The price of 'success' is complete failure!

Should you be so inclined, dear reader, and your psychiatrist has not yet advised you against it, you may have seen and read the recent triumphalist announcements emanating from the Greek government of the day announcing the success of their economic policies. Due to aforesaid success the country is expecting to be released from the 'shackles' of its lenders and the IMF, seek to borrow on the open markets again and get on with being a normal country, fully in control of its own affairs again.

That's where the psychiatrist comes in, though he/she/it (trendy, or what???) is obviously tending to the wrong people, namely the citizenry, when the ones under supervision or, even, restriction, should be the government, its political allies and assorted politicians of all denominations responsible for the present mess. The reason I say this is that there is NO recovery, NO growth, LITTLE progress in any front after nearly ten years of crisis/recession/meltdown. Any surpluses appearing in government accounts are due to excessive taxation and careful management (some might even say massaging) of the figures to make a good impression to the outside world.

Taxation has largely not been from the tax-avoiding, scheming, non-contributing part of the population, however, but from the property owning and income-generating people; they have now, alas, been taxed to oblivion and have been living and paying taxes (those that have been able to) from the money they had set aside to invest in their future, and that of their families and their businesses. This well of funds, so richly tapped until now, is drying out - the government is eating the flesh of its citizens and destroying the middle class. At the same time, typically for this country of dishonest politicians and emotionally immature citizens, the public sector is protected, even pampered, and allies of the current lot are constantly being hired to fill newly-created, often unnecessary, positions, much as has happened over the last 35 years and more.

This is utterly shameful when the private sector is being decimated every day by excessive taxation, ludicrous strikes and business legislation, and practices that belong to the 1960s if not the 1930s. Everybody here is quick to talk about rights but hardly anyone mentions responsibilities, unless they are referring to others. The business climate - for businesses that could produce growth, that is - is worse than it had ever been, with the government mouthing platitudes on the one hand and strangling using the other.

It is amazing that, despite this state of affairs, Athens remains a place that should be on every world traveller's itinerary - it is steeped in history, the Acropolis and surrounding sites are magnificent, and the city centre is full of lovely buildings, many in poor condition, beautiful old churches, little independent wine bars and restaurants  - something to satisfy most peoples' tastes. A warming sun usually presides over this, smiling down on visitors. That is not to say that things are perfect, as on a bad day the pollution can be choking, demonstrations can bring the city to a standstill and regular public transport strikes and general unreliability can be annoying. Yet it is still a place that can enchant the visitor who is willing to walk around, look around, notice things, soak in the atmosphere and avoid the tourist traps and tawdry taverns serving shite to the unsuspecting.

If you walk around and look, though, you will also notice things that until a few years ago were almost completely unknown: the homeless sifting through the rubbish bins (something last seen in Greece during the German occupation of WW2), the drug addicts, the beggars, the destitute. These were things that used to shock Greeks when encountered elsewhere, but are now commonplace here. The smell of failure is all-pervasive and difficult to ignore, unless you are a politician.

This is the 'success' the government is crowing about. They are even, apparently, planning to have a major fiesta to celebrate, to be followed by elections before anybody has a chance to notice that it is all an illusion and, therefore, re-elect them. Meanwhile the business climate worsens, taxes do not lessen and few plan to start new businesses, or grow their existing ones in Greece. I would like to think that Greece's lenders will see through the smokescreen of lies and make-believe and will not allow the country freedom to exit the control mechanisms before it has done something - and even very little will do - to create growth. And growth can only come from the private sector, much brutalised, maligned and abused by the Greek state and its governments.

If the present state of things represents success I would hate to be confronted with failure.