Friday, July 30, 2010

Greek news

One thing that has irritated me about the coverage of the Greek financial crisis has been the way in which much of the fault has put down to Greek character flaws. Some coverage has been borderline racist. Now Austria's far right has taken a step over that line with this poster from the FPO.












When challenged, they claimed that it wasn't a Greek stereotype but a caricature of the blond, clean shaven, pale skinned businessman, Spiros Latsis. Hmm... Nasty stuff. Full details here.

In the meantime, Piraeus municipality has gone bust, the truck drivers have ignored the government's 'civil mobilisation' order to stay on strike, leading to a fuel shortage throughout the country, and, after machine-gunning an investigative journalist on his doorstep, a tiny group of psychopaths calling themselves the Sect of Revolutionaries have issued a communique saying, "We are at war with your democracy ... tourists must learn that Greece is no longer a safe haven of capitalism. We intend to turn it into a war zone."

And, you know what, it is a lovely place. Don't be put off, come and stay. Life continues. It is more than the weather that is warm at this time of year. It is holiday time, there are festivals, people are eating out, swimming, enjoying life and, if you are in tourism, working flat out. You wouldn't guess that there is a crisis (unless you want to fill up a car, or even get a bus or a ferry if this strike continues). But, at the back of your mind, you have to question the wisdom of an economic policy, imposed by international organisations that, far from throwing riches at ordinary Greeks, is impoverishing some of them. And you have to wonder where it may lead.

6 comments:

Will said...

"and, after machine-gunning an investigative journalist on his doorstep, a tiny group of psychopaths calling themselves the Sect of Revolutionaries have issued a communique saying, "We are at war with your democracy ... tourists must learn that Greece is no longer a safe haven of capitalism. We intend to turn it into a war zone.""

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Tourists are all fuuckking scum anyway. The targets are all valid, even the journalist filth (especially the journo scum).

Imagine gunning down melaanie philips or that cunt who writes for the daily Hiel. Yep -- I woukld glaadly join in. In fact I am actively searching now as I type for weapons and shit. All power to the Greek revolutionaries.

X

PS as ZiZek says --Hitler wasn't radical enuff.

Will said...

fucking social democrats --- butter scum the lot.

Yes -- Butter. that is what they bare.

The Plump said...

Yeah ... fine ...

How about a bit of respect for the Greek people who suffered appalling horrors in the Civil War as a result of this sort of shit, immediately following on from mass starvation in the Nazi occupation of course and who then, only in the 70's, overthrew a military dictatorship to establish the democracy you so casually want to throw away through random slaughter.

Will, this may be 'playful', but I ain't playing at the moment.

xx

Will said...

"random slaughter."

Not random slaughter -- targeted. Fucking targeted.

The Plump said...

And I think that anyone who harbours illusions, despite overwhelming historical evidence to the contrary, that murder can produce a revolution and a better society, should be shot.

You see we can all play that game, but I still won't, especially in the light of the past suffering of the Greek people.

Overtired and emotional said...

It behoves us all to remember that the crisis was caused by bankers. States, or at least the UK, were infected because they based madly inflated spending programmes on tax revenues reliant on a financial bubble.

As for Greece, let the Greeks solve their problems. Abandon the Euro, and master their fate.