OPINION

On democracy, the crisis and ways out of it

Makeup of privatization agency a stumbling block

A sticking point could be the formation of the independent agency that will oversee the privatization scheme which is supposed to raise 50 billion euros by 2015.

The troika has insisted that its representatives have a say in the body?s decisions and that they are able to block any moves they disagree with. They have also demanded that no representatives of the government be allowed to participate in the agency and that any decisions it takes should be protected by law so that they cannot later be reversed by a different government.

We can take it by this that they have little faith in the Greek politicians. Why? Do they think they may be tempted by financial gain? Surely not, after all the politicians are there to represent the people of Greece, are they not?

Rolly Baker, Corfu

Debt crisis, in three steps

Three things need to happen to get us out of this mess:

1. Tax offices should be working around the clock (not just a few hours five days a week) to collect taxes and their inspectors should be doing their utmost to root out the cheats and make them pay. Successes should be well-publicised. Allegedly proper payment of taxes by the wealthy and privileged would obviate the need for further bailouts.

2. Those seeking to stamp down on corruption, from the prime minister downwards, should actually do something about it instead of just talking about doing it. Sack the corrupt judges, businessmen and politicians and take the consequences. Has to be done.

3. Public protests should be peaceful and the minority anarchists should be shunned and banned from marches. The outsiders look at pictures of mindless graffiti, petrol bombing and the like and the impression rubs off on the persona of all Greek people. We need the support of the rest of the world, whether Greeks like that idea or not.

We are where we are and no amount of carping on about who got us here and how/why is going to help. We have to start from here and go forwards, not continually look back at the nepotism and corruption which has gone on before. In other words, cut the cackle and get down to solving the problem!

Robert Scott, Crete

Crime they want Greece to be the EU watchdog on border protection.

There is also a flourishing black economy in which thousands of illegal immigrants are employed, which is costing Greece millions in lost tax revenue, not to mention remittances that are going the other way. In this tough economic climate, in which Greece owes 340 billion euros and the unemployment rate is over 16 percent, illegal immigrants need to be deported. Mr Papandreou needs to stop listening to these left-wing human rights organizations and listen to what the majority of Greeks are saying and that is to deport all illegal immigrants and tighten border security.

George Salamouras

The Soviet Union of Europe?

Aha. The IMF, ECB and EU comrades are now in charge.

Instead of having elected governments accountable to their citizens, we Europeans start experimenting with independent committees stuffed with technocrats accountable to nobody. Sooner or later we can relabel our European experiment the Soviet Union of Europe.

Stephen Ewald

Sell, sell, sell and drill, drill, drill

Sell, sell, sell government assets to pay off the Greek debt. Not only will this put the Greek economy in a healthier state of affairs, it will also make it more efficient ad globally competitive.

Drill, drill, drill the Aegean, the Sea of Crete and the Ionian to pay off the debt and put Greece back on its feet.

This is the only effective solution to getting Greece back on its feet: Sell, sell, sell government assets and drill, drill, drill the Aegean, the Ionian and the Sea of Crete for natural resources to pay off the debt and put Greece permanently back in the green.

Gerry Mavrie-Yanaki

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