Peer2Politics

After a bruising few days, the Greek government has come up with a new proposal. Helped by the French, who appear to have decided that under no circumstances should Greece be forced out of the Euro, they have produced a detailed document that includes commitments to reform of pensions and taxation. The distinction between this and the European Commission’s unofficial proposal of June 26th is vanishingly small: longer timeframes for elimination of the EKAS supplementary pension and ending of VAT subsidies for the islands makes this proposal a little less like a cliff edge, but as far as I can see that’s about the only difference. Faced with a stark choice between crossing its “red lines” or being forced out of the Euro, the Greek government has caved in.

Here is a conversation with Maria Scordialos, an activist in Greece. We talk about the upcoming referendum, the solidarity economy, the role of fear in politics, the economics and politics of debt, and the revolutionary potential of authenticity in leaders. Maria gives us a peek at what is happening on the ground in Greece. What she says about the authenticity of the prime minister, and how it doesn’t fit into the EU political culture, was especially revealing. It shows that the transformation that wants to happen in Greece goes much deeper than mere questions of money and politics.

In 2010, it was obvious the Greek debt was unsustainable, that it could not be repaid, feckless creditors in cahoots with a  corrupt Greek government, nevertheless lent Greece more money, money that went to pay off the German banks, hedge funds etc. Greece was addled with more debt, society bailed out the feckless lenders. The conditions imposed on Greece were onerous.