard over the parliamentary channel. Voutsis had already antagonised the opposition by accusing the New Democracy and PASOK MPs for having played into the hands of those who want to stifle the country.

New Democracy instantly struck back: "This is a disgrace. You have brutally insulted the honour and credibility of an entire parliamentary group," snapped Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and he threatened that his party would withdraw from the discussions unless Voutsis was recalled. "You are not entitled to turn the parliament into a jungle, Mr. Voutsis," said New Democracy MP Dora Bakoyannis.

Then PASOK’s Andreas Loverdos took up the cudgels and was offensive enough to stir a few SYRIZA MPs out of their seats. They rose and walked menacingly towards the PASOK section. But level-headed MPs rushed to the rescue and the brawl was staved off at the last second. Voutsis’ explanation that he had spoken in political terms and never actually wanted to insult anybody’s patriotism was accepted, and the discussion resumed in a more relaxed atmosphere.