Chaos. This Greek word aptly describes the climate surrounding Greece over the past several weeks, at least if the Greek and international media are to be believed. In the weeks leading up to the parliamentary elections of May 6, and the upcoming elections of June 17, the climate that has been cultivated by the media has been one of polarization and fear. Unelected bureaucrats from the European Union and politicians from Germany, France and elsewhere have repeatedly issued stern warnings about the cataclysm that will follow if Greek voters do not elect the "right" parties. Meanwhile, Greek television has featured an endless parade of candidates appearing on talk shows and in unofficial debates, while commentators continuously warn voters of the consequences of not making the correct choice on June 17.
While Greek voters are being terrorized about the choice that they are to make on Sunday and criticized for not electing a "pro-Europe" party outright on May 6th, Greek political parties were admonished by international commentators for not forming a unity government. This ignores the fact that these same "pro-Europe" political parties are the ones which helped lead the country to its present state. It overlooks the fact that last year, Belgium set a record for most consecutive days (535) without a government. It ignores the fact that an unelected government led by former banker Mario Monti remains in power in Italy, and it ignores the problems that we have faced in the United States, such as in 2000 -- when it took months of recounts and a Supreme Court decision in order for the loser to be named the winner of the presidential elections.
Lost within the cacophony of voices that are chastising Greece and its voters, is the will of the Greek people, and the significance of the choices that they have already made. In October 2009, the two longstanding political powers, PASOK and New Democracy, received 77.4 percent of the vote. On May 6th, that percentage nosedived to 32 percent, shattering the two-party system and discrediting most pre-election polls. While commentators claimed that Greek voters sent a signal in favor of "unity" across the political spectrum, in my opinion, the message was clear: Greek voters want change. Greek voters are tired of the scaremongering, tired of being portrayed as the poster-child for the ills of Europe and tired of the broken promises made by the "major" parties. They are tired of the promises that were made by the EU and IMF that the austerity measures would bring growth in 2012... or 2013... or perhaps in 2015, or that the measures would not affect the poorest members of society, as the IMF's Poul Tomsen claimed in an interview with Greek newspaper Kathimerini in May 2010. And while many Greek voters may desire political unity, such unity is undesirable if it means continuing the failed policies that have led to sharp reductions in salaries and pensions and skyrocketing taxes and unemployment.
On June 17, the Greek voters will make perhaps the most important decision in the country's history, and while they are being warned about the chaos that will follow if they do not vote in the "proper" manner, the true chaos has already occurred: with the wholesale destruction of an entire economy, with the democratic deficit of the European Union becoming openly evident, and with the less-than-veiled efforts to instill fear in voters. It is this chaos that Greek voters will have an opportunity to end on June 17.
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Iain Anderson: Greece - Back From the Brink?
Heads really should roll in that party.
Why was he not a runner in this race? He struck me as having both a clear idea of the problems and the ability to talk to international partners - two things that are needed right now.
Those of us in the US have little idea about the depth and power of the Greek spirit that for centuries fought Ottoman oppressors in the face of an overwhelming force.
Greek cultural identity is thousands of years old. Despite the chaos, misinformation, and punishment the Greeks will prevail.
What I don't see in your article are any solutions. Well you can stand on the street corner with a tin cup and complain or you can rise, swallow your pride and reform the country. And if not, sorry, Greece was for the last couple of centuries a poor house with an overpowering, life suffocating orthodox cleric. While the rest of Europe went through industrialization, had labor movements rise and fall and moved ahead, Greece stayed a poor back water. It did not hurt the rest of Europe then and after writing off Greek debt it will not concern Europe too much if you guys don't get it together.
Democracy is not only fun and giggles. You choose the wrong leaders, you end up in deep doodoo. There in an evolutionary process. Maybe Greece has to go through a vale of tears for a long time before you end up with able leaders, but nobody can do it for you.
Reciting past glory and having a sense of entitlement isn't in right now.
For months Wall St honchos have been claiming the US economy was immune from the Greek fallout (the usual pep rally to promote CONfidance) , but yesterday one was extolling the virtues of austerity in the defense of US corporate interests. I kid you not.
With but one mighty exertion, the amphora was sent hurtling further down the Greek street.
"stern warnings about the cataclysm that will follow if Greek voters do not elect the "right" parties."
A great civilisation will fall. (Further details subject to outcome)
"commentators continuously warn voters"
Gonna give you advice you can’t verify?
"austerity and an alternate path"
Austerity: An open ended commitment. Alternate path: Recovery, through recourse to previously tried and tested methodology.
"President Obama recently called on Greece to"
accept slavery as nature’s way?
"It overlooks the fact that"
you can’t extract a litre from a millilitre jug.
"Greek voters are tired of the scaremongering"
They have survived wars, no less.
"the wholesale destruction of an entire economy,"
Beware of Greeks, being given short shrift.
This is the crisis and dilemma of democracy, in general (all times and places):-
- Solutions demand unity: democracy delivers division.
The Greek people need complete unity and a single direction. Democracy cannot provide that. Nor can the alternatives to democracy because the divisions will remain.
In many ancient societies with law and a limited form of representative government, there were facilities for the election of a temporary dictator in times of crisis.
But hold on there! A temporary dictator might take property from the wealthy! Or make everybody pay taxes! Or tax the church!
Let's have chaos instead and call it democracy.
Greece had a miliary dictatorship for years, propped up by the US and for which Clinton actually APOLOGIZED to the Greek people for.
The military dictatorship had established the same corrupt system of patronage and benefits to the wealthy resulting in them paying no taxes--(US on a similar trajectory)--and results in the people taking the hit for the corruption and greed of the elites.
riding some sort of socialist gravy train on borrowed money is completely
insane. For many years now the average retirement age in Greece has
been higher than in Germany. The vast majority of people have been
working long and hard (harder than in most European countries), paying
a lot of taxes, and having a hard time making ends meet. People pick and
choose isolated anecdotes to support their preconceived stereotypes and
prejudices without even understanding the notion of anecdotal data.
The failures of Democracy due not necessarily call for more Democracy. Voters voted for politicians in Greece that promised them all the goodies they wanted (protected job market, state owned monopolies, state jobs that required no work and where you could never be fired, generous pensions, open tax evasion, retire at 55 etc) and pay no consequences.
Now it is time to pay the piper and the Greeks are complaining. Sorry you voted for these people. This was a long running political patronage system. You reap what you sow. More voting isn't going to change this. Voting for leftist populists and far right wing fascists isn't going to make things better. Markets will force Greece one way or another to fix their long standing problems.
A nation where lawyers claim to make as much as janitors and Greek doctors demand bribes to do any work where no one pays taxes, can never be fired for doing a lousy job and where everyone demanded retirement at 55. This nonsense comes to an end. Too bad Greek voters can't vote to change reality.
Your comments would be far more credible if they didn't consist of regurgitated stereotypes about Greece that you've heard in the international press. Let's deconstruct:
- State owned monopolies: Greek industries have been largely deregulated already over the past dozen years, such as the Greek telecommunications company OTE, which now is owned by T-Mobile, or the Athens International Airport, which is operated by a German company (which owes millions in taxes to the state...shattering the myth that only "lazy Greeks" are tax evaders.)
- State jobs that require no work and where you could never be fired: sounds very much like state jobs in a lot of other countries! Unless you think you receive an exceptional level of service at the DMV or at the post office.
- Generous pensions: tell that to people receiving a pension of 200-400 Euros in a country where the cost of living is not much lower than in the rest of Europe.
"Everyone demanded retirement at 55" - not anyone I know! I do know people in the United States, however, who retired at age 50. They also happened to be government workers.
You're right, this nonsense has to end. These absurd stereotypes are nonsense, and those who spew them instead of sharing an original thought and with hard data to back up their opinions, need to cut it out.