These days I try to avoid watching on television candidates from political parties praising their program and their positions. It mostly makes me sad to see either new and totally unknown faces or veterans MPs of all colors and ideological directions insisting that they know how to economically save me; my life and my family. I don’t know personally neither the new candidates nor the old ones. And they don’t know me. In fact they have not the slightest idea about my personal situation or the situation of my relatives and neighbors. But they want to save me.
That’s noble, right?
Anyway, occasionally I cannot avoid them on my TV screen, especially in the mornings when I watch to catch up with the latest developments. This morning I got a lesson about capitalism.
Nea Dimokratia candidate and ex health minister Adonis Georgiadis and a SYRIZA candidate (I missed the name) were sitting at the panel of the morning magazine of Skai TV.
With this and that the debate came to the lifting of the protection of the first home estate for mortgage borrowers.
SYRIZA candidate said that the protection has been lifted as of 1.1. 2015 and that form now home owners who cannot pay back their loans will lose their homes and see their go for auction for a piece of bread.
Here I have to note that indeed there was not postponement of the protection of the so-called “First home” and no relevant announcement has been made in December, as it was done the previous years. There is not even a minimum protection for those who are unable to serve their mortgages in a country hit by recession and unemployment for 6 consecutive years.
Nevertheless, the ND candidate made reference to some older regulation according to which mortgage borrowers were able to make new installments settlements for their mortgage – deadline was summer 2014, I think.
The SYRIZA candidate argued in favor of the people who cannot pay back even if they made the arrangements due to unemployment for example.
But the ND explanation was striking:
“Banks have to seize the homes so that they will be able to give new loans and mortgages,” Georgiadis said.
The same thought crossed the SYRIZA’s candidate mind and mine: “Do we have to lose our homes so that banks can give loans and mortgages?” she asked.
ND-candidate’s reply came like shot from a gun “that’s the capitalism, that’s how it is!”
No, he didn’t say “it’s the capitalism, stupid!”
But he wants too save me too…
BTW a civic initiative (EKPOIZO) has been created and organizes support protests when home owners have to appear by the court and see their home change hands. They have been active in Athens and Patras and have managed to prevent a couple of evictions and auctions. Last week, media reported that a father of four died by heart attack four days after he received the auction notice.
The number of mortgage borrowers is estimated to be several thousands.
