GREECE MUST not be allowed to continue in the euro, for its
own and its peoples sake. It has brought itself to this sorry end and it is no
good the Greek people blaming Germany for anything other than allowing them to
join in the first place. It was, after all, primarily the German taxpayer who
has kept the Greek people's heads above water until now – so swastikas and
other slogans of animosity toward Germany paraded on the streets of Athens by
the far right is an insult to a country that has gone to such lengths in the
post-war decades to lance the boil of Nazism. The German taxpayer, with the
demise of communism, poured billions into uniting West Germany with the East;
just as they have for the sake of Greece's continued membership of the euro.
Greece continuously
entered the last chance saloon and leaving it inebriated. This has to stop, but
I doubt it will. There will be some last minute attempt at keeping the Greek
peoples' misery ongoing rather than see the great euro ship of state holed
beneath the waterline. There is now talk among the French and Italians of
giving Greece a final chance and allow another multi billion euro loan to go through.
Well both of these countries have certain weaknesses. Socialist France has a laissez-fair
attitude to spending taxpayer's money, while Italy shares Greece's loathing of
paying taxes.
But the
northern and east European states, like Germany, Finland, Slovakia, do not see
why Greece should be let off the hook. Italy, Spain, and Portugal, who have
stuck with the austerity and the harsh sacrifices this brought, would begin,
rightly, to wonder what it was all for if Greece was perceived as being let off
the hook.
GREECE HAS three things going for it, its Mediterranean
splendour and its ancient history as the home of democracy; as well as its
holiday industry. But its civic culture has been invalided by the propensity
for all Greeks to try and cheat their way out of paying taxes, but nevertheless
expecting public services to be provided and comparable to those in any
northern member state of the EU which they have up until this current crises
enjoyed - but only off the backs of those in the rest of Europe who pay their
taxes and subsidises parts of southern Europe like Greece.
Greece
is by no means the only country within southern Europe whose culture is
systemically corrupt and continues to be so. But nevertheless the great
European project continues apace with much vigour, and this is why I think
Greece will be let off the hook once more.
The
European leaders were taken aback by the euro crises; but quickly came to the
conclusion that rather than ditch the single currency, Europe must seize the
opportunity to fast forward political union which its critics told them had to
predate monetary union in the first place. But Brussels knew that once the
citizens of Europe began to understand what political union meant in terms of
nationhood; the more they would oppose it.
The EU
is a top down assemblage limiting democracy among the citizens of Europe to
bring about a European Empire. They see democracy as an anachronism in this
process and will restrict it at every opportunity to bring to an end the nation
state. They believe Europe needs to be integrated fully into a super nation to
compete with America, China, and India. The nation state they believe has
outlived its historical usefulness and Europe must come together in order to create
a European super state whose peoples
were once seduced by their politicians into believing that "closer
union" was their only objective.
This
was the state of mind of our elected national and unelected European leaders
when the euro crises first broke: the Europhile fantasists could not give up
the ghost. Their precious United States of Europe must be brought about at all
and every cost - acquis communautaire must
reign supreme.
* * * *
I WROTE THIS piece yesterday, while little realising how much the Greek
people would be exposed by a euro exit. I viewed an excellent piece by Sky News
overnight. It was a report from Athens by Sky's European correspondent and made
some telling points about what the country would be exposed to without European
protection. The Sky reporter suggested that once Greece became liberated from
the euro there would be an invasion of circling vultures hovering over the much
reduced country of Greece[1] comprising Russian
and Arab oil billionaires buying up land and whatever else in this ancient
culture they deem worthy of purchase - on the cheap: while its borders would be
without European protection (such as it is) from the migrants that are daily
crossing the Mediterranean.
What an appalling
outlook for a people. As I wrote yesterday and stand by today, the Greeks (not
only their political leaders) brought this appalling state of affairs on
themselves; but to have the prospect of their country being raped, by forces it
is powerless to stop, takes austerity too far.
After the overnight
meetings between the EU and the Greek government there is now another
'solution' available which I have yet to read. But one suggestion, may turn out
to be a silver lining of sorts for the Greek people – leave the euro for five
years, but remain an EU member and all this implies in terms of its protection;
if not from the carpetbaggers then at least from mass invasion of immigrants
across the Mediterranean. It is a meagre broth with little sustenance but at
least it helps dispose of one problem.
Other than this;
all that is Left for them is a modern Thermopylae were the Greek people are
forced to make a final stand against, not Europe, but against what many Greeks
perceive as the new Persians – Germany (I admit Angela Merkle makes an
unconvincing Xerxes but she is just as
powerful as far as the EU is concerned).
The whole European
project was conceived after the Second World War to unite the countries of
Europe and lead them away from European conflicts that had erupted like zits on
the face of Europe over centuries. Solidarity was the new watchword at the
beginning of the project and remains so to this day. The EU even boasts that
since its creation there have been no wars on European soil. Which is true, but this has more to do with
the existence of NATO and more importantly America's contribution to it. A
contribution the French have always resented as an Anglo-Saxon impertinence –
France is not a member of NATO.
European solidarity
is no such thing. As the Greek people prove, solidarity is a fair weather
friend. Once the weather becomes turbulent, then it is every European nation
for themselves. The European Union is a vanity project for those European
nations that once clung to empires and now wish to conjoin, at any cost
including to democracy.
Greece should have,
like the UK, backed away from a single currency. But the bait they were invited
to consume in the way of cheap loans from the ECB, was too much. They concocted
an impossible economic portfolio to the EU upon joining the euro, a portfolio
that the EU through a utopian vision of a greater Europe, accepted.
Greece presented
the EU with phoney economic statistics. No member of the single currency should
be allowed to join the euro if their borrowing proportionate to GDP exceeded
three percent – in Greek's case this borrowing now stands at over 145 per cent
of GDP and is rising weekly. The European project was all important. Greece had
to be brought on board if for no other reason than for historical reasons as
the ancient birthplace of democracy.
Now poor old Greece
lay exposed by its folly brewed by national self interest and an undeniable
idealism for a Federal Europe that they thought (and still do) would save them
– and it might have done if the lack of any civic responsibility had not let
them down. Taxes have to be paid to provide the social services for a nation's
people. The Greek people avoided this responsibility, and looked to the tax
payers of Europe to keep their social services, Education, medicine and welfare
benefits accessible – they wanted their cake and eat it, without almost any
contribution from themselves.
[1] Just as there were in the American South after the American
Civil War ended. What became known as carpet baggers descended from the North
to exploit the misery of the South; they bought the great estates and the
thousands of acres of cotton and tobacco farmers farmed, for which they were
paid a stipend: defeat is humiliating as Greece is about to find out.
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