Agora
Posts in Greece
Lest we forget
The satisfaction of seeing our political system and institutions fulfilling their role should not allow the events that have led up to this point of possible catharsis slip from our mind.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (387), Society (142), Greece (498)
In hindsight it would have been nicer
The Greek bailout was primarily designed to protect the rest of the eurozone from contagion in its banking sector. It's basically as simple as that. International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde admitted as much in an interview on Monday. “The choice was made to make sure the Europeans built their firewall first before anything very serious was done about the Greek debt,” Lagarde told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
Contributor: Yiannis Mouzakis
Categories: Europe (282), Economy (331), Greece (498)
Nightmare on Democracy Street
Fascists attacking communists: It could have been a story from war-ravaged Greece’s civil conflict in the late 40s. Instead, it is a tale from the streets of Athens, the capital of a long-standing member of the European Union, in 2013. Hopes had been building recently that Greece would soon wake from its economic nightmare but its political and social one may be just about to begin.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (387), Economy (331), Society (142), Greece (498)
Ring of Fire
“I want my life back, now!” was one of the chants heard at a teachers’ rally on Friday, when they protested against job transfers and sackings in the civil service. It’s been clear over the last three years that our daily comforts, as small as they may have been, are slipping away one by one and being replaced by uncertainty or, even worse, dead ends. To be alarmed by this is only human. We shouldn’t forget, though, that for some Greeks the wish of having their life back is not a slogan but the basis for their epitaph.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (387), Society (142), Greece (498)
Is VAT all you've got?
Grabbing a coffee for 20 cents less doesn’t really sound like the start of an economic recovery but who knows, maybe after this week’s decision to cut value added tax at restaurants and cafes, Greece will soon be measuring out its success with coffee spoons.
Contributor: Nick Malkoutzis
Categories: Politics (387), Economy (331), Greece (498)