There is no doubt in my mind that in twenty years Greece will still exist and most likely be thriving. I do not say this because of glories of the past and "cradle of democracy" arguments. I abhor romanticised nationalism. All that is in our distant past. I look instead at our present. I look at the solidarity grassroots movements, which have sprung up to provide medical care for people who can no longer afford it or shelter for the thousands of Syrian refugees coming through our borders. I look at the cooperative factories and restaurants which have been born to provide people with jobs. I look at how families have pulled together and at how relatively firm the fabric of our society has held in the face of five years of onslaught. These achievements are why I am hopeful about the future - not ancient history.
There has been much talk of this being an abdication of responsibility by the Greek government. I see it very differently. The brief which Tsipras was handed in January was a difficult one from the start. His mandate was clear: Greek people wanted a. an end to austerity; and b. to remain part of the Euro. There was always a chance, depending on how hard the stance of our partners was, that those two aims would be incompatible. Tsipras is a leader honestly saying: "It turns out that, despite our best efforts, we cannot deliver both a and b. So, we are coming back for further instructions." It seems extraordinary how averse we have become to democracy. How alien an honest leader, who is unwilling to sell the country out in exchange for continuing power, appears. Take a breath. Allow your eyes to adjust. Tsipras is what all leaders should actually be like. We have simply become so accustomed to seeing things through the warped prism of political expedience, that democracy as it should be appears twisted.
Last edited by Oceanside50 on Sun Jun 28, 2015 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Get Real! wrote:I'm not surprised that this entire website you’ve quoted has disappeared after posting such claptrap!
I managed to find the site and agree with the sentiment completely. I think Tsipras is a rare animal ...... a relatively honest politician that puts the Country and the people before his personal gratification. Varoufakis has run circles around the IMF/EU/ECB because he actually understands how the corrupt banking system works.
The Eurozone and the Euro were destined to fail. IMO: Greece will follow a similar route to that taken by Iceland and recovery will come in time ..... but better than never getting themselves out of the mire, which was the future if they retained the Euro.
Get Real! wrote:I'm not surprised that this entire website you’ve quoted has disappeared after posting such claptrap!
I managed to find the site and agree with the sentiment completely. I think Tsipras is a rare animal ...... a relatively honest politician that puts the Country and the people before his personal gratification. Varoufakis has run circles around the IMF/EU/ECB because he actually understands how the corrupt banking system works.
The Eurozone and the Euro were destined to fail. IMO: Greece will follow a similar route to that taken by Iceland and recovery will come in time ..... but better than never getting themselves out of the mire, which was the future if they retained the Euro.
Only a Greek would approve of such a fool because the rest of the world doesn’t…
Get Real! wrote:I'm not surprised that this entire website you’ve quoted has disappeared after posting such claptrap!
The international game of chicken, being played out for the last five years, is reaching its climax. Alexis Tsipras has played a very bad hand extremely well, despite what doomsayers suggest
The sadists and Turks are wringing their hands waiting for Greece to collapse. Instead, the signs coming out are exemplary. BBC Radio 4 tried it's hardest today to find a Greek that could say something negative; yet, despite all this uncertainty and threats being heaped upon them all were positive and hopeful. So, they had to turn to a British Financier to make some harsh predictions and scaremongering speculations to remind everyone what the UK would like to see happen.
Anyway, what is coming out is that the Greeks have not been squandering money but actually improving the infrastructure. Apart from all the great roads that have been built, and bridges, they mentioned two of the most promising structures currently underway in Greece:
And they mentioned this interesting bit of creativity using the 10 electronically controlled cranes used in the construction of these magnificent buildings - a dance to Holst's "The Planets":
