THMMY.gr

Shame on Europe for betraying Greece
Capitalism is triumphant as EU states sacrifice the Greek people in a desperate attempt to appease the gods of speculation

PIPA COLO άρθρο για τις Ευρωπαϊκές Κυβερνήσεις και το σχέδιο "διάσωσης" της Ελλάδας.
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William Wall for Critical Legal Thinking, part of the Guardian Comment Network
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 14 February 2012 11.41 GMT

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'We condemn Greece to misery and poverty to keep Standard & Poor’s off our backs. But we have miscalculated.' Photograph: Argyropoulos/Sipa/Rex Features
The behaviour of the EU states towards Greece is inexplicable in the terms in which the EU defines itself. It is, first and foremost, a failure of solidarity.

The "austerity package", as the newspapers like to call it, seeks to impose on Greece terms that no people can accept. Even now the schools are running out of books. There were 40% cuts in the public health budget in 2010 – I can't find the present figure. Greece's EU "partners" are demanding a 32% cut in the minimum wage for those under 25, a 22% cut for the over 25s. Already unemployment for 15-24-year-olds is 48% – it will have risen considerably since then. Overall unemployment has increased to over 20%. The sacking of public sector workers will add to it. The recession predicted to follow the imposition of the package will cause unbearable levels of unemployment at every level.

In addition the "package" demands cuts to pensions and public service pay, wholesale privatisation of state assets – a fire-sale, since the global market is close to rock bottom – and cuts to public services including health, social welfare and education. The whole to be supervised by people other than the Greeks. An entire disciplinary and punishment system.

When we Ο λογαριασμός έχει παραβιαστεί, μην ανοίξετε το link. use a term like "bailout", it is important to remember that it is not people who are being bailed out, or at least not the Greek people. The bailout will not save a single Greek life. The opposite is the case. What is being "bailed out" is the global financial system, including the banks, hedge funds and pension funds of the other EU member states, and it is the Greek people who are being ordered to pay – in money, time, physical pain, hopelessness and missed educational opportunities. The relatively neutral, even stoic, term "austerity", is a gross insult to the Greek people. This is not austerity; at best it is callousness.

On top of this callousness, we must remember that the strategy itself is nonsense. Every intelligent observer is agreed that cuts do not produce growth. The highest rate of growth in the EU at present is in Poland where massive public investment is driving the economy. GDP is declining or barely moving among the "austerity" nations, including the UK.

In essence, this crisis is a failure of the EU states to show solidarity in the face of an onslaught from the financial markets. At first glance this seems to be a very simple fight. In one corner you have nation states, which have the wellbeing of their citizens as their raison d'être; in the other you have global capitalism as represented by the financial markets, which has the wealth of a tiny few as its raison d'être. But the nation state has, for a considerable time, identified itself with those same markets. States have agreed to see themselves as economies rather than societies. More recently we have been led to believe that the market alone can provide everything the citizen needs and much more efficiently than the structures that the citizens normally rely on and which they have, over generations, erected as protections against the revenge of the market.

This is the triumph of capitalism, that it has persuaded the world that capitalism is the world.

It has led to the undoing of 200 years of struggle between ordinary people and the super-rich. Trade unions didn't appear overnight, they were a response to exploitation. Their defeat has led to the ubiquity of precarious, and now free, labour. Workers are not protected in their workplace by capitalists, they are protected by the laws won by struggle against the capitalist. A sweatshop in China is a direct assault not just on the rights of the Chinese worker but on those of workers in, for example, the UK. Socialist internationalism and solidarity were conceived as a way of defeating that ploy. Old people do not die in the streets not because charity has saved them but because 200 years of struggle has brought us the old age pension and public health. The privatisation of those services is a return to the 19th century. None of this public good would have been won if people had identified with the super-rich of 1812. Now that we have been brought to such an identification, we stand to lose them all over again.

Now we see capitalism at its most triumphant. Greek police beat Greek people in order to impose the will of the banks and hedge funds. The EU member states, including Ireland, are the middleman, the quislings of capital. Rather than reach out a hand of solidarity, we say, "better them than us". As if the global markets will choose to pass on Ireland once Greece has been destroyed. Solidarity is not just compassion for one's fellow man; it is also materialist self-interest. One for all and all for one. We stand or fall together. There is strength in unity.

Instead we have decided to sacrifice the Greek people to the market in the hope that our sacrifice will appease the gods of speculation. We condemn them to misery and poverty to keep Standard & Poor's off our backs. But we have miscalculated. Firstly, the communist left currently stands at 42% in the polls, Pasok at 8%. Pasok (the leading party in government) will vanish and a combination of real leftwing parties will win the next election. They will not bend the knee and put their necks on our block.

It seems to me now that Greece will withdraw from the euro and default on its debt. Who knows what will happen to it then, but it can hardly be much worse than what we want from them, and at least it will be something of their own choosing. The speculators will then take a little time to consider which of the other economies to bet on. Perhaps then the Irish government will regret its lack of solidarity. Whatever happens, our behaviour and that of our EU compatriots has been shameful.

Pasok (the leading party in government) will vanish and a combination of real leftwing parties will win the next election.
Τολμα να υπονοησει οτι το Πασοκ δεν ειναι στην πραγματικοτητα αριστερο κομμα ?   ;D

Σοβαρα τωρα, ωραιο αρθρο αλλα εγω δεν μπορω να φανταστω ΚΚΕ, ΣΥΡΙΖΑ και Δ.Α να συνεργαζονται.

Τεσπα, απ' οτι εχω καταλαβει η Ελλαδα ειναι το το πιο αδυναμο και απομακρυσμενο ζωο του κοπαδιου (ΕΕ) και οποιος βλεπει ντοκιμαντερ, ξερει τι παθαινουν οι μικρες αντιλοπες απο τα λιονταρια (βλεπε global markets)
(http://canibeblunt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/lion-carrying-impala-500.jpg)

ειπα να χρησιμοποιησω αυτη την παρομοιωση  γιατι οι καπιταλιστες αρεσκονται στο να μιλανε για επιβιωση του δυνατοτερου κλπ και να βλεπουν την παγκοσμια κοινωνια σαν ζουγκλα οπου ολοι ξερουμε ποιοι βρισκονται στην κορυφη της τροφικης αλυσιδας.

deleted

epic... την Αλέκα και τον Αλέξη τους ρώτησε κανείς??... ;D

Πολλες φορες βλεποντας κι ακουγοντας την αποψη που εχουν ξενοι για την κατασταση στην ελλαδα ( κι εννοω σοβαρους δημοσιογραφους και πρακτορεια) παρατηρω οτι απεχει αρκετα απο την πραγματικη κατασταση (εδω θα μου πεις και ελληνες δημοσιογραφοι δεν ξερουν τι τους γινεται) και αυτο με βαζει σε σκεψεις για το ποσο αληθευουν οι πληροφοριες που μαθαινουμε εμεις για το εξωτερικο και για το πως διαμορφωνεται η ιστορια. Φανταζομαι οτι οι ξενοι δημοσιογραφοι που ερχονται στην ελλαδα πρεπει να παθαινουν ενα πολιτισμικο σοκ, ειδικα για την ελληνικη πολιτικη σκηνη.

Μπορεί να μην έχεις αρκετά μεγάλη φαντασία.

Kαι επειδή οι καπιταλιστές αρέσκονται στο να μιλάνε για επιβίωση του δυνατότερου κτλ. και να βλέπουν την παγκόσμια κοινωνία σαν ζούγκλα, όπου όλοι ξέρουμε(???) ποιοι βρίσκονται στην κορυφή της τροφικής αλυσίδας...
γιαυτό και εσύ υιοθετείς τις απόψεις τους?

Τα λιοντάρια είναι τα global markets? Ύαινες ίσως, κοράκια ίσως, αλλά όχι και λιοντάρια οι φλούφληδες.
Ο τρόπος σκέψης σου όμως με ανυσηχεί : Απαντάς σαν να εγκρίνεις και να επικροτείς όλα αυτά που κάνουν τα "λιοντάρια" global markets στην μικρή και απομακρυσμένη "αντιλόπη" Ελλάδα.

Πετάς και ένα τεσπα σαν να μην έχεις καταλάβει καθόλου τι σημαίνουν όλα όσα γίνονται. Τέλος πάντων?
Όταν σε τρώνε τα "λιοντάρια" global markets και εσύ λες "τεσπα" / "τέλος πάντων" πως χαρακτηρίζεται η στάση σου?

Εγώ θα αντιστρέψω τους όρους στην εκπληκτική φωτογραφία που βρήκες :

(http://canibeblunt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/lion-carrying-impala-500.jpg)

Εδώ βλέπουμε τι θα κάνουν οι λαοί της γης στις τρόϊκες, στους τραπεζίτες, στις αγορές, στα funds, στους οίκους αξιολόγησης και στα "global markets" και σε όλα τα δουλικά τους (πολιτικούς, δημοσιογράφους).

Και κάτι άλλο: Μην είσαι σίγουρος οτι ξέρεις καλύτερα την κατάσταση στην Ελλάδα από τους ξένους δημοσιογράφους, ειδικά αν ενημερώνεσαι από το Mega και τα ελληνικά ΜΜΕ.

Τοσο μεγαλη οσο η δικια σου φαντασια μαλλον οχι
(κι επειδη οπως φαινεται πρεπει να διευκρινιζω καλυτερα : εννοειται πως κι εγω θελω να αντιστραφουν οι ρολοι στην φωτογραφια, απλα δεν το βλεπω να συμβαινει, αμεσα τουλαχιστον. Πολλες φορες αυτο που προβλεπουμε, δεν σημαινει οτι το επιθυμουμε κιολας)


Εξαρταται τι εννοεις με την λεξη "υιοθετεις". Αν εννοεις το οτι πιστευω οτι ισχυει, τοτε ναι, εν μερη πιστευω οτι κατι τετοιο ισχυει για το συγχρονο οικονομικο συστημα. Αν εννοεις οτι συμφωνω με αυτο, τοτε οχι, δεν συμφωνω με αυτο. Κατι τετοιο δεν θα επρεπε να ισχυει και αρα πρεπει να το αλλαξουμε ή τουλαχιστον να προσπαθησουμε.

Εδω πιστευω οτι εχεις αδικο, δυστυχως.

Δεν νομιζω οτι με την απαντηση μου φαινεται οτι εγκρινω κι επικροτω ολα αυτα που κανουν τα "λιονταρια"..., απλως εσυ το αντιληφθηκες ετσι. Οπως και να χει το αντιληφθηκες λαθος, γιατι δεν το εγκρινω κι ουτε το επικροτω.


Ααααααααα και παραλιγο να το ξεχασω :
Γιατι ρε συ; Το Mega εχει ενα απο τα πιο εγκριτα και αντικειμενικα δελτια ειδησεων παγκοσμιως  :P

@ billbarrett
Μη δίνεις σημασία αν καμιά φορά έχω νευράκια  :D ;D :)
Τώρα που ξαναείδα την απάντησή μου είπα: ποιος μαλάκας το γραψε αυτό? Αμάν! Εγώ !!??  :P :D ;D ;D ;D