There has
been much speculation and debate over what has come to be known as the 2012
phenomenon. Many theories center on the end of the Mayan Calendar and a looming
cataclysmic event. Others prefer to subscribe to the belief that the year will
mark the beginning of a physical or perhaps spiritual ‘transformation’ of the
earth and its inhabitants [1]. For those that tend to think in the
latter, there is no imminent doom, but rather a ‘transformation of
consciousness’ that is somehow connected to the coming Galactic alignment in
2012 and the end of the astrological Age of Pisces.
For those
unfamiliar with Astrological Ages, they are astrological time periods. That
match with significant developments and changes in human civilization:
particularly related to culture, society, and politics. Their beginnings do not
coincide with any specific year, century or millennium. Instead, it is a slow
process, referred to by many astrologers as ‘the cusp’. It is at this point
that many believe we currently stand, between the ages of Pisces and Aquarius,
on the brink of a new epoch in human civilization. For anyone who has been
watching world events over the past few years, it seems clear that something
certainly is on the horizon.
In 2008, the
world was rocked by a financial crisis, which led to the collapse of large
financial institutions, government bailouts of banks, and downturns in stock
markets around the global. It was triggered by problems in the American banking
system [2] [3] and was fueled by the collapse of the US housing
bubble and the subprime mortgage market [4].
For Europe, this has
led to the Eurozone crisis, which has spread economic crisis and political
turmoil across the European Union, specifically in member states such as
Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland [5]. As the crisis worsened, 2011 turned out to be
a year of immense political upheaval across the global and for Europe it led to
rating agency Standard & Poor placing 15 eurozone countries on ‘negative
credit watch’, while both Greece and Italy would have their governments removed
and replaced by ‘technocrats’ [4].
All in all,
2011, was certainly a year full of protests across North America, Europe, the
Middle East, and North Africa as people took to the streets to protest against
corporate greed, political oppression, and social injustice. In every instance,
demonstrators harnessed the Internet and Social Media to mobilize thousands in
innovative ways, which unsurprisingly led to Time magazine choosing the
‘Protestor’ as its Person of the Year [6] [7].
“In short, 2011 was unlike any year since 1989-but more extraordinary, more global, more democratic, since in ’89 the regime disintegrations were all the result of a single disintegration at headquarters, one big switch pulled in Moscow that cut off the power throughout the system. So 2011 was unlike any year since 1968-but more consequential because more protesters have more skin in the game. Their protests weren’t part of a countercultural pageant, as in ’68 and rapidly morphed into full-fledged rebellions, bring down regimes and immediately changing the course of history. It was, in other words, unlike anything in any of our lifetimes, probably unlike any year since 1848…” [6].
For those
living in the United States, it was the birth of the 99%. Like in other countries, the Occupy Movement
came together, not by way of a common ideology, but rather by means of a common
disgust at the establishment. It was a national, non-partisan, protest against
social and economic inequality. Inspired by student protests in the U.K., the
anti-austerity protests in Greece and Spain, as well as the Arab Spring[8],
it was met with police violence in an effort to stop it from gaining momentum [9]
[10] [11].
Of all the
movements that have sprung up throughout the West, two alone have the potential
to be true catalysts for a global transformation of consciousness. These two movements are Occupy Wall Street
and the Indignant Citizens Movement. Why, you may ask do these two movements in
the United States and Greece standout from others that shook the world
establishment in 2011. The answer is remarkably straightforward; both have the
symbolic potential to transform Western thought, due to their locations. The
United States is a world power and the most influential country in the world.
If, OWS spreads and leads to a revolution inside the United States, it would
send shock waves across the global. The same can be said for Greece, the birth
place of Democracy and Western Civilization. A Revolution, in this small
Mediterranean country, would have a tremendous symbolic significance across the
international community and especially inside Europe itself.
The Return of Palaiokommatismos and
the path towards Crisis
Once a land
of heroes and philosophers, today Greece is nothing more than a dying patient
from an over dosage in neoliberal social engineering [12]. A country
only in name, it resembles more an occupied nation, but instead of soldiers
dealing the death blows, its bankers, Bureaucrats, and CEOs committing war
crimes. How did this once free country become a test site for the elite, who
plan to reconstruct an ancient land into an extensive Special Economic Zone for
investors [12]? The story of the current Greek Crisis begins with
the return of Palaiokommatismos (Old
Partyism). The so-called restoration of ‘Democracy’ after the fall of the
Junta in 1974, brought with it the return of the Palaiokommastistes (Old Party system men), who began running
large public deficits in order to finance new public sector jobs, pensions, and
other social benefits [13], to reward those loyal to their political
parties [14]. In other words,
instead of Democracy, Greece became a Plutarchy infested by crony capitalism,
nepotism, and clientelism.
For decades,
successive Greek governments obtained numerous loans in order to sustain trade
deficits, high expenditures and loan repayments [15]. This all
resulted in the accumulation of what some see as an enormous odious debt.
During the years preceding the introduction of the euro, things like currency
devaluation were used to help finance their habitual borrowing; however after
the introduction of the euro this tool disappeared. Over the next 8 years, the
country would continue borrowing, due largely thanks to the lower interest
rates that government bonds could command, in combination with a series of
strong GDP growth rates, as a result of years of misreporting the country’s
official economic statistics [16] [17].
The corrupt
system that the Palaiokommastistes had created made Greece particularly
vulnerable. A perfect target, for the economic hit-men that would soon be at
the country’s steps once the Global Financial Crisis hit. The illusion that had
so painstakingly been crafted for generations soon came crumbling down. In
2009, the nation’s largest two industries, tourism and shipping [18],
were affected by the Global Financial Crisis, which also had a negative impact
on GDP growth, impacting Greece’s ability to continue borrowing. This combined
with growing issues with tax evasion and a massive shift in market confidence
fuelled by the newly elected government’s announcement that its estimated
budget deficit was wrong [15], brought the country into economic
crisis.
By 2010, it
was estimated that nearly 70% of the Greek Government's bonds were held by
foreign banks [19], who did not want to see the country default on
its debts, which were accumulated, due to corrupt and incompetent practices
under Palaiokommastismos. Therefore, in order to protect their interests, many
began to argue that a Greek default would destabilize the euro zone. The
solution proposed by international lenders was a combination of neoliberal
economic policies and full scale privatizations to be carried out by the Palaiokommastistes,
at the expense of the Greek people, thus ushering in an age of austerity.
The loan
agreements that were to follow between Greece, the IMF, and the European
Central Bank have been deemed by many legal analysts and academics, including
the Athens Bar Association, to be illegal and an unconstitutional violation of
Greek Law. This is due in part to Article 28 of the Greek Constitution, which
states that a 3/5 parliamentary majority vote and presidency approval are
needed for all laws, treaties and agreements that deal with the international
status and sovereignty of the country. Since such approval was never obtained,
proponents have argued that the loan agreements are thus unconstitutional [15].
The Age of Austerity and the rise of
Troika
The first
round of austerity came in February of 2010 with the signing of the
unconstitutional memorandums [20] between Greece, the IMF, and the
ECB, which resulted in the freezing of the salaries of government employees,
cuts in bonuses and overtime workers, as well as public employees [21].
The next round came in March, with the passing of the ‘Economy Protection
Bill’, by Parliament [22], cutting Holiday bonuses, salaries of both
public and private employees, and an increase in taxes.
A month
later, the government would seek the EU/IMF bailout be activated [23],
resulting in the European Commission, the IMF, and the ECB setting up a
tripartite committee to prepare the program of economic policies underlined in
the massive loan. This committee is commonly referred to as Troika. With the
Troika now firmly in place, a new round of austerity measures were announced
the following month by then Prime Minister George Papandreou. These
‘unprecedented’ [24] cuts represented the biggest government
overhaul in a generation [25] and sparked a nationwide strike and
massive protests, resulting in three deaths, dozens of injures, and 107 arrests
[25].
The
following month, a bilateral EU-IMF audit, called for even further austerity,
which resulted in Standard & Poor’s downgrading of Greece’s sovereign debt
rating to the lowest in the world [26]. An internal struggle soon
arose between Palaiokommastistes, amidst growing riots and strikes, which
forced Papandreou to propose a reshuffling of his cabinet and a vote of
confidence with parliament [27] [28]. In the back drop, of all the
chaos, the United Nations officially warned that a new package of austerity
measures would constitute a violation of human rights [29];
nevertheless, a new dose of austerity was approved.
To guarantee
its implementation, Troika reached an agreement between PASOK, New Democracy,
and Popular Orthodox Rally to create a ‘caretaker government’ under an
unconstitutional appointed [20] [30] technocrat Prime Minister. The
man chosen to replace Papandreou was the former Governor of the Bank of Greece
and Former Vice President of the European Central Bank, Lucas Papademos. This
newly installed puppet Government, approved yet another austerity package;
amidst the most violent riots since 2010 [31] [32], to engulf Athens
and other cities, leaving more than 120 people injured.
Greece: The battleground of a new “French
Revolution”
Greece finds
itself in a position, which in many ways mirrors 18th century France just
before the French Revolution. It is effectively a bankrupt country, due to the
mismanagement and corruption of an unpopular and indifferent ruling elite. Its
society, in some ways mimics Feudalism’s Estates of the Realm. Also, just like
18th century France [33], the Church is the largest land owner. All
these similarities put Greece in a unique position. It was the French
Revolution that marked the end of Feudalism and the birth of the modern era,
and it is a Hellenic Revolution that could mark the end of our current
dysfunctional system and give rise to a new era for humanity. However, to
understand this one must break down the events and similarities that are
leading to the destabilization of 21st century Greece and examine how they
correlate with 18th century France.
The Church: A Black-Robbed Mafia
A business
worth a billion euros [34], with shares in the National Bank of
Greece [34] [35] [36], the Greek Orthodox Church, owns more land
than anyone else except, of course, the Greek state [34] [35] [37].
Land, which oh so conveniently is not being taxed under new austerity measures [34].
While the Greek people suffer and watch their pensions and salaries become
reduce to nothing, its business as usual for the Church and its thousands of
employs on the public payroll [35]. In fact, not only does this
billion euro business have the nerve to continue making the bankrupt state pay
the pensions and salaries of its employees, they have the audacity to refuse
pension cuts, which have been forced on the average Greek due to austerity.
At a time
when its congregation is starving to death, the true colors of this judge
bribing, drug dealing, illegal antiquities dealing [38] [39] Corrupt
Church are becoming more apparent. It is nothing more than cleverly disguised
legal offshore business scheme, with thousands of legal entities, which manages
its wealth and invests in business opportunities, all while receiving a tax
free status. The majority of its income comes from renting out properties
throughout Greece, such as Government Ministry buildings, Hospitals, farm land,
and even prime real estate in seafront millionaire neighborhoods [35] [36].
The Greek
Orthodox emulates the Catholic Church of 18th century France, in power, wealth,
and corruption. Just as the throne and altar were close allies in France. So
are the political elite and the altar in Greece; both architects of the current
crisis engulfing Greek society, as best witnessed by the various scandals that
have rocked both the Church and the Political Establishment. As “Holy Gate” [40]
and the Vatopedi Controversy [41], both attest the Church is far
from a moral role model for the Greek people.
The Political Elite: Today’s Nobility
They are a
class, which fancies themselves the new aristocracy of Greece, untouchable and
above the law. While the Greek people suffer under the worse financial crisis
in living memory, the elite and their families plunder the nation’s wealth by
sending millions overseas to foreign banks [14] in order to protect
their own fortunes, which were made by wasting billions in public funds so that
they could make millions. All one must do is look at the 2011 list of prominent
Greeks guilty of tax evasion [42] or the various political scandals
such as the Siemens Scandal [41]. The most recent tax immunity
scandal [43] or money laundering case of former defense minister
Akis Tsochatzopoulos [44], one thing is extremely clear; the elite
has no respect for the law or their countrymen.
This is most
evident by the fact that Greek Parliamentarians have complete immunity from
criminal prosecution, arrest or detention. In a way, their immunity from
criminal wrong doing allows them to weasel their way out of the legal
ramifications of their unethical behavior, echoing that of the Second Estate. A
social class, which was exempt from most forms of taxation and led the
resistance against any reform of the corrupt status quo in 18th century France.
The People and their struggle towards
Change
As the Greek
economic continues to remain in recession[45], austerity has
burdened the average Greek with ruinously high taxes in order to pay for the
mistakes and gluttonous lifestyles of those that have led the country into its
current predicament. It is estimated that a third of the country has fallen
into poverty [46], while the national suicide rate has double since
the start of the economic crisis [47]. Current policies of the Greek
government have done nothing but breed social unrest and anti-government
sentiment, with numerous ongoing demonstrations and strikes across the country.
The response from the Government has been brutal, with police brutality being
cited by both the Greek and Foreign media [48] [49], as well as Amnesty
International [50] [51].
Many
anti-austerity protestors have rallied together to create non-partisan
resistance, known as the Indignant Citizens Movement. The movement, which has
been, responsible for organizing many of the demonstrations throughout the
country have also established ‘people’s assemblies’ in places such as Syntagma Square
in Athens. These assemblies have called for the adoption of a new constitution
to be written by the people, not the parliament, as well as for the immediate
cancellation of the memorandum signed between Greece and the IMF. They have
also declared the Greek Debt to be odious and have called for harder taxation
of the rich [52].
These
actions are all eerily similar to those taken by the Third Estate in 18th
century France. When faced with starvation, rising bread prices [53],
and the French State’s effective bankruptcy the Third Estate began a process,
starting with the proclamation of the Tennis Court Oath and the passing of the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen that eventually led to
outright revolution, with the assault of the Bastille and the march on
Versailles. The stage for this revolution is uncannily similar, by which
France’s inefficient and outdated financial system could no longer manage its
national debt, which was worsened by its insufficient system of taxation. As a
result, social cohesion began to unravel, and the royal court became increasing
isolated and indifferent to the hardships being endured by the overwhelming
majority of its subjects (peasants,
wage-earners, and other professional known as the third estate), which were
forced to accept the heavy burden of taxation [54], while the
nobility and clergy were given numerous exemptions [55].
The Impact of the French Revolution
The French
Revolution was not a single world changing event, but rather a period of
profound social and political turmoil, which began in France and spread across
Europe. It resulted in the overthrow of the Old Ideas of Monarchy, Aristocracy,
and Religious Authority and ushered in new ideals such as Equality, Citizenship
and Inalienable Rights. This brought about the development of republics and
liberal democracies that were centered on our current evolving political
ideologies [56].
In
retrospect, it marked the beginning of the end of Feudalism and the rise of
modern political concepts such as left, right, and center. It transformed
self-identity with the elimination of privileges and replaced them with rights.
It spread democratic ideals, not just across Europe, but throughout the world [57].
It is because of these things. That the overwhelming, majority of historians
regard, the revolution, as one of the most pivotal events in human history, and,
therefore, identify it as the ‘dawn of the modern era’ [58].
The scenarios for a Hellenic
Revolution
It is this
era, which stands on the cusp of a transformation. As the economic crisis,
worsens and social unrest grow, the conversation about the future of 21st
century Greece and the world as a whole is slowly beginning to change. It is no
longer a question of if a revolution will occur, but rather when and what
revolution is on the horizon. Much in the same way as the French Revolution,
the coming Hellenic one, will not be a single world changing event, but rather
an extended period of turmoil and social change that many future historians may
decide began in 2008 with the murder of young Alexandros Grigoropoulos [59].
It was this
event, which sparked wide spread rioting, protests and demonstration across the
country on a scale that had not been witnessed since 1974 [60].
Although the murder of this incident youth ignited the social unrest [61],
there was a deeper sense of frustration pushing the younger generation to a
breaking point. The economic troubles, rising unemployment and the perception
of government inefficiency and corruption [62] [63] was beginning to
take its toll on the population. In a way, it was the prequel to the
anti-austerity drama that is now playing out inside this small Mediterranean
country. From the birth, of the Indignant Citizens Movement to the fall of the
illusion of Democracy and the rise of the puppet government of Papademos; they
are all chapters in a developing story for the future of an ancient nation.
Revolution
is upon us and in full swing, as witnessed by the recent collapse of the old Greek
political system [64]. The recent May 6th elections resulted in the
end of bipartisanism[65], and the rise of extremist parties [67];
each of which have tapped into certain ideals of the ICM, specifically the goal
of establishing an international commission to investigate whether Greece’s
debt is legal [66]. What lies before the Greek people now are three
possible scenarios for the future of this growing revolution. The first of
which is its utter failure; allowing for the elite to maintain the status quo
and prevent any real change from happening.
The second
scenario, which is highly likely, is a left or right wing revolution that taps
into the collective anger inside Greek society and co-opts the growing momentum
for change to produce a merely internal adjustment in Greek society, thus
containing the revolution and maintaining the global status quo. The last
possible scenario is a transformation that taps into the growing global
frustration and social unrest, which would spark not only internal change, but
a global awakening on the same scale as the French Revolution. It is the hope
of this writer that the third scenario wins and the world witnesses the return
of rational Hellenic thought and the rise of global direct democracy.
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