Greek elections to break stranglehold of mainstream parties Even the two major parties that reluctantly supported the bailout, the socialist Pasok and centre-Right New Democracy, want more time for Greece to pay its debts. The latter in particular argues that the rescue plan focused too much on debt and not enough on growth - a complaint now echoing across Europe. But having alternated leadership of the country for 30 years, building up an inefficient, corrupt and eventually unaffordable paternalistic state, both parties are set to be punished by voters for years of mismanagement. Typically they shared 80 per cent of the vote, but now may not even win the 50 per cent needed to renew their uneasy coalition of the past six months in the caretaker government whose technocratic leader, Lucas Papademos, is stepping aside. Without a stable government, Greece could fail to meet its debt obligations which could leave the EU obliged to withhold the next tranche of the bailout. The viability of the euro itself could then be called into question all over again. Like most Greeks, Mr Quick, who is descended from an Englishman from Corfu, does not want the country to leave the euro. But like many of his compatriots he also speaks of an "economic occupation." The Left blames international bankers for humiliating the nation, while Right-wing populist forces like Independent Greeks blame Germany and tap into resentment at atrocities committed during the Second World War. We are the victim of German loan sharks. We are under German occupation again and I truly believe we are living under an economic Fourth Reich," he says. Even more alarming to those hoping for a sane political discourse in the coming months is the rise of Golden Dawn, a far Right party that critics say has strong neo-Nazi tendencies. It denies that label, despite outfitting its thuggish volunteers all in black, and despite pictures on the wall of its Athens headquarters of members giving the fascist salute at a torch-lit night gathering. Long part of the political fringe, the party is now forecast to win parliamentary seats for the first time. "We talk about the survival of the nation, of the Greek identity, the economy and illegal immigration and people are listening," said Yiannis Vouldis, a muscular 65-year-old with a skull tattooed on his left bicep, and one of the party's candidates in the capital. Anything from 450,000 to two million undocumented workers, chiefly from South Asia, Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan, have arrived in Greece over the past 20 years, exploiting a weakly controlled border with Turkey and numerous ports. Parts of central Athens have turned into ghetto-like neighbourhoods where drug users inject openly and muggings and burglaries are regular events. Golden Dawn has been blamed for vicious attacks on immigrants and Mr Vouldis boasts that squads of his organisation's volunteers have cleared out illegal immigrants from squats and hotels where they live five or six to a room. "We don't like violence but sometimes there is no other way to remove someone from an area," he said. The spectre of Golden Dawn taking their place in parliament causes many Greeks to shudder. But they will probably be overshadowed by Left-wing groups, which are also confident they will perform better than ever. The Communist Party of Greece, unreconstructed in its pro-Soviet ideology, a self-described progressive coalition called Siriza and the Democratic Left, the most moderate of the three, could earn 25 to 30 per cent between them. The rise of radical parties from both ends of the spectrum has raised fears of further social turmoil and evoked memories of the brutal civil war between communists and Rightists in the late 1940s, which filled the vacuum left by the German-Italian occupation. Politicians and members of the public alike speak of a country at a turning point. "I know our history and I know a resurgence of the Left will bring trouble from the Right," said Katya Larisaiou, a café owner. In his last speech before returning to the sanctuary of academia, Mr Papademos warned that the election would "determine Greece's future for decades to come." Antonis Samaras, leader of New Democracy, appealed for Greeks to support his party because a coalition government "would not be in the interests of the Greek people." "Weak governments are easier to blackmail and manipulate," he told his party's final rally on Thursday night. He is likely to find tonight that his plea fell on deaf ears.