By Renee Maltezou (Reuters) - From Berlin to Bratislava, indignant Europeans have gasped at stories of the relatively high wages and generous benefits enjoyed by Greek workers, whose fabled laid-back lifestyles have been blamed for helping bring the euro zone to its knees. Athens' international lenders have pushed for cuts to the 750 euro minimum monthly wage to boost competitiveness, a welcome call for Ger ...

Documentary and discussion evening 'Bread, Education, Freedom !' The junta is back to Greece Beursplein Occupy Amsterdam Wednesday, November 16 8:30pm - 10:30pm     Thirty seven (37) years after the fall of the dictatorship in Greece, the historical time clock seems to be turning back. Instead of the US-backed military dictatorship of 1967-1974, a new IMF-EU-back economic dictatorship is being est ...

ROXANE MCMEEKEN from ATHENS Greeks furious at 'intact' arms spending as eurozone leaders insist on cuts to their public services.   As Greece is forced by European leaders to abandon a referendum to allow the people the chance to vote on its latest bailout conditions, the country is preparing for yet another dose of austerity. The conditions of the next €130bn rescue package will be severe, yet there i ...

The fear of 'contagion' shouldn't be just about the euro – this Greek resistance could spread across Europe. The Greek prime minister George Papandreou's loss of power is not surprising: the reaction of Greeks to the 27 October agreement with its new tranche of austerity measures and the further undermining of national independence was devastating for the government. The next day, a military parade was aban ...

If there is going to be a revolutionary outburst, you do not get much warning. Writing of the European revolutions of 1848, for instance, one historian recently noted: "At the beginning of 1848 no one believed that revolution was imminent." Now the reason I have gone back to accounts of 1848 is because this date has kept popping into my head as protests against contemporary capitalism have spread round the ...

World leaders are gathering in Cannes for the opening of the Group of 20 summit today. On the top of the agenda is the Greece bailout and the European debt crisis. On Monday, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou angered many European leaders by announcing his support for a popular referendum—allowing the Greek people to decide if they want to accept the conditions of the $179 billion European Union bailou ...

This Monday, I will not wake up at 5am, I will not make my lunchbox, I will not travel 100km to get to work. Because I have no job anymore. My employer decided that there is no place for me at his company, he paid my severance pay and send me to queue for the dole. You would expect from a union leader like me to say ‘nothing is lost, heads up colleagues, we will meet again in the streets’ and ‘all together ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...