I have wondered for a while now what drives politicians. I have mused about what goes on in their tiny little brains, because having watched what has happened in the last few years I realise that there really can't be much happening in the space between their ears.
I do not believe that anyone can actually believe that these bunch of numbskulls really know what they are doing, both here and in Europe. The situation in Greece is lurching from disaster to catastrophe and those in charge do not know or really understand what is going on or what needs to be done.
To put it simply, the only way out of this mess is for Greece to leave the euro, plain and simple! Greece is in so much debt they cannot get themselves out of it without being allowed to default and devalue. As long as they are are in the euro they cannot do either. Greece is in debt to the tune of 360 billion euros, it's economy is shrinking (it contracted by 6 per cent last year) and it has no way of generating any income.
The Greeks are being told that if they are to receive more bailout money they have to bring in more austerity. I wonder how much more austerity this country can take! Unemployment is running at 20 per cent, youth unemployment is 50 per cent, practically every job has had to take a pay cut. There have been stories of children going to school and fainting because of a lack of food. People are not heating their homes, the place is a mess and things are not going to get any better.
There are riots on the streets because the people do not see that there is any other way. Just this week Lucas Papademos, the Greek Prime Minister said that 'violence and destruction do not have a place in a democracy'. This is from the euro technocrat given the position by the EU after the last prime minister was forced to resign by Brussels. This lot do not get it!
The situation in Greece is worse than a Greek tragedy. Anyone with any money is leaving and taking their money with them. Greece has been told that to receive the £108 billion bailout they will have to bring in more austerity. But this will not make an ounce of difference. If any country is in debt they need to look at cuts but also at investment and growth. Greece will not get either of the last two without being able to control their own destiny, and they cannot do this whilst being in the euro.
Just think about this, if Greece takes the bailout money they will have to hand over 12 billion euros of that money just to service their debt. The money they get will only help for a little while and then eventually that will have to ask for more money, and this is just going to keep happening. And of course whilst they are locked in this euro prison they cannot do anything to stimulate their economy. They cannot devalue, they cannot reduce interest rates, they cannot do anything! And this is the tragedy of the whole situation, and shows how much politicians know or care. They are completely obsessed with their dream of a united Europe they cannot see that it is just not working.
Greece is in a mess, that is plainly obvious. But so is Italy and if the Italian economy needs a bailout, it is just not going to happen. Italy's economy is seven times the size of Greece's, there is not enough money in Europe to bail them out. And this is what the euro fanatics are frightened of. If the Greeks leaves the euro and reinstates the drachma and manages to survive and actually prosper, the rest of the indebted Mediterranean countries might just follow suit. And that will be the end of the euro and possible the EU.
As much as I do not want to see people impoverished I do want to see this ghastly monstrosity that is the EU come to an end. It has been an absolute disaster and what has happened with the euro shows that this project is never going to work. Politicians will continue to say that the alternative would be worse, but I truly cannot see that it really could get any worse. And before you talk about two world wars and the EU preventing more wars, that just is not true and does not stand up to simple examination. Ironically we could see another war in Europe, a civil war starting in Greece and all because politicians care more about their dream of a united Europe rather than the people they are supposed to serve.
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How is it that normal everyday citizens can see this yet the so called clever people cannot?
ReplyDeleteSimply because the 'so called clever people' are not that clever. They do not care either. If you think about it, this mess is the fault of politicians. Their dream of a united Europe is all consuming. If you look at the the employment history of most modern politicians you will find that they have done nothing else except be involved in politics. So many of these people are totally removed from the reality of everyday life of most people. And to put it bluntly 'THEY DO NOT CARE!' And that is the fundamental problem, they are not affected by the problems in Greece, Italy, etc. Until it impacts upon them they will carry on chucking taxpayers money at the problem, and this shows how much they really care or understand about what really needs to be done.
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