written by K. Vaxevanis posted at www.koutipandoras.gr Dear Mr. Venizelos  - finance minister of Greece Some time ago, I publically addressed you a number of questions that give rise to serious issues on the way you lead your political life. These questions are based on  facts and not on any kind of speculation. You never replied to this. I was under the impression that your preoccupation with the issue of ...

REPORTING FROM ATHENS — Anthee Carassava   Greece was in political disarray Tuesday after Prime Minister George Papandreou's surprise decision to put the euro rescue plan to a national referendum, a move that caused at least one lawmaker to quit the ruling party and others to call for the premier's resignation. Milena Apostolaki defected from Papandreou's Socialist Party a day after the Greek leader an ...

Greece. 30th October 2011   No Pay Movement occupies Athens Toll Station Media Summary About 150 members of the No Pay Movement occupied a toll station in Afidnes for four hours   About 150 members of the No Pay Movement, occupied for 4 hours the toll station in Afidnes, at the entrance and exit of Athens, allowing cars to pass without paying the tolls. From 4:30 to 8:00 pm, thousands of cars pass ...

Düsseldorf von Gabor Steingart Greece has to take the responsibility for his debts, but the real depression comes from Brussel, Berlin and Paris. When you were invited by friends, you would like to say afterwards: It was nice. You felt at ease and you were impressed by the things you’ve heard and seen. Unfortunately, looking back in such a pleasant way has turned out to be impossible in the case of the rese ...

The 28 October parade in Syntagma 28 October is celebrated on Greece as "ohi day" ("no day") in reference to 28 October 1940, when dictator Metaxas following the Greek people's demand rejected the ultimatum by Benito Mussolini to allow the armies of fascist Italy to invade Greece. The celebrations are normally marked by a large military parade in Thessaloniki and schoolchildren parades throughout the countr ...

Oct. 24 (Bloomberg) -- European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet was interrupted during a speech at a university in Berlin today and booed by people in the audience. A woman began shouting as Trichet spoke in an auditorium at the Humboldt University, causing him to stop speaking briefly before resuming. Banners were held up by students in the audience reading “no more money for the banks” and “say ...

EUobserver/ Brussels (23 October) - While heads of states discuss the second Greek bailout over marathon talks in Brussels, members of the local Greek solidarity movement stage a protest calling on Prime Minister George Papandreou to resign. "Greek people don't want any more loans", says Yiorgos Vassalos from the Greek solidarity movement in Brussels who is joined by some of the Spanish "indignants". Belgia ...

Greek austerity measures result in cuts of public sectors services with one exception - the police force. Nikolas Kosmatopoulos for aljazeera.net Greece increased its police force with 2,000 policemen and recently bought new anti-riot equipment [EPA] In the old days of the European colonial expansion eastwards, the Great Powers (England, France, Russia, and Austria) would rack their heads over the fate of w ...

El Pais asked me to write a piece on the ‘fiscal disobedience’ movement that seems to be shaping up in Greece. Here is what I wrote. (I shall post the Spanish version, off El Pais’ site, when available):  “Can’t pay won’t pay”, was Dario Fo’s boisterous satirical play by which the playwright incited his audience to rethink their political responsibilities. During the past two years, here in Greece, a sponta ...

In his final dispatch from breadline Europe, Jon Henley finds nepotism, bribery and systemic low-level corruption are as much to blame for southern Europe's crisis as anything else.           Jon Henley in Thessaloniki for   guardian.co.uk It's the system, they say. It sucks you in, makes you complicit. You really have very little choice. It's everywhere, in every corner of your lif ...