Greek governments, on the other hand, have lied about debt, violated EU fiscal agreements and borrowed money they cannot repay. The Greek people, who voted for the governments, enjoyed the benefits of the borrowed cash. Now French and German taxpayers say no more freeloading. ...
In or out of the euro-zone, Greece faces an extended and painful period of political and economic change. The bills are due, whether paid in euros or devalued drachmas. The change Greece needs, in order to first revive then fully modernize its economy, requires a definitive and very public moral and psychological commitment by the Greek people.
At the very least, the Greek people won't be able to say that a solution was forced on them. Democracy is about people having responsibility for their lives, and ultimately the people have to take responsibility.
The European Union's elites are horrified that voters might decide:
I wish I could convey the sheer horror that his proposal provoked in Brussels. The first rule of the Eurocracy is “no referendums”. Brussels functionaries believe that their work is too important to be subject to the prejudices of hoi polloi (for once, the Greek phrase seems apposite). Referendums are always seen as irresponsible; but, at a time when the euro is teetering on the brink, Papandreou’s proposal was seen as an act of ingratitude bordering on treason.
The Oracle of Delphi in Brussels writhed around on the floor and whispered that Greece must atone for its deceit in taking Euros from the rich north with austerity imposed by the rich north that keeps the Euro in Greece. Will Brussels enforce their own Brezhnev Doctrine if Greeks vote "the wrong way?" It might not be too late, yet, to get out of the Soviet Union Lite that Brussels is building.
Greece ripped off the European Union. No doubt. But the Greeks deserve the choice of what poison they will take as their penalty.
