Greek lessons

GREECE IS revolting. And so is anti-Greek prejudice.

If the international press is to be believe Greek communists, anarchists and other ’sinister’ groups are attempting to overthrow the left of centre government as a result of its acceptance of harsh IMF and EU-demanded austerity measures.

The American press in particular has been focussing on ‘communists’, failing to understand two simple facts: one, communism is a legitimate political tradition in Europe and, two, European communists are, for the most part, no further to the left than Ireland or Britain’s Labour parties were thirty years ago. Still, it makes for good headlines.

In reality the Greek rage is not a conscious politicised response to anything. It is an expression of rage.

In all likelihood the protests will achieve nothing and may in fact turn out to be counterproductive. We have already seen the deaths of people who’s only ‘crime’ was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As a result of today’s confused political impasse those unhappy with the Greek government’s policies are unable to channel their anger into a useful and productive set of policies or anything else that would change the political landscape. The Greek riots can’t quite be dismissed as individual terrorism but they are a long way from a political or economic programme.

There is no doubt that Greece is in trouble but, like his counterparts in Ireland and Britain, Greek prime minister George Papandreou poured oil on the fire. In March of this year he compared the budget crisis to ‘wartime situation’ and announced a third round of tax rises and spending cuts totalling €8.27 bn.

A month later, worries of a possible default on Greece’s debts prompted eurozone countries to approve a €181.4 bn rescue package for the country. As part of the bailout deal, Papandreou announced a round of even more stringent austerity measures.

This despite the fact that since last year the Greek public has been protesting austerity measures.

Press coverage has strongly implied that Greeks are indolent ‘southern Europeans’, playing on a nasty prejudice that ignores the economic reality in Greece: low wages and high prices.

Where any of this will lead is anyone’s guess. The Greek public has clearly rejected the austerity measures but both the left of centre government and right of centre opposition support them (albeit belatedly in the case of the opposition).

For now it looks like there won’t be any winners in this fight.