What's happening in Greece right now

[Magda Hassan]

Well, the politicians turned the volume up to 11 on the Shock Doctrine austerity machine. Athens has now virtually gone up in flames. As of 30 minutes ago there were 10 banks on fir as well as some famous buildings like the theatre, shops. Athens is out of police control Probably out of control for the fire brigades too. Anonymous have brought down almost all the government web sites and some media.

[Ed Jewett]

​0099.htm Athens Protest Photos February 12, 2012

[Peter Lemkin]

What is happening in Greece is ugly. What the EU is trying to do to Greece is ugly. The reaction is ugly, but to be expected. I am surprised, but shouldn't be, that in the MSM, even in the Occupy movement which is following Greece very closely there is so little [all but no] mention of what the USA did to Greece [raped with a coup and long brutal Military Junta] that IMHO set the stage for much of what we see now. Modern 'historical' perspective looks back a few months, if that far. Those who do not learn the lessons of history......

[Danny Jarman]

How long before EU led mercenaries are sent in to tame the darn protestors? hutup:

[Vasilios Vazakas]

This is Greece my friend. The EU mercenaries will probably have to face Greek policemen and soldiers who are
also pissed off for their life degradation.
We have fought countless invaders and we were one of the few countries to figth the NAZI Germany.
Only an economic war could have beaten us and that's why they have succeeded to enslave us.
Burning of Athens is something we are used to all these years but it is difficult to know if it is
a result of people's anger or agent provovateurs.
I guess for the moment George Soros and his superiors have won the battle.
But the rest of the Europeans should not mock us and believe they are better, soon the fiscal superstate will emerge
and they will have the same fate.

[Jan Klimkowski]

Vasilios - clearly, the "austerity measures" benefit international financial institutions to the detriment of ordinary Greeks.

The banks will get their share whilst workers pay taxes for services which will no longer be provided, and Greek national assets are sold off to vulture capitalists (the "deregulation" agenda).

Do you think the "austerity measures" will continue to be accepted by the Greek people?

[Vasilios Vazakas]

The austerity measures never were and will never be acceptable. But when people have the threat of default hanging above their heads, and they want to pay their loans, feed their kids, send them to school, to be able to buy medicine, have oil supplies etc. they get scared and accept anything. What they do is that they ask us to pay a tax on the houses we owe. The amount vary according to the area and the square meters, and comes in two installments per year. And they have included this in the electricity bill. And the bill according to consumption may be 60 euro and they top up another 400 or more euro from the house tax. And they threaten us that if we don't pay it they'll cut the electricity supply which is illegal. And you have old people, pensioners who cannot afford to pay it. And the pension is not enough to feed them. Add to this the reduction of pensions, salaries while the cost of living remains high, for example the super market is more expensive here than in France or England.
People cannot afford to maintain their business, they shut down their shops, so they don't pay tax and VAT, so the government looses continuously income, and they raise more austerity measures. Unemployment is high and the basic salary will become 400-500 euro. They cut expenses from hospitals, medicine, the have reduced the salaries of the army and police officers and they are not happy.
People will pay the first year, they'll pay the second year but then without income they'll have nothing else to give and having nothing to loose they will expolde. The once proud Greeks feel now humiliated and bitter. The Germans talk about Greece but thet forget that we were the highest consumers of germans goods. We have a deficit so they could have a surplus. And it was Siemens who was bribing all along Greek officials to get business, and now they behave like they did not know it. And they say that we should have never joined the euro in the first place because we conned them and thet did not know it. Then why our current prime Minister Papademos, who was responsible for our entry to the eurozone was rewarded afterwards with the position of the Vice President of the central european bank?
Now imagine if these austerity measures were to be applied in USA.

[Jan Klimkowski]

Vasilios - thank you.

In my judgement, Greece needs to default.

This will trigger default in Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia, the Netherlands and possibly even France.

Europe will be in turmoil, but the debt - in practical terms - will no longer exist.

There will be no creditors and no debtors.

Post-default, in the short term, people will need to rely on "soft" support networks - family, friends - to get by.

In the medium term, a meaningful, non-corrupt, economy based on honest work and community can be established.

The acceptance by any nation of "austerity measures" means that when default finally happens, the base starting position is worse. Indeed, it is catastrophic - with both individuals and the state having sold off all tangible assets at a fire sale price to vulture capitalists.

It makes any economic recovery harder because vultures driven only by profit will control a nation's infrastructure - from transport hubs to the national grid to cultural institutions.

Global market capitalism has produced this crisis, and has failed. Global market capitalism is on life support, being fed intravenously by the blood, sweat and pain of ordinary people.

The imposition of "austerity measures" is simply delaying the inevitable flatline of global market capitalism.

It's time to pull the plug and start all over again.

[Vasilios Vazakas]

I don't think Soros will alow a default, his purpose is to force France and Germany to accept a fiscal Union. They will take all our assets for nothing, plus they have targeted the natural gas and oil fields of the Aegean sea.

[Peter Lemkin]

I don't think Soros will alow a default, his purpose is to force France and Germany to accept a fiscal Union. They will take all our assets for nothing, plus they have targeted the natural gas and oil fields of the Aegean sea.

Seems as if the Prime Minister and Parliament are in the pockets of the banksters, and not working for the Greek People! That can't last very long!

I agree with Jan, that the only way forward is to get out of the EU, tell them to go F*** their demanded debts and austerity [as the Argentinians did], and go it alone again. I've been to Hellas many times and found the Greeks friendly, hard working [unlike the propaganda image] and proud of their history - ancient and not-so-ancient. I hope Greece gives the EU and their banksers a big middle finger. [just turn Crete around by 90 degrees!]