Striking Greeks

[Dottie1943]

How sensible!!!!

They are all striking for 48 hours instead of trying to save the country!!!

We bail them out, give them cash which we cannot afford and they take a two day holiday in the name of democracy.

What is wrong with these people? So far the only thing I can see they have accepted is taxing the people with holiday homes, what about the free travel they all receive, what about the years of abuse in not paying taxes when they are earning good wages.

My blood is boiling today.

[Papaumau]

Yes Dottie, it does look bad when you say it like that !

The thing is that the people of Greece are actually the victims here and not the creators of this situation as they - like us - are now suffering badly by having to pay increased taxes on top of frozen or reduced wages so as to bail out their GOVERMENT for it's past mistakes.

I have found that while the reckless money-men play around with crazy amounts of money that does not belong to them and the speculators make many millions of Pounds or Euros out of this speculation they do not give a damn about the risks that they are taking with the solvency of the country that houses them.

THEY... are never made to pay for the situations that they create but when banks and even countries crash because of the mismanagement of money at the top it always falls on THE PEOPLE to pick up the tab.

We in Britain are much more stoical than the likes of the Greeks or the French are and that is why our governments and our big banks can keep getting away with ripping us off right left and centre.

Maybe, instead of castigating the hard hit people of Greece, we should be supporting them in their fight for fairness and reason ?

[Dottie1943]

Papa, I have already supported them with million and billions of pounds that our government along with others have given to them! I think this country has done its bit to support the likes of Greece, and the other countries which we are now helping out, if they, the people are not prepared to start pulling in their belts and helping themselves then why should we do so?

A small thing I know but very emotive in this day and age in this country where our own transport system is being reduced greatly, did you know in Greece when the people go on trains or buses, there is a box at the start of the journey that the people are trusted to put money in for the fares (whatever they feel would be a reasonable figure) very few of the these travellers actually bother to pay anything towards their travel!

Now to me that would be the first thing that should be changed and I bet your bottom dollar they would strike about that too!!!

[caminito]

Uk pays 103 billion euros to EU
Greece receives 25 billion euros from EU
I think that every Greek should buy us a drink when we holiday there.

There is an Endemic culture in Greece to avoid paying taxes. Even professional people , doctors ,lawyers etc  just as much as the labourer , bar owner etc.
No wonder the government struggles to pay it's way.
Retirement at 50 years old on a good pension !

It was maybe exceptable when the population were peasants BUT when they joined the EU there should have been strict rules laid down and
adhered to. How much EU money has been wasted ,lost or syphoned off by  fraud    The UK taxpayers money  
 There is nobody to blame but the GREEKS for the situation that they find themselves in !  

I have absolutely no compassion for the Greeks . You reap what you sow !

[Papaumau]

Papa, I have already supported them with million and billions of pounds that our government along with others have given to them! I think this country has done its bit to support the likes of Greece, and the other countries which we are now helping out, if they, the people are not prepared to start pulling in their belts and helping themselves then why should we do so?

Dottie.....

As members of the Treaty of Rome we are obliged to put our share into the European central pot and just like the other rich members of this club we cannot just respond when we feel like it when things go wrong.

Any membership of any "union" in the world will bring great things and sometimes not-so-good things and once we have committed to be members we are expected to play our part.

"They, the people of Greece" have already suffered from a very strong austerity package and it is not surprising that they are now complaining that they have to keep "tightening their belts" again and again until they are so tight that they fear these actions will cut off all of the blood going to their heads.

I have always found it awful that no matter who has all of the money in any country it is always the people on the streets that are asked to keep dipping into their wallets and purses to bail out the reckless idiots that cause the money-troubles in the first place. That cannot be right no matter how you look at it.

[Dottie1943]

Papa

I will agree with you on one point that the majority will always be hit more so than the minority, that surely is because it's the minority that are normally telling the majority what they have got to do anyway!

However, the majority of the Greek people have for years and years been able to overcome taxes of most kinds and now they are being asked to conform they don't like it!

A similar think happens in Spain, they call it the black money you go to buy a house and in front of the Noteria ( judge) you hand over to the seller in a paper bag an amount of pre determined cash ( sometimes 10%) of the asking price so that taxes do not have to be paid by the vendor on that money, this is IN FRONT of the judge!!!ihave no doubt that the same happens in Greece.

the only one that I know who tried to do that here was Mandleson and he got caught, another of the minority who gets away with murder!

[Papaumau]

Your analogy of "kickbacks" is one that is rife right around the world and not least by the ones that really hold and control the money.

I always take the part of the poorest "majority" as it is they that are always the ones that are hit the hardest when things go wrong in high places. I see nothing wrong in that !

I will certainly never try to find excuses for these foolish people when they make big mistakes that put all of us in hock.

[Angelo]

There but for the grace of God go we !
The way we are going though it could EASILY be US Next !
Perhaps if we were more inclined to get up off our backsides occasionaly we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now ?

[Papaumau]

Yes Angelo, we are STILL going through the exact-same problems that Ireland and Greece and Portugal and now Spain and Italy are now going through and it is just coincidence that the Eurozone has been caught in the exact-same trap as all of the other countries of the world - including the powerful America and even Iceland - are still fighting.

The British Eurosceptics have jumped on this bandwagon with glee as they try to blame Europe for all of the world's ills, including male-pattern baldness. 

I say, and I have always said, that we should give Europe a chance to sort out it's problems as I am totally sure that the big members of this club - including us - will just NOT let this massive entity fall.

Angela Merkel, The German Chancellor ), said yesterday that "if the Euro falls, the European Union will fall" and I am completely sure that those countries - including Britain - that would suffer terribly if that happened, will just not let it happen.

The Brits that are anti-Europe forget that even although we are not in the EMU, if the European Union crashes this will do us - who send most of our world exports to Europe -  just as much harm as it will do those countries in the Euro-zone.  In other words, it is in our best interests not to just sit out here on the sidelines and giggle about the problems Greece are going through at the moment as if Greece falls the rippling knock-on effect will crash us back into recession almost immediately afterwards.

My nemesis, David Cameron said this yesterday and for once he was dead right !

[David G]

Furious Greeks lampoon German 'overlords' as Nazis. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you, they're definitely living in a parallel universe. What part of it's your debt and your problem do these placard waving banner carrying demonstrators not understand? Stop retiring at 50, get your corrupt tax system sorted out, stop your blame others for everything culture.
It isn't the fault of Germany,France, Britain or any other country that Greece is in a disastrous financial mess, it's the fault of guess who? the GREEKS and the fact that they wish they weren't starting from this point is irrelevant they are where they are. The obvious answer to this is, If they're not happy with the conditions imposed just cut them loose and leave them to it, then see where it takes their country.
Their demonstrating hasn't got rid of the debt it's just passed it on to the hardworking  tax payers of other countries.
I 100% agree with Dotties original statement.
What are they going to call the Chinese if they become involved? in my opinion they should stay out of it and let them stew in their own juices, see how they like it when everything stops getting paid,

[Angelo]

In her speech to the Bundestag the other day Angela Merkel started by saying that this whole mess was started when the American Bank Lehman Brothers went bust. Apparently she blames the Americans for all this !
Make of that what you will !
Angelo's uncle fought with the Greek resistance fighters during WW2. Told him stories that would curl your hair.
Guess what they don't like Germans and they have long memories !

[Papaumau]

It's TRUE !

The money-troubles that the whole world are having at the moment originally stemmed from the banking crash that was triggered by the "TOXIC" sub-prime-mortgage schemes that went belly-up in America.

It is a well known saying that "if America sneezes, Britain catches a cold" but that saying actually fits exactly what is happening in Europe too.

I have to say....AGAIN..... that all that has happened in the Eurozone and in Britain has happened at levels that we ordinary mortals are not privvy to and as such we should stop attacking the people in all of these countries that are now suffering as a direct result of these top-level shenanigans.


OH and....Caminito... You should be ashamed of yourself for inserting a picture of Angela Merkel with a swastika on her sleeve as those of us that can remember those original days are not so quick to chuck that kind of an indictment about the place.

This is one time that I feel the management of the Pensioners Forum should step in and DELETE that very troll-like image. If it was meant as an amusing jibe I for one do not think that a swastika is at any time amusing !

[Dottie1943]

Caminito in this instance I am with Papa on this one and the picture should be removed I was waiting for somebody else to also complain as personally I also found it offensive and not in good taste.

[caminito]

I am sorry that I have offended anybody with the
The picture ,along with many others ,including cartoons , has been published in the UK and european press.
Also shown on TV .
It shows the depth of feeling in Greece to the German control of their country.
Anyway I will delete but I feel no need to be ashamed !

[Dottie1943]

Caminito

I do not want you to feel ashamed that was the last thing on MY mind, but thank you.

Dottie