The New Bosses Are Coming to Town

27 April 1941

This is Radio FREE ATHENS

Greeks! The German invaders are on the outskirts of Athens.

Brothers! Keep alive in your souls the spirit of the front

The invaders are coming to a deserted city with its homes closed to them.

Greeks! Keep your heads held high.

Attention, the radio station of Athens will in a short time no longer be Greek. It will be German and spreading lies.

Greeks, don't listen. we will continue to fight until the final victory.

LONG LIVE THE NATION OF THE GREEKS!

27 October 2011

Reuters. Greek sovereignty was further undermined by eurozone leaders today, as Germany demanded a "durable" supervision on the ground of its economic policy-making under the terms of a second €130 billion bail-out.

The new rescue package, which comes with a 50 percent debt cut by private lenders and is to run until 2020, will include a "monitoring capacity on the ground" instead of current visits every three months by the troika of European Commission, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank lenders, the summit communique said.

The aim of the mission will be to "advise and offer assistance in order to ensure the timely and full implementation of the reforms."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for the permanent presence instead of the current set-up, which sees the troika "coming and going every three months."

In a dark blue jacket reflecting the mood in and about the eurozone, Merkel abandoned her usual cautious rhetoric warned outright of a war.

"Nobody should take for granted another 50 years of peace and prosperity in Europe. They are not for granted. That's why I say: If the euro fails, Europe fails," Merkel said, followed by a long applause from all political groups.

"We have a historical obligation: To protect by all means Europe's unification process begun by our forefathers."

 

And the Greek heroes of 1940 wept.

 

1941 Greek Radio Announcment 

German Military Marches - Horst Wessel Lied

Sophia Vembo Kane kouragio Ellada mou

 

Comments

[Perry]

Stavros, I'm sure I'm not the only one reading this on an iPad. You should think about getting rid of flash in your blog. Every page has annoying reminders to install the latest version of flash. As you probably know, flash will never be on an iPad or any other iOS device. I think that in the end, you will lose readers of you stick with this design. Just my 2 cents. Best, Perry

[Istvan]

Saw Merkel's speech. They already have enslaved eastern Europe where you can't find a half decent job without speaking your masters' language. People there gave themselves away.
Greece will be a tough one though.Sure they need to ditch the euro and the socialist system, but Greece will succeed after woken up by slaps like this.
Hope your visit to Greece was succesful.
My best wishes to you

[Stavros]

Istvan,

Had a great visit, got to see my son for a few days. Unfortunately I also got a glimpse at the hard times that Greeks are undergoing. Those of us who truly love Greece cannot but feel deep anguish to see her in the present state. The slaps come in quick succession. Once more it is country looking down into the abyss and hoping for a miracle.

All the best to you as well.

Perry,

Thanks for the heads up. I will look into the matter and talk to the Typepad folks.

[Simon Baddeley]

"I entered the home of a woman..."

http://democracystreet.blogspot.com/2007/08/highlands.html

I do think Germany has changed. The circumstances are different but the resonances are overwhelming, the memories even to an observer close to unbearable. I stay with my close American friend who has just returned to Connecticut after staying with us in Αγαπητοί Ελλάδα.....Poor Greece. In the last three weeks since we left, things seem to have gone from bad to much, much worse. I read a heart-rending article today in the NYT portraying how the entire Greek economy seems to be grinding to halt - literally. Businesses and shops, even in the affluent districts are shuttering because they haven't had a buying customer in weeks and those who do come in are seeking to pawn family valuables rather than buy anything! Deposits are fleeing Greek banks and sent abroad before it loses its value from enforced conversion to a new drachma. Will be interesting to see whether the new coalition government can handle the situation. I have my doubts. All parliamentarians, according to the article, have to be accompanied by armed guards. Do you think the military will try to take over as in the 1970's if the situation becomes chaotic and the government simply cannot enforce the measures it passes? Though no one has mentioned the possibility yet, Greece may be close to this possibility. I have no sense as to how all these turns are affecting the countryside but the paralysis has got to hit the rural areas and smaller cities sooner or later if things continue along their present trajectory. How stupid and, as Paul Krugman points out in the NYT so much unnecessary suffering all because the ECB, France and Germany won't get together to form a truly continental economy with greater not less unity. Hell, we learned that lesson (during America's critical period) in the 1780's under the Articles of Confederation!

[Stavros]

Simon,

I was always a big proponent of Greece joining the EU. Unfortunately I now realize that this was a big mistake for a number of reasons. First, and foremost is that Greece and the other second tier countries of the south cannot hope to compete against the more industrialized northern countries. They have become markets, importing the manufactured goods that countries like Germany make and nothing more. Second, the Germans call the shots, they would never do anything that hurts Germany, like allow their banks to take the loss they so richly deserve. Third, despite sharing a currency they share very little else and that is pretty evident based on how Greeks are viewed by the rest, i.e. as lazy, corrupt, etc. Fourth, the Greeks thought that their borders would be secured as an EU country, wrong again, In fact, the EU is powerless and even consorts with those who have territorial aims, like Turkey, Albania, FYROM.

If Germany and the rest really wanted to fix the problem in Greece, they would do everything they could to put the Greek economy on a stable footing, not loot the country as they did more than once before. The Greek economy is being destroyed in order to repay the banks. How shortsighted. In the end everyone loses. The Greek political class as well as those who have elected them deserve plenty of the blame.

The only hope for the country is to leave the EU, regain its independence and find Greek solutions to Greek problems. To do so will entail great hardship and suffering. Only through such adversity can Greeks ever begin the process of renewal that is needed.

Don't worry about the military they have been emasculated by successive politicial leaders, they don't have the stomach to do what they did in 1967. Both the Right and Left have been thoroughly discredited. I don't believe any Greek believes the lies that they have been fed for so many years.

[Simon Baddeley]

My thoughts this Saturday:

The sovereignty of Europe stands opposed to the sovereignty of Greece and of every other European country sustained by European credit. Every expression of support for Papademos among Greeks is a vote for Europe. Today's poll by MRB (who are they? what's the sample?) - says 68% of the Greek population view a unity coalition as 'the government best suited to solving the country's huge problems with debt, budget deficits and economic competitiveness'. I suspect this 'support' is made up of resigned stoicism, apprehension and dismay at the absence of alternatives. Anti-austerity comes fragmented and incoherent via the competing rhetoric of a fragmented left. No-one speaks coherently about alternatives to austerity. Among those opposed to - rather than disliking - austerity policies, there is no narrative; no discernible manifesto or guidance on "what is to be done"

It looks like a matter of who blinks first - supporters inside and outside Greece - of the Euro or supporters of the new drachma...

[Angela Merkel's speech of 14 Nov in Leipzig is already written - "Europe is in one of its toughest, perhaps the toughest hour since World War Two." Papademos' first speech to the Hellenic Parliament on the same day is already prepared - "I assume the premiership in the toughest moment in the country’s recent history...Remaining in the euro is the only choice.”]

http://democracystreet.blogspot.com/2011/11/endless-austerity.html