On rebranding Greece, civil unrest, squabbling Greeks
It is clear to every rational person here and abroad that Greece has failed both as a country and as a state. It is time to compassionately put it out of its misery. Looking back over my 50+ years of association with Greece, I see tremendous success in theatre, music and literature. Perhaps the former country can be reformed as a theatre group, a conservatory, or a book club. Someone should tell PASOK President and former PM George Papandreou of the change in status, if anyone can find him.
Peter Kyriakeas-Kirk
Stoupa, Messinias
Re: Alarm bells or death knell
I have to agree with all that is said in this comment, except for the last paragraph.
Sitting outside looking in, the default is inevitable and all the talk and grandstanding has been in vain. Those of us who have not been bombarded with politically skewed announcements have seen the writing on the wall more than a year ago.
There is more poverty to be suffered by those whose life’s earnings did not allow them to stash money away and were not lucky enough to have connections to guarantee them a job in the public sector.
A lot of citizens have been suffering for some time now and have to scrape by with no or very little income while it is raining taxes from a Finance Ministry that cannot look three years ahead.
However, the alarm bells being rung here and in other comments about bloodshed on the streets, is extreme, illogical and does not serve any purpose.
Greeks have suffered poverty and hunger before. Anger and bitterness towards those responsible for the current situation is understandable, and hope that at least the biggest culprits will have to pay for their mismanagement at best, their blatant abuse of power at worst, should be expected. This is the job of our judicial system, not the vigilantes.
It is not to anyone’s advantage to advocate or even suggest a civil war in the streets of Greece. We have been through this once; let’s not allow the political extremists bring this back into our lives. We have been through enough already and the worst is yet to come.
Monica Lane
Florida, USA
Squabbling Greeks
There is nothing new about the Greeks squabbling. Go back to 1821 and the Greek war of independence. Admiral Codrington, whose allied fleet was responsible for ending the war — which Greece was losing in 1827 (The Battle of Navarino brought it to an end) — said that what troubled him most was not the Egyptian Navy, which he annihilated in four hours, but the squabbling Greeks.
However, Greece came through with the allied support (Britain, France and Germany) and the modern state of Greece was born. ?Tout ca change, toute reste la meme.?
Jogn Foss
