H A P P Y C H R I S T M A S !!!
Thursday 23 December 2010
Monday 13 December 2010
Too little too late? Or is it?
Well it's certainly a small step for a normal human being, a giant leap for a Greek politician: Greece's communist-socialist government has introduced further, some say adventurous, cost-cutting legislation in one long bill. The bill covers various different topics, ranging from civil servants' pay to working hours and sectoral collective agreements (virtually void).
To whit:
a) It spreads poverty even further amongst the civil servants: i.e. cut their salaries (and their bonuses? Bonuses are often 80-120% of official salary), rather than lower their number.
Result: now, you HAVE to moonlight! And you HAVE (by law) to do it in grey or black!
b) It keeps minimum wages intact, and preserves union power;
c) It raises temporary employment term to 36 months -- but temporary employment is only permitted in case of exceptional, unforeseeable, and transitory needs, so impracticable in Greece anyway.
d) It cuts salaries (such as these cuts may be) across the board. SO how does the cop on the beat compare to the myriad of civil servants scratching or knitting in a warm back office??? Or the soldier with the same office "servant"???
The result is to spread the alarm everywhere and to demotivate everyone involved.
Given Greece's unenviable track records of messing things up, it's amazing anyone outside the country is willing to listen to well-worn excuses any more.
Maybe we should all just take an aspirin and board the first plane out of this mess. Rats leaving the sinking ship??? Right, well I'm not the one to steer it into the iceberg in the first place; in fact many were warning of the iceberg, ever since it alighted on the horizon! Some, even before that.
So why is it that in Greece, it's always the passenger's fault -- never the captain's???
Friday 10 December 2010
Greece's sovereign debt, Act 3, Scene 2
In which Geoff Papandreou (prime minister of US - Swedish origin) and his government of merry amateurs pretend to resist the authority of evil IMF;
And their cronies all over the village clapped furiously at this display of heroism;
And the media, in unison, stroked the government's fanny and applauded very much;
(Someone forgot to tell the them, the feudal lords have sold out!)
The evil IMF sends over emissaries to subdue the patriotic insubordination;
In a fit of rage, the Grand Vizier himself flies over to Greece and addresses the feudal lords;
The lords respond, they know not what to do, they fear a big to do from their chattel called the civil service;
The ask the Vizier, would He do it instead? And he said, "aye I will be your doctor";
The feudal lords requested for some delay, to get their act together well this time and prepare to leave the country, taking with them their jewels and their bullion;
No, said the evil IMF, not before you implement change...
"Please, no", said the local lords, "this burden is too heavy for us and we will be to blame!" "Let us at least save our vassals and our chattel, and let the privates take the brunt!"
And so it was that private sector unemployment reached its all time high before the next one next week and the public sector remained complete...
Don't forget to tune in for our next episode!
And their cronies all over the village clapped furiously at this display of heroism;
And the media, in unison, stroked the government's fanny and applauded very much;
(Someone forgot to tell the them, the feudal lords have sold out!)The evil IMF sends over emissaries to subdue the patriotic insubordination;
In a fit of rage, the Grand Vizier himself flies over to Greece and addresses the feudal lords;
The lords respond, they know not what to do, they fear a big to do from their chattel called the civil service;
The ask the Vizier, would He do it instead? And he said, "aye I will be your doctor";
The feudal lords requested for some delay, to get their act together well this time and prepare to leave the country, taking with them their jewels and their bullion;
No, said the evil IMF, not before you implement change...
"Please, no", said the local lords, "this burden is too heavy for us and we will be to blame!" "Let us at least save our vassals and our chattel, and let the privates take the brunt!"
And so it was that private sector unemployment reached its all time high before the next one next week and the public sector remained complete...
Don't forget to tune in for our next episode!
Monday 6 December 2010
On the 6th day of Xmas.... the Greeks' "father authority syndrome"
...school's OUT again.
No, not really, but some Athenians are demonstrating all over Athens in memoriam of two years since the untimely death of a school boy from (unintended, we would like to believe) police fire.
Some time later, in similar fashion, a policeman died and two more were injured during an attack on their precinct.
No Athenian seems to find that fact particularly moving. No demonstration.
Speculating on this I come to an obvious conclusion: Greeks need something or someone to demonstrate against. I think Greeks feel oppressed by their everyday existence and demonstrating is their way of getting some temporary respite from the unbearable burden of being Greek...
So, in Greece, we revel in actions of defiance and love to demonstrate against oppression. Accordingly, when there is no visible oppression (because political authoritarianism there is in Greece) and there is no visible cause, people feel obligated to fabricate a cause. And there will always be an obliging ruffian somewhere to provide an excuse for a cause! Hence the demonstration today.
On the other hand, Greeks do not seem to have developed a national social feeling: the idea of one standard (one law, one yoke, etc) for all does not seem to enjoy much popularity in the country.
In this light, perhaps the best would be many official causes: one for each Greek interest group. There are many of those -- literally, one for each citizen. They are sanctioned by Greek TV, probably Europe's most propagandist, and weak and change-averse governments.
The most vociferous of these interest groups are typically the least populated: left wingers and 60s communists. There used to be the 70s socialists (this guy for example) but "social" in Greece is now just a byline for a political party. Indeed, most if not all of the erstwhile "socialists" have become stinking rich and can't be bothered with demonstrating. They no longer feel "oppressed". This man leads the bunch.
So wealth is an antidote to demonstrating. Hence we conclude that those demonstrating are not, of themselves, wealthy.
But what is the underlying reason for which Greeks will demonstrate at any occasion that offers itself?
One reason would be that Greeks are romantics, ready to support the cause of anyone who, in their eyes, is less fortunate than themselves. For the more fortunate, they would still demonstrated -- but against rather than for.
I believe there is a common denominator to all this activism, and the Greek oppression mania: I am oppressed therefore I am.
I think Greeks are heavily into Bogey-Man resistance: it's a psychological state whereby adults, primarily male, never manage to accept, endorse and subsequently get over the paternal authority. Thereby they act like thwarted adolescents throughout their adult life unto their middle age: most demonstrations, seen through this point of view become palatable.
In getting to the streets, most Greeks are demonstrating against the paternal authority they never got over. I.e. they are shouting against their fathers. It is called congenial father syndrome (CFS). It is a congenial matter, perhaps there is a drug for it?
A second hellene - neurosis is the random feeling of injustice; another name for this pathology is greco-victimism syndrome (GVS).
The short description follows:
Whatever happens, wherever, the Greek is a victim of an injustice. Swindling. This is called neohellenic - swindle syndrome: NSS
Put another way, "Just deserves" never are!
No, not really, but some Athenians are demonstrating all over Athens in memoriam of two years since the untimely death of a school boy from (unintended, we would like to believe) police fire.
Some time later, in similar fashion, a policeman died and two more were injured during an attack on their precinct.
No Athenian seems to find that fact particularly moving. No demonstration.
Speculating on this I come to an obvious conclusion: Greeks need something or someone to demonstrate against. I think Greeks feel oppressed by their everyday existence and demonstrating is their way of getting some temporary respite from the unbearable burden of being Greek...
So, in Greece, we revel in actions of defiance and love to demonstrate against oppression. Accordingly, when there is no visible oppression (because political authoritarianism there is in Greece) and there is no visible cause, people feel obligated to fabricate a cause. And there will always be an obliging ruffian somewhere to provide an excuse for a cause! Hence the demonstration today.
On the other hand, Greeks do not seem to have developed a national social feeling: the idea of one standard (one law, one yoke, etc) for all does not seem to enjoy much popularity in the country.
In this light, perhaps the best would be many official causes: one for each Greek interest group. There are many of those -- literally, one for each citizen. They are sanctioned by Greek TV, probably Europe's most propagandist, and weak and change-averse governments.
The most vociferous of these interest groups are typically the least populated: left wingers and 60s communists. There used to be the 70s socialists (this guy for example) but "social" in Greece is now just a byline for a political party. Indeed, most if not all of the erstwhile "socialists" have become stinking rich and can't be bothered with demonstrating. They no longer feel "oppressed". This man leads the bunch.
So wealth is an antidote to demonstrating. Hence we conclude that those demonstrating are not, of themselves, wealthy.
But what is the underlying reason for which Greeks will demonstrate at any occasion that offers itself?
One reason would be that Greeks are romantics, ready to support the cause of anyone who, in their eyes, is less fortunate than themselves. For the more fortunate, they would still demonstrated -- but against rather than for.
I believe there is a common denominator to all this activism, and the Greek oppression mania: I am oppressed therefore I am.
I think Greeks are heavily into Bogey-Man resistance: it's a psychological state whereby adults, primarily male, never manage to accept, endorse and subsequently get over the paternal authority. Thereby they act like thwarted adolescents throughout their adult life unto their middle age: most demonstrations, seen through this point of view become palatable.
In getting to the streets, most Greeks are demonstrating against the paternal authority they never got over. I.e. they are shouting against their fathers. It is called congenial father syndrome (CFS). It is a congenial matter, perhaps there is a drug for it?
A second hellene - neurosis is the random feeling of injustice; another name for this pathology is greco-victimism syndrome (GVS).
The short description follows:
Whatever happens, wherever, the Greek is a victim of an injustice. Swindling. This is called neohellenic - swindle syndrome: NSS
Put another way, "Just deserves" never are!
Wednesday 1 December 2010
It's the first day of Xmas! May God Bless...
...Greece.
Because if He does not, who will??? Anyone???
The Greek government knows not its right hand from its left.
Private spending has reached an all time low -- until the next all time low, that is.
Growth is not around the corner, probably not around any corner as things stand.
If one is to read Paul Krugman writing in the NYT about Spain, "a catastrophic bank crisis (...) seems plausible for Greece and increasingly possible in Ireland"
Oh my.
Can anyone help?
Greek government officials and related bodies need not apply.
Because if He does not, who will??? Anyone???
The Greek government knows not its right hand from its left.Private spending has reached an all time low -- until the next all time low, that is.
Growth is not around the corner, probably not around any corner as things stand.
If one is to read Paul Krugman writing in the NYT about Spain, "a catastrophic bank crisis (...) seems plausible for Greece and increasingly possible in Ireland"
Oh my.
Can anyone help?
Greek government officials and related bodies need not apply.
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