I wrote in my previous post about Greece and the disaster that is unfolding. What else can be said about this horrendous situation, well let me just add a few more facts to the already awful fact that Greece is being destroyed.
Greece is heading towards civil war, when the people have nothing else they either just wallow in their misery and except the situation or they rise up. And after what has been happening in Greece over the past few months I do not believe they will wallow.
Greece, whilst in the euro cannot do anything to get themselves out of the mess they are in. In the past four years 25 per cent of private companies have gone bankrupt, that means the only part of their economy which could possibly lift Greece out of debt is disappearing.
The Greeks have been told by the European Central Bank, the EU and the International Monetary Fund that they have to make nearly 3 billion euros worth of cuts. The Greek government has been told by these three organisations that they have to make over 150,000 public sector employees redundant. That is the equivalent to making 800,000 unemployed in the UK.
The Greeks are being forced to borrow £108 billion. Think about it, they are already in massive debt and they are being forced to take on even more. They cannot even afford to service the interest on that debt, let alone service any more. Where is the sense in any of this? None of it makes any sense.
The simple fact is this, Greece needs to leave the euro. But those who are running the show do not want them to because they know if they do it will be the end of this evil political project.
When Greece leaves the euro, they will revert back to the Drachma. For a time they will struggle, but one thing will happen, tourists will flock to Greece because it will be cheap. Tourism is one of the most important industries to Greece, and this will mean much needed income. They will be able to devalue, thus making their exports cheaper, and start to get their economy going. Whilst being in the euro they cannot control their own destiny, but once they leave they can bring much needed prosperity.
Italy, Spain, Portugal etc will see this and they will leave, this will then mean a greater independence and these countries will soon realise they do not need the EU.
This project has always had one goal and that has been total political union. If you go right back to Jean Monnet (the creator of this project), that was his goal. And the euro highlights that it is not working and never will, and this to me sums up those who are in charge. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF GREECE, OR EUROPE!!! They only care about about the project and damn the people of Greece, as long as they can keep this thing going. That is why I will continue to hate this thing that is the EU.
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Politics, politicians and idiots
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.
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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