On elections, immigration, parliament, bribery, bus tickets

I believe this is a well-written and objective statement from the Turkish ambassador. Illegal immigration is a problem shared by all, and discussing its ramifications openly is the best alternative to hiding behind racist and xenophobic finger-pointing.

Jim Wilson

11 billion euros in extra cuts for the next two years.

Could I suggest cutting the Greek Parliament by 150 members and the remainder 150 having their wages halved. This would go a long way in restoring «faith» in the Greek electorate that major cuts need to start from the top. I am surprised that the Greek people are not out every day in their hundreds in front of Parliament demanding these changes. The Greek politicians need to practice what they preach.

George Salamouras

EU report

We remind the authors of the report that we have a democracy in Greece and we do not need anyone?s instructions. We remind the authors of the report that we have a democracy in Greece and we do not need anyone?s instructions.

Absolutely.

Provided you are able to generate enough income to cover your expenses. Provided political parties do what they promise to do — post 1974 era is however is sorry state of affairs. Provided productivity is raised to a competitive level — one has to have products and services that are desired by global markets. Sadly, Greece has too little and of a questionable quality.

Thus the moral of the story is that the political parties have much to answer for losing control to the EU Commission and partners.

Dimitri Tassiopoulos

A wonderful quote

“The old is dying but the new has yet to be born.» Wonderful quote used by Lygeros Stavros… but in fairness to Antonio Gramsci, he ought to be acknowledged as the author.

Peter Stein

Philadelphia, PA

Re: Akis meeting his wife in prison

What about the dozens of other politicians who are involved in just as large money laundering and theft of taxpayer funds? Why haven’t judges and the corrupt Greek justice system arrested them yet too?

Lionel Luthor

Forged bus tickets

These problems have been solved already!

Yet another example of us Greeks thinking that we are the only country in the world with these problems. How did they avoid the forged tickets problem in the UK? People buy their tickets on the bus from the driver when they board.

Nick Cheras

Bribery charges

How in the world were those two development employees to be able to continue the same thing they were arrested earlier this year (according to the article)? How could they be allowed to go back to their jobs in the first place?

This country needs a zero tolerance for any kind of bribery and corruption! Desperately!

Michaela Toth

Turkey, migrants etc.

In ancient times migrants transited through Asia Minor to Greece. About 3-4000 years ago. They reckon that pre-Greek place names (inthos, issos) were Anatolian in origin.

In 1922 Greek-speaking people were forcibly exchanged for Turkish-speaking after the invasion of Turkey by Greece failed (there now I know you won’t print this letter…).

There have always been migrants through Anatolia to Greece — so what’s new?

You can’t protect Greece’s boundaries they’re just too open. Everyone crosses them. Greece the peninsula and islands is one huge transit space. That just reality. And the Turks just take advantage of that. Who’s going to stop them?

My grandpappy fought in Turkey, came to admire Ataturk for what he did for Turkey, and came to despise the Greek system for going into wilful self-destruct just 10 years after it had geographically come together (1912 Balkan Wars, 1922 Catastrophe and Great Schism). Can’t blame him really.

Whatever the technical result of the elections there will be deadlock. Either Greece will remain on the ?catastrophe? of EU life-support or she will exit into the ?catastrophe? of the drachma. And may, just possibly thus learn to stand on her own two feet for the first time in 200 years. Will the military intervene? I guess that’s up to Berlin.

Greeks like to emigrate because those that like to make money prefer doing it while someone else makes decisions about government and taxes. (SAE est 7 million abroad rel to 11 million home). They love to be Greeks in America or Australia or Germany but hate being Greeks in Greece because in Greece they have to make their own decisions and be held responsible for them and they have to put up with Greek stupidity towards other Greeks. Life is easier abroad following foreigners’ rules.

Life was easier in Greece under the Ottomans. No bankruptcies, no defaults, no civil wars or political crises. They had stability and prosperity. Until some European idiots decided that the OE was the sick man of Europe (arguable) and that independent Balkan states were a good idea (definitely arguable). Finally that Greek-speaking Balkan peasants should be told about mythological ancient ancestors (what us gov? Never!). That gave them swollen heads to go with the empty coffers after 1821. Same in 2012. Swollen heads produced abundant hot air. The empty coffers mostly remained empty of Greek money at least. Everyone else’s money came and went with astonishing rapidity. More hot air, then as now.

3/4 mountainous + 6,000 islands = 20% land area, is not a lot to build a nation on. Unless you want to be like Albania… Maybe someday some Greek general, German bureaucrat or Greek Ataturk will figure out a solution to all of this. Whatever happens it will be way beyond May 6. Both in chronology and imagination.

Philip Andrews