Greece Wars With Courts Over Ways to Slash Budget – NYTimes.com. ATHENS — The Greek government has made a range of painful cuts to salaries, pensions and jobs for public workers over the last four years, saying they were needed to satisfy the demands of the international creditors that bailed
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Parchment in the Fire: Capital, Labour, and the Eurozone Crisis
Most of the coverage regarding the Eurozone crisis has understandably focused on the politics of austerity. Less attention, however, has been paid to the longer term trends in the industrial relations of those countries hardest hit by the crisis: Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain; the so-called PIIGS countries. Recent
Continue readingArt Threat: Evaporating Borders explores asylum-seekers in Cyprus
“… it’s a place I call home, although I blend in only as a familiar stranger.” Evaporating Borders, written and directed by Iva Radivojevic, is a five-act exploration of asylum-seekers in Cyprus. Beginning with a personal, essayistic voiceover and lush compositions, the film’s first act also uses subtly executed re-enactments
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Tony Blair and the Corporatization of Social Democracy
Tony Blair, by any sensible yardstick, is a douchebag. Recently, The Guardian, under the headline “Toxic”, detailed Blair’s “downward spiral”. This included the revelation that he may have been having an affair with Wendi Murdoch, the now ex-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Blair was once good pals with Murdoch
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Tough austerity measures in Greece leave nearly a million people with no access to healthcare, leading to soaring infant mortality, HIV infection and suicide – Europe – World – The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/tough-austerity-measures-in-greece-leave-nearly-a-million-people-with-no-access-to-healthcare-leading-to-soaring-infant-mortality-hiv-infection-and-suicide-9142274.html Filed under: Austerity, Greece, inequality, Neoliberalism Tagged: Austerity, crisis, Greece, neoliberalism
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Ponzi Austerity: A Definition And An Example – Social Europe Journal
Ponzi Austerity: A Definition And An Example – Social Europe Journal. For a while now I have been arguing that Europe’s policies for reducing the public debts of fiscally stressed member-states can be described as a Ponzi austerity scheme. In this post I attempt precisely to define ‘Ponzi austerity’. Ponzi
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Maria the ‘mystery’ Roma girl and Madeleine McCann… racist underside of news coverage
Maria posters and headline/Maria’s biological mother Sasha Ruseva A story from Greece about a four year-old ‘mystery girl’ named Maria has been making headlines in the mainstream media. Maria who is fair-haired was living in the care of a Roma couple who happen to be dark complexioned. This created suspicions
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: The left in Greece must rise up against Golden Dawn | Costas Lapavitsas | Comment is free | theguardian.com
The left in Greece must rise up against Golden Dawn | Costas Lapavitsas | Comment is free | theguardian.com. Greece – and the rise of Golden Dawn – is an extreme parable of what has happened to many developed countries since the global crisis broke out in 2007. The policies
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Government Crackdown on Golden Dawn Won’t Defeat Greek Fascism
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10812 Costas Lapavitsas on why the state crackdown on Golden Dawn fails to address the basis of their popular support. Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Extreme Right, Fascism, Greece
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Greece’s democracy in danger, warns Demos, as Greek reservists call for coup | World news | theguardian.com
Athens riot police fire tear gas at an anti-fascist protest calling for action against the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party following a rapper’s murder. Photo: Milos Bicanski/Getty No country has displayed more of a “backslide in democracy” than Greece, the British thinktank Demos has said in a study highlighting the crisis-plagued
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Pavlos Fissas’ accused killer Giorgos Roupakias had Golden Dawn links: killing adds fuel to Greek anti-austerity protests
Top: Killah_P Beneath: Suspect Giorgos Roupakias in custody and shrine at killing site On September 17, Greek hip-hop artist Pavlos Fissas aka Killah P was stabbed to death in the Amfiali/Keratsini neighborhood of Piraeus (about 10 miles from downtown Athens). He was ambushed by neo-Nazis linked to the far-right Golden
Continue readingGreece—1930s redux
When Europe sank into depression in the 1930s, politics polarized. The far right became more appealing to some, the far left to others. One reassured people by harking back to tribal values, the other by insisting nothing would do but to overthrow the system and start afresh. In hard times,
Continue readingdrive-by planet: ‘Into the Fire’ video: targeting of immigrants in Greece by the authorities and Golden Dawn fascists
Into the Fire sends a powerful message about the xenophobia and violence faced by immigrants in Greece struggling to survive against steep odds. A large percentage were driven to seek asylum not as a matter of choice but because of war and other problems in their countries of origin. Many
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Classical Greek Women – Badassery Maxxed.
THIS IS MARRIAGE!! Thats right! Permission to be a bad ass. Nod. He looks back at the guy like, “SEE THAT? SHE SAID YES. YOU’RE SO FUCKED.” Like, guys. Sparta was so kick ASS sometimes when it came to women. Spartan women were given these small knives so that if
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Greeks ask Canadians to help stop Canadian mining corp Eldorado Gold
By: Mining Watch Canada | Press Release OTTAWA – The situation around Eldorado Gold Corporation’s mining projects in northern Greece is extremely tense. In the face of negative official response to social and environmental concerns from the company, Greek authorities, and even the Canadian Ambassador – a delegation from the affected
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Academics present evidence that austerity really does kill
Ontario is presently entering year two of its austerity program, convinced that it is the only way out of an economic problem that wasn’t even created here. We have previously highlighted economic arguments that suggest austerity creates a self-defeating “fiscal … Continue reading →
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Why Greek opposition to gold mining is justified: Canadian mining practices under scrutiny
Last week in Greece a large demo was held in Thessaloniki to protest a Canadian gold mining project in the Halkidiki region. Around 15,000 took to the streets. They voiced their objections to the mine project and slammed Greek PM Antonis Samaras. Chants included “Junta police, Antonis Samaras” and “Gold
Continue readingbastard.logic: Creeping Fascism Like Woah
Business Insider: The AP reports that 5,000 Golden Dawn supporters marched past the US Embassy in Athens, chanting anti-Turkish, anti-US and anti-immigrant slogans. The anti-US feeling was prompted by memories of a 1996 territorial dispute between Greece and Turkey that only ended peacefully after the intervention of the US, and led to three Greek
Continue readingEclectic Lip: From housing to plumbing
(originally written Mar 4, 2012. Part of Great Upload of 2013.) Readers (regular and irregular both) may know that about six years ago, I was quoted in MacLean’s saying Canadian housing was in a bubble. So after six long years of looking very wrong, I was delighted to see the
Continue readingEclectic Lip: Homer (not Simpson) and the Kaopectate Kid
The doctor diagnosed young son Leo recently with the stomach flu — which is colloquial shorthand for a condition which isn’t the flu, per se. (The most recent editor of the relevant article on the almighty Wiki agrees!) The Kaopectate Kid Our medical professional then suggested we give Leo some
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