Dimitrios' World

Much is being written these days about the nature of the "Indignants’' that are out en masse in the main squares of Greek cities. How can such a heterogeneous movement full of contradictory demands and aspirations really be an expression of the fundamental need for political, social, and economic change? How can such a movement contribute to lifting society and the country out of its morass? One well know journalist who has been ahead of the curve by repeatedly daring to make Greek taboos known to the rest of the world, Takis Michas, wrote an interesting piece in protagon.gr titled "Where were you Indignant?" . He presents an endless list of figures that show the slow decay of the country such as the fact that the consumer index was 12% than the average in the EU while the average income in Greece was 5% below the EU average and productivity was 20% below the EU average, etc.. Others question the demand and feasibility of "direct democracy " that seems ...

The feeling of outrage is growing among the professional political elite in Greece. It can be easily understood -- they have been running this country for over 35 years (and some for much more) and now the people they represent or at least a part of them have been taking to the streets to protest! What ires the despondent and indignant politicians is that the people in the squares and streets are not protesting within the organised confines of the unions and political parties that have been formed to allow citizens to vent their anger and to to be co-opted but, how dare they, these new protests have been taking place without the approval of the party machines! Even worse, whenever anyone shows up waiving the symbols of any of our benevolent political formations, they are derided and threatened. As a result of this growing phenomenon, the politicians feel the very core of their existence under threat. If they cannot govern as they have to date with their vested interests, ...