Isn’t it obvious that people would rather have more euros in their pockets than less?  The rich strive to get wealthier, the middle-class just make ends meet, and the poor dig in their pockets in search for some cents for their daily needs.  

Power hungry politicians know this and it is not beyond them to promise everything to everybody.  People must make every effort to detect gratuitous political promises.  U-turns in the political arena are not uncommon and broken political promises are not infrequent either, much as both erode trust.     

Greece is a perfect illustration. 

Its people are facing a very bleak future.  The Greek socio-economic tragedy should send shivers to societies, including ours.  

The tie-less Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras leads SYRIZA, a leftist coalition which includes radical left-wingers.  Far leftists pledge to abolish all forms of inequitable distribution of wealth and power.  The failed political philosophies of the far left seek a society in which everyone is provided with equal economic and social opportunities and wherein no one has excessive wealth or power over others.  This philosophy was abandoned as the hard-left protest voice became more of a populist character, sounding better to the vast majority of the Greeks.          

Prime Minister Tsipras gained power six months ago.  He pledged to end austerity measures and restore self-respect to the Greeks.  

Indeed noble values.    

The first big challenge for the Greek PM came in the past weeks.  After no agreement was reached on the third bail-out for Greece, Prime Minister Tsipras rushed home and shifted his responsibility onto the people, calling a snap referendum.  The Greeks were urged by their Prime Minister to ignore what he called ‘fear campaigns, ultimatums and blackmails from the EU’. As was expected, the Greeks voted against the austerity measures overwhelmingly.

At the time, the Greek Confederation of Trade Unions voiced its dissent. They acknowledged the referendum as a democratic right, but objected to its timing.  The Greek trade unions asserted that the referendum was trivializing an important issue, which could lead to uncontrollable situations and divide Greek society.

The Greeks ignored the trade unions counsel. 

However, in a shift of fortune, within days the same Prime Minister urged the Greeks parliamentarians to support a financial rescue plan to ensure that Greece is granted the third bailout of around €85 billion.  The bill imposes sweeping tax-hikes, pension reforms and spending cuts across the board.

Prime Minister Tsipras emphasised that there were no other good options on the negotiation table and had to choose the least bad deal for his country, arguing that it could have been much worse.

This was a far cry from what he promised.     

The seven pages statement published immediately after the high-powered, night-long Euro Summit reaffirmed that, when push comes to shove, there are no holds barred.  The statement left no room for interpretation. The bullet points in the press statement which Greece has to undertake in the coming months are decisive though difficult for the Greeks.   

The opening paragraph of the statement is a clear indication of what is to follow. “The Euro Summit stresses the crucial need to rebuild trust with the Greek authorities as a pre-requisite for a possible future agreement on a new ESM programme. In this context, the ownership by the Greek authorities is key, and successful implementation should follow policy commitments”.

The Greek socio-economic experience should give EU citizens a better understanding of the negative impact people have to endure when politicians are allowed to milk the cow for the wrong reasons and to accommodate the chosen few.  

Some may think political rhetoric and bullying tactics at the negotiation tables may obtain positive results.  This has been proved wrong many times.  Only trust, persuasion and compromise can give value to negotiations. Patience is an added value which pays better dividends.

Among the long lists of abilities and qualities that effective politicians must possess is that to foresee the future. This may require the implementation of unpopular decisions.  Undoubtedly, some changes may be painful and people may be hard hit and would limp for a while before they can walk again. What becomes a golden rule in politics is that politicians are able to protect the vulnerable and avoid taking blanket decisions.       

I trust that our politicians are wise enough to prove that they are able to spare our society from such unpleasantness.

 

[email protected]