This is...Greece! (Part 2)

After the "Dirty 1989", the conservative party tried to impose a new political and macroeconomic ethos. Everything should be sold...privatizations. The elected government thought that privatizations of State Companies (Electricity Power, Water Supply, Industrial etc), that had already become the "palace" of the Unions and occupied thousands of Greek citizens, will promote the development of the Greek Economy and the start of the Capitalist Era in Greece. However, this effort ran into a "wall", that was built by the opposition parties in the Parliament and the Trade Unions. Huge strikes and demonstrations led to the overthrown of the conservative party within three years of its regime. Members of the Conservative Party and the Government were leaving and the Prime Minister was forced to go into new elections. Meanwhile, the war in the former Yugoslavia started and ended with the Greek Government issuing its neutralism, although most of the Greek population were sympathetic to the Orthodox Serbian people. When the war was finished, most of the neighbouring countries suffered the consequences, i.e. refugees, hunger, nationalism. A new-born State of the former Yugoslavia decided that its name can unite its weak and poor people under a nationalist "umbrella" and called their country "Macedonia", the birth place and Kingdom of Alexander the Great. Since then, Greece and Skopije (as Greece recognises them) are in a continuous controversy and although now the U.N. officially recognised Skopije as FYROM (former Yugoslavic Republic of Macedonia), many other countries have already accepted the name "Macedonia" officially. Every Greek Foreign Minister heirs this controversy and although Greek Businessmen have already developed their activities to this neighbouring country (low labour cost), the politicians are still trying to find the solution to this controversy under U.N. supervision [I cannot be objective in this matter, since History states that Ancient Macedonia was a Greek Empire as it is proved by the archaeological findings only in Greek territory.]  

Greek people were affected by this controversy and maybe is still one the major problems that Greeks are united. The new elections in 1992 brought the old socialist Prime Minister back into the power and was

so obvious that nothing has changed regarding the socialist approach of governing. They have built a Civil Service System, that contained numerous servants, who were employed by the Socialist Party and become the "plague" of the System. Most of them did not and still do not work at all...others work to a certain limit....others serve the Party with any possible way....others became millionaires through fraud and corruption. The new goal was set (after the leader of the Socialist Party passed away)...European Monetary Union and the introduction and adoption of the EURO. Well, obviously Greece had made it through both of its goals, but the price paid was disproportionate to the actual advantage of becoming an equal Member State within EU with growing economic development. However, as it is proven by now, the Greek Parliament (and not only the Governments) were only informed of the macroeconomic statistics and accountancy (nobody still admits the one/-s that prepared and presented false and on purpose defeatured balance sheets) that the competent Greek authorities presented. Until now, only suspicions have been reported by several "objective' commentators or former Members of the governments. Of course, the European Union also knew that the features of the Greek Economy doesn't match the strict criteria of the entrance into the European Monetary Union, but since the Greeks are very good "customers" to our beloved allies, the deal seemed to be that the entrance was given for the shake of good business and future depositions on behalf of the Greek governments.
Then, just before the official entrance into the EMU, the Athens Stock Exchange became the center of interest and gambling among a vast part of the Greek population. At that period, there was continuous update of the status of prices in the Stock Exchange and even in deserted villages in the Greek countryside people were watching the flow of money and gamble throughout the day on TV. Everyone in the beginning was happy, since the money earned came easy and without employment and etc. However, after almost two years of artificial (as it was proven later) growth of the stock market, the downhill was really steep...Billions were lost and the majority of the average savings of normal families were transferred into the pockets of .....Oh! I don't have any proof regarding the destination of all these billions, but these money never returned to the people. They were just "vaporized". It is now believed (without any serious proof) that the Socialist Government and some Members of the opposition were the manipulators of the whole upside-down of the Stock Exchange. Until now, no one was ever connected with this fraud and the people (of course with themselves to blame, as well) just realised the loss of the lifetime savings. The Government did not make any effort to clear the situation out. On the contrary, they were cheering up after the Olympic Committee (the ridiculous "immortals") nominated Athens, Greece to organise the Olympics of 2004. That was a very good "anesthetic" pill for the Greek people. They became proud and that was enough to forget the Stock Exchange and their loss...