EU expresses concern about Chrysi Avgi

Often I have been confronted by Greeks in the Diaspora who have expressed shame for being Greek over the last 5 years of economic crisis and its mishandling by the Greek population – or the popular psychosis of a people unable to accept the consequences of their actions. Generally I would rebuff their shame by pointing to Greece's democracy, it's people's resistance to Nazis in WWII and other generous attributes of the so-called Greek character. Yet, now I must profess some shame – the first time in my life. For a long time the poor handling of asylum seekers, the dysfunctional governance of Greece by major parties had focused many of the Greeks' grievances on 'foreigners' regardless of the fact that over 10 million Greeks are born of foreigners in other nations, regardless of the fact that its tourism is bolstered by foreigners, and regardless of the fact that evidence in Australia and the US reveals that multiculturalism works as to build the a nation's economic and social position. Many of the Greek population, living on borrowed money and represented by appalling patron-client politics failed to grasp the benefits foreigners brought and can bring to the nation. The immaturity of the population as evidenced by the fact that 70% want to be in the eurozone yet as many want to not abide by the measures of the eurozone, nor can they come to terms with the need to restructure. The problem always seems to be someone else’s fault, the foreigners, the Germans, the politicians, the rich and so on – never the citizens’. Now, these citizens have voted against the two major parties PASOK and New Democracy and opted for the naive and economically dangerous policies of Syriza, which cannot form a coalition. Most disturbing and most shameful is the election of a handful of neo Nazis, Golden Dawn. Their dishing out food handouts to poor Greeks and the dreadful electoral system which Greece has whereby all one needs is 3% of a vote to move into parliament has facilitated Golden Dawn’s popularity among Greeks living in the margins – the poor old, unemployed young men and some rural poor. Worse it reflects on the The election bodes terrible future for Greece, it is a time for collective shame for dropi. One hopes that the citizenry of Greece do not fall so far off the precipice of civilisation, that their fate will be sealed total economic, social and moral disintegration. Lambis Katsavos SA