January 13, 2014
Editor, Politics
Hardy has the button “publish” been pressed and a new financial scandal breaks out. Slowly but surely we have lost control over the counting” how many prominent and less prominent Greeks have been arrested, how many of them are free on bail, how many of them are remanded custody, how …
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January 10, 2014
Editor
I feel a wonderful peace inside me today. It’s so beautiful, I find it hard to explain or describe it by words. It feels like resting in the arms of the angel, like being touched by the lighthearted flutter of a higher power. I am about to reach the highest …
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December 10, 2013
Editor
These weird clouds appeared in the sky already in the morning. They move slowly, ‘lazily’ -one could say – in the sky. In fact, I would venture to claim that especially this one, this huge, gray cloud, that looks loaded with snow and has the penetrating smell of frost, this …
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November 9, 2013
Editor
It certainly has advantages to wake up early in the morning. Especially in a sunny morning. Especially at this time of the season. Although we are in first ten days of November, the sun still shines bright, even though a bit more chilly than in the previous month. It shines …
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October 22, 2013
Editor
The clock shows two in the afternoon. I have been thinking the whole morning what news I should write about. Should I start with the upcoming cuts in pensions of several professional groups? With the hikes in patents’ cash participation in prescription medicine, maybe? As I was sipping in my …
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September 18, 2013
Editor
Αll signs show that it was a cold-blooded murder. Eye witnesses speak of a car that drove the one-way street the opposite direction, that assailant came out of the car and stabbed the victim twice. 34-year-old anti-fascist and rapper Pavlos Fyssas died short after the stabbing in the hospital. 45-year-old …
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September 2, 2013
Economy, Editor
I can tell you right away: no, it doesn’t! It doesn’t really matter what the Christian-Democrat, conservative and neo-liberal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and her Social-Democrat challenger Peer Steinbrueck exchanged on clever and quick statements, announcements and criticism last night, during their TV-duel. It doesn;t really matter what they …
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July 24, 2013
Editor
It’s time for the birds. For angry birds, for hungry birds, for birds longing to move away and they can’t. There are several different hindering these birds from open wings and fly away. To other places with less financial distress, less trouble-causing bureaucracy. Somewhere where the state mechanism functions and …
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July 11, 2013
Editor
I am not going to talk about the masses of municipality workers and policemen, civil servants, teachers and school guards who take to the streets every day protesting the upcoming lay-offs in the Greek public sector. I am going to talk about my friend Markos and my friend Giota. Two people …
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June 21, 2013
Editor, Politics
What happened last night in Greece? I could summarize it in just a few words: we have very extrovert politicians in the government who prefer to carry out their disagreements in public than sit in an office and work out their differences in public. Otherwise I have no reasonable explanation …
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June 20, 2013
Editor, Politics
Last night they agreed. Prime Minister Samaras and his coalition government partners Venizelos (PASOK) and Kouvelis (Democratic Left) agreed about shutdown public broadcaster ERT. They just didn’t dare to speak openly about it. Venizelos and Kouvelis kept the ‘agreement’ in secret in order to continue negotiations with Samaras in order …
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June 9, 2013
Editor
You know what? After three years of austerity measures banging our heads every once in a while, I can join Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and proudly announce “the crisis is over”. Almost. Somehow. Somewhere. Now. In the near future. In the far future. It doesn’t matter. The signs of recovery …
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June 3, 2013
Editor
With the Troika representatives back in Athens, Greece reportedly gives a battle to achieve the lowering of Value Added Tax in catering services and goods from currently 23% down to 13%. So far the signals from the country’s main lender International Monetary Fund are not promising. Christine Lagarde was clear …
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May 14, 2013
Editor
Prime minister Antonis Samaras is excited. Excited about the achievements of his coalition government and thus less than a year at the leadership of the country. Conservative Samaras, all Nea Dimocratia lawmakers and finance minister Yiannis Stournaras are determined to make us believe that (theoretically) the crisis is over. The …
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April 23, 2013
Economy, Editor
23 April 2010: Many Greeks did not quite understand what then prime minister George Papandreou was telling us from the remote but picturesque island of Kastelorizo. The houses were bathing in the sun, the deep blue sea was sparkling. It was all set up in a perfect scenery, but the …
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March 31, 2013
Economy, Editor
When five Sunday newspapers speak about the safety of savers’ deposits in their front pages, I think, it’s time we should start make thoughts about “how secured are deposits in Greece?” The Cyprus example might be “a template”, after all, as eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem recently said. Deposits in Greek …
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March 19, 2013
Editor, Politics
Greeks are deeply stunned and green from envy, to hear the debate inside the Cypriot Parliament during the crucial voting on bank deposits tax. The eurogroup imposed measure for a Cyprus bailout that will be rejected by the Cypriots. Hardly had the discussion started in the Cypriot Parliament on the depositors’ tax …
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February 27, 2013
Editor, Politics
An Italian phenomenon: Beppe Grillo, a comedian who challenges the political system. A rising Five-Star politician without a governance program. Founder of a new anti-austerity movement that won a quarters of the vote in last Sunday’s elections. A 25% that makes him a kingmaker. Without the participation of non-conformist Beppe Grillo no …
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February 13, 2013
Economy, Editor, Society
The statement of general secretary of Finance Ministry Giorgos Mergos that the minimum wage should be lowered set off to a fierce discussion. Many wonder, whether a further lowering was under way and whether Mergos just fired a flare to check reactions. The statements and assurances by the Labour and Finance ministries that no …
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February 6, 2013
Editor
As my tiny space capsule swings in an atmosphere full of grey fire-wood smog and yellow clouds full of Sahara clouds, I am sitting here wondering if I should call the ground control. I see an alarming situation emerging right before my dirty window. A coalition government having to deal …
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