European Elections... Greek Style

Just a bit of trivia...

Which Greek politician received the most votes in the recent Euro-elections?

Mr Manolis (Emmanuel) Glezos, hero of WW-2, and now 91 years old. Mr Glezos has a fear of flying and it is unlikely he will visit the Euopean parliament -- i.e. his workplace -- any time soon. Frankly, at 92 he probably has many, much better and more pressing things to do...

Mr Glezos in 2007

Mr Glezos is a nice man and, given his age and experience, a wise one with many stories to tell. European politics probably isn't one of these stories. Or, if it is, it certainly is not one of the noteworthy ones compared to the rest!

So why did he score the highest?

The fact may be interpreted in countless ways.Here are a few:

0) Because in Greece people are used to voting and have been, on & off, for the past 2,400 years. So they vote for whomever they like, for any reason whatsoever!
1) Because voting for him is a reward for his symbolic bravery against the German Nazi invaders;
2) Because people in Greece vote emotionally, not rationally?
3) Because voters felt there was not much choice of "decent" contenders presenting themselves...
 4) Because the act of voting is not directly or causally related to the actual job at hand -- but a prize as it were. (see 2 above)


Question: would contemporary Greek voters vote in the same manner if it were the position of centre attacker for their favourite FOOTBALL team -- even if that person knew nothing about football, and was 92 years old?

One may speculate that it would  serve the country and Mr Glezos much better if voters took some time to think about the job at hand as well as the personality and the past experience of the person they are voting for... and offer Mr Glezos a meaningful distinction that he deserves!


Being a MEP is not a prize; it is a function. And a temporary one at that.

Being Miserable: A Safeguard?

Two friends were sitting yesterday, on a ledge overlooking a small field, gazing into the distance, talking.
One turned to the other:

"What a beautiful day!"

"It is beautiful. But I see clouds forming over on the right."

"Why are you not happy, insouciant at least? You are alive, you have a job, children... and there are no clouds over us - yet."

"I am worried. I am alone, I feel uncertain about my ability to cope with everything on my own. I'm not afraid of dying -- it's getting there that's scary: how to afford to get old nowadays, on my own..."

"Yes, but still: now you are alive, you have children, you have a job... You could be happy, for a moment... Grab the moment"

"Maybe I am afraid of being content just in case it is snatched away from me the next moment..."

"Why would someone snatch away from you what is... Your situation is not transferrable, so there is nothing in it for anyone..."

"Think of it this way: happiness is attractive and someone will want to take it away, pinch it. On the other hand, who would want to steal misery. Being miserable is safe: you don't risk becoming unhappy, you already are! You are safe!"

"Getting Away With It, ...(NOT)...Messed Up: That's the Living..."* Greek Politicians' Latest Motto.

The Greek government is pushing through legislation at amazing speed, which promises to hold "...people in office unaccountable directly for misdeeds perpetrated during their tenure...". What this means is, the Greek government is exonerating anyone and everyone who has perpetrated a crime: in Greece, purportedly these are financial, i.e. corruption. That includes central administration and local communities...


H*ll of a deal!

The beauty of all this is that it is under the radar, all the radars in fact! In particular, very much under the international community's radar.

The unfortunate part, for the Greek people that is, is that Greece's politicians caught on to a very significant fact: as long as they keep the international community and, particularly, the lenders happy, they can do anything they like in national affairs because the latter are just that: national. Who is to question the laws and regulations of a sovereign state? They can do whatever they like using the most obvious process of democracy: enacting laws!

Who is to stop them?




Had Greece been a dictatorship, or in some sort of newsworthy crisis (think Ukraine), the spotlights would be on -- but it's none of these, fortunately as it were...






TO listen to Greek politicians speak about the crisis, financial figures, growth and budget balancing, you'd think that they understand nothing about the crisis and know nothing about financial figures, balancing a budget, growth policy, and you'd probably be right.

One thing they do know, however: when in doubt, revert to "Save Our Skin" mode.
Enact a law that exonerates everything and everybody: after all trials & tribulations the Greek population has been through without making as much as a dent in the armour, nothing can stop a bit extra...

On the more patriotic side, in SOS mode all of Greece's traditional politicians, the union bosses and the civil-service cronies are united as one!

*Lyrics from the song of same name by British band James .