Wishful Thinking

by Capricorner

The country represents no more than 2.6% of the Eurozone income. It can easily be kicked out except that this may trigger a chain of negative events. With this in mind the Eurozone partners are gearing up for the day when Greece will v o l u n t a r i l y leave them alone. It is but a thorn on their side.

In such a situation two things are needed.

1. A leader who can give the country a sense of purpose and a clear direction to follow.

2. National unity. A spirit of “together we can” to borrow the President Obama slogan.

Both seem far removed from reality.

In W.W.II Britain turned to a notable politician, Winston Churchill, who became the father of Victory. He was an inspired leader. No Greek politician has the mettle to arouse whatever sense of patriotism is left, to rally the creative forces of the country to a common cause, to define the common cause and to motivate the people to work diligently for it.

National unity is almost unthinkable. The country is deeply divided in “interest groups” too entrenched in their own to care for others.

The country is in a dead end. To many the way out of the impasse is via Elections. Why? What will National Elections present? The polls, as opinion surveys indicate, will give no clear majority to the likely winner, the ND party. What form of coalition Government will it form? The parties that are now in Parliament, the perpetrators of the “crime” against the country, which are collectively responsible for the course of events of the last thirty-eight years, each party in its own way, will help lead the country out of its misery? How? The way they got it into it? Have they changed their ways?

Of course a National Election may motivate others to show up and present a new proposition to the country. To do this, however, is impossible with the National Media providing no, or only scant, presentation of them and their plans. The Media are a part of the problem. To escape the impasse unconventional ways may be of help.

One way may be to make the Greeks feel offended by projecting every demeaning, derogatory remark and comment about Greece to, thus, create resentment, anger, but at the same time providing them a way to vent their anger by joining a constructive effort and this is the challenge. Who and how will provide the way to vent their anger. The Web can project the contempt of others for Greece and work up the anger in the people and the Web can suggest the ways people can respond to calls for constructive reactions. The country is in despair and therefore an easy prey for demagogues who can lead it to catastrophy. It is therefore exposed to the danger of demagoguery and the Web can be the “podium” for inflammatory demagoguery. Only people with their feet on the ground can help the country with the rational exploitation of the influence of the Web, which can be constructive. Who are they? Where are they?

Greece has no Statesmen, only third grade politicos uncomfortable with Truth. It behooves others to do what they can not. Those “others” can emerge from obscurity via the Web.

Another way may be to silence all those who grumble about the Troika and the German “sovereignty” over Greece and the only way is to present to the Greeks the facts. Why Greece is in this state of dependency. How it got there, year after year beginning 1974 and why there is no other way but to benefit from the help Greece is getting. Who in their right mind can claim that the Greek Public sector is competent and able to handle the billions in aid the country will receive without wasting any part of it through political pressure, mismanagement, or sheer incompetence. The Greek politicos are not to be trusted with the handling. They have exhibited their incompetence and inability to see the light. It is, therefore natural that the lenders do not trust them and want to ensure that their money will do what it is given for (pay the Greek Bonds on their dates of maturity) and that they will get it back, which is why their help will be through an escrow account, untouchable by the Greek politicos and the notoriously incompetent Greek Public sector. The help Greece will get, to recover its Economy and put it on a Growth trajectory, will also be closely monitored by Eurozone executives in Greek Government Agencies/Ministries. They will be monitoring the Greek public sector to ensure propriety and no waste. This must be explained to the people of Greece who should know why everything is being arranged the way it is and why all the c--- they hear/read about foreign domination is just that.

No body, so far has come out openly with the Truth, how the country got to where it is, now, and the Media are greatly responsible for it. The Greeks are, therefore, left each to their own understanding of the situation, which only breeds discontent, with everyone seeking and not finding the proper answers. Frustration is inevitable and this leads to anger, which lays the ground for unreasonable reactions, inevitably to violence. Leadership is therefore the country’s salvation. Inspired leadership can unite the Greeks to a “cause”, that being Re-institution of the country on New foundations, New principles, New concepts of life. The established “interests” will fight tooth and nail against this, but they are not the majority, only the potent part of the society. An inspired leader can rally the masses and fight the potency of the “interests” with the sheer force of numbers.

Sadly, though, a part of the problem is the Young part of Greek society. Witness the current situation in Greek Universities where Student political Minorities are preventing the Majority from voting for Student Councils, with the tolerance (in some cases the help) of the Academics … the “teachers” who shape their understanding of the world.

Greek Youth has been taught all the wrong things. Its mentality is not constructively social. It reflects all that is wrong in Greece, the result of Greek politics over the last thirty eight years.

Who can change that and how? The only answer seems to be inspired leadership, but there is none in sight, not a trace of one, so the country remains divided in its views, frustrated, unable to find its way out of its misery, to work with a plan, which leads to

… what if …

The Web can provide a consensus for what can be a concerted effort to help the country by helping those in dire need for help of every kind. Funds can be gathered and be used to alleviate pressure where needed. Useful items can be gathered for the same purpose. Psychological support of every kind can be organized and offered free to those in need of it. Ideas can be presented, debated and defined to present to the authorities, even the National Government, purporting to help the people, the country. Maybe the “network” of Greek society that can be formed in the Web can gradually bring to surface inspired leadership, a New Political Party of capable people with integrity to match their talent, which can participate in National Elections when these are due in 2013, not in April 2012 if Greece is lucky . It may not win a majority but it can play an important part in Greek politics, thus helping to inject New thinking, New practices, akin to those prevalent in the countries of the lenders of Greece, the countries achieving opulence with societal contentment.

The Web could be the “demos”, the “agora” where people can meet, discuss, decide and organize a New Proposition for a New kind of life in a country with great potential but little motivation and ridiculous leadership. Wishful Thinking.