Greek Media Ignores The Causes Of The Greek Recession

An editorial in Athens News today highlights the Greek media’s complete state of denial with regards to what is happening in their own country.

Extreme as the scenes of the mindless – and utterly unrepresentative – acts of arson and destruction in Athens were, it is sobering to contemplate that Greece is still some way from hitting rock bottom in its rapidly escalating debt crisis. 

The riots and the arson damage in Athens made big news. What media outlets missed, was this is happening all over the country everyday.

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Businesses are being metaphorically burned down everyday but this is completely ignored.

The lead editor uses the words “utterly unrepresentative” acts of arson. He or she is perfectly wrong. The arson and general damage of property in Athens is perfectly representative of the actions of the Greek government.

There is also one crucial difference. No one died in the riots whereas the austerity measures in Greece are literally causing deaths.

If the news media in Greece and around the world feel it is appropriate to attack the people who are literally damaging street furniture and burning buildings they should also attack the politicians who are metaphorically burning and looting every house and business in Greece. I mean if they want to give a full and balanced story to what why the riots are happening.

The Athens News editorial continues

President Karolos Papoulias’ tirade against German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and a collection of EU nations was the latest example of a disturbing rise in anti-German and anti-European rhetoric in this country. At the same time, it was an earnest response to Schaeuble’s provocative “bottomless pit” remarks about Greece’s spending habits.

Although they highlight the “earnestness” of the response they do not highlight the fact that the statements made by Schaeuble are actually true.

The Greek government is a bottomless pit. Ask any Greek taxpayer if he or she thinks they get good value for the taxes they pay. I am sure they and Schaeuble will give the same answer.

It was also seen as the latest indication that the EU – and Germany in particular – is forcing austerity on Greece whilst preparing to cut the country adrift as a relieved but listing eurozone of 16 member states sails into the distance.

In the same article Athens News criticises people for their anti-German remarks and then they themselves criticise Germany in the same article. The hypocrisy never fails to amaze me.

To repeat myself, Germany is forcing austerity on the Greek government not the Greek people. The Greek government does not believe it is their problem and is passing the repsonsibility onto the Greek private sector and this is the problem.

But Athens News takes the easy way out, they defend the Greek politicians and attack Germany for no good reason.

Moreover, people fear they are likely to suffer the asphyxiating terms of the latest bailout, only to suffer all over again when the country defaults – but in an utterly impoverished state.

There is a bit of insight into the Greek crisis in this paragraph. ie Greek suffering all over again when the country defaults.

I believe this statement is more true than they realise. I do not believe Greece is in likely to leave the Euro. That is simply a threat to force Greeks to accept austerity. The real purpose of these austerity measures in my mind is to suck as much liquid cash out of the Greek economy as possible before the country defaults.

The banks do not want to get hung out to dry while private Greeks have managed to isolate themselves from government.

Lost within the violence of a few hundred rioters on February 12 was the valid message of the masses that there is now a democratic deficit in this country: the troika’s demands, the government accepts and any politician who dares disagree is expelled from their party.

Again with the attacks on the protestors. Athens News uses the term “lost within the violence of a few hundred rioters”.

If nobody had rioted, then the message would have been lost. Around 8000 people peacefully protested on the 23rd but there was little or no coverage. Their message was lost because there was no violence.

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