End of time, Mr. Schauble

by Emmanuel Bouhalakis

             

With the rapid deterioration of the living standards of Greece, one may think that the "austerity nightmare" would touch the hearts of European bureaucrats like German finance minister Mr. Schauble. His German rationale dictates to him that the way to salvation is through good deeds and hard work. But even he, in his mysterious thoughts, cannot ignore the fact that you should never press a nation too far. 

In the 1920s the Weimar Republic failed to bring Germany to a nationally decent position. Not only there was widespread unemployment and rampant anarchy but the French as well invaded the Ruhr industrial area to make the Germans produce more steel and coal. Such was the wounded pride of the Germans that Adolf Hitler found the perfect chance to gather the momentum of hatred towards the victors of World War One and use it to bring his Nazi party to power.

As it would seem proper to assume that Mr. Schauble knows about history, then it would also be proper to say to him that pushing a nation to its limits is the most foolish thing a "partner" can do. The same warning must be delivered totally clearly to Angela Merkel, Herman van Rompuy and whoever else is in charge of this astonishing amalgam of cacophony we today call European Union.

With the latest austerity measures voted by the Greek parliament, the Greek society has reached its very limits of endurance. Previously coveted jobs like professorships and army officers jobs have suffered significant cuts. The private sector is becoming a peculiar form of jungle with fewer and fewer people getting decent salaries and health insurance. In some places unemployment has reached a staggering 30% and many parts of the population may soon be on the verge of humanitarian crisis.

In the light of all these, only a person totally stranger to human solidarity and political fairness would insist on further measures to satisfy banks, the markets or Lucifer himself. 

It is obvious that the Greek government ought to do a lot more to gather taxes, to reduce corruption and to organize the monstrous Greek public sector. Nevertheless, a further round of pressure to cut salaries and promote measures that turn the labor market into a slave trade will cause the collapse of the present government and will give rise to extremities from left and right parties. Inevitably then Greece will have to swiftly abandon the Euro and its fake prosperity and try after some years of struggle to regain its independence from a damaging relationship with countries it may not eventually be able to communicate.

The next victim could as well be Portugal, Spain, Italy and who knows which else. Future wars may not be altogether an unimaginable prospect.

The end of the time has come, Mr. Schauble. A democratic government has better chances to pay your taxpayers money back. A nationalist one, no way. Think smart and act quickly. It would be a shame for history to name you as the person who brought another type of Fascism to a country which fought against it for decades.