A proud yet failing state?

Yesterday was one of the two great Greek national holidays, celebrating the resounding 'NO!' (OHI!) given to the Italians early on in WW2 when they demanded Greece's surrender to their perceived superior power. The refusal and subsequent drubbing of the Italian forces is a source of great pride to the Greek people, even if Germany eventually succeeded where their allies had failed and a harsh period of occupation ensued.

A visitor to Greece today would be impressed by the expression of national pride but will also be very unimpressed to hear not only of the ongoing economic misadventures of the country, but also - if they consult me, that is -that it appears to be in many ways a failed - or failing - state. In most places away from Athens life may appear to chug along as normal, the sun rises and sets every day, businesses open and close at their allotted time, cafes and tavernas are busy. To the untrained eye there are few obvious signs of the underlying malaise, society having absorbed most of the shocks and, in small places at least, rallied to help its own where the state has failed.

Athens is a different story to a large extent, with increased homelessness, many beggars, scores of closed or boarded up shops and dilapidated buildings. Of course the picture is distorted somewhat by the large numbers of migrants, many desperate, flocking to the big city to try and secure either a safe place to stay or transport onwards into the heart of the European Union, where they imagine a better life awaiting them. Still, desperation exists in the local population as well, with the social fabric weaker as big city dynamics mean families drift further apart and common origin becomes almost meaningless. Yet surprisingly this is still a bustling city, now with a darker underbelly; wealth exists side-by-side with poverty, as always, but the contrast appears more pronounced.

So how can a modern state like Greece be considered as failed, or even failing, when it functions on a day-to-day basis, at least to some extent? Even if it looks little different to a few years ago, people still go about their lives, eat, drink, sleep, buy and sell, have sex, even think - where's the failure?

I believe it is failing, as it is:

1.  A state where comprehensive laws exist but are largely ignored and not enforced  or enforced selectively/occasionally.
2.  A state where a limited number of wealthy and powerful people control most economic activity, run private armies of armed security personnel and refuse to be subject to the laws of the land much like medieval barons.
3.  A state where the burdens and liabilities are pushed on to the populace at large whilst most benefits are distributed to a relatively limited circle of privileged people, often connected to no.2 above, or for political gain.
4.  A state where the economy displays little productivity but mainly revolves around the government and the public sector, with most of the private sector under fire and struggling is today problematic.
5.  A state where the Labour Unions use their right to strike not to pursue and reverse unfairness but at will, to complain about life in general, or even just to hold meetings, and act as if they own the sector they work in.
6.  A state where small minorities of people can attack, assail, damage, even kill, in full public view yet are hardly ever rounded up, arrested and/or prosecuted.
7.  A state where the average citizen does not feel any obligation to respect society, others or the law in most daily activities.
8.  A state that disrespects its citizens sufficiently to apply laws differently to itself than to them even while declaring equality under the law as a cornerstone of its constitution.
9.  A state where tax evasion is rife, taxation is penal and services to said taxpayers limited.
10. A state where education, knowledge and experience are valued less than opinion. And I could go on...

This is not what any Greek wants, irrespective of political affiliation, other than perhaps the cretins who ostensibly espouse anarchy but expect their civil rights to be respected. It only takes a walk around the centre of Athens to fill one with despair as to where the country is headed and what the future holds. Magnificent buildings abound but those in the private sector are crumbling, while the public sector still somehow manages to maintain their jewels, albeit often covered in graffiti or vandalised by their very users, as is the case with some of the universities. But economic recovery, growth and a decent income only arise from people and as a result of productive human activity, very little found in Greece at the moment; external investment, often touted is reluctant to get involved in a country where the legal system doesn't work properly and the state punishes - or certainly doesn't in any way positively encourage - business activity.

This means that resounding failure could, once again, be around the corner, methinks, with all the pain that entails. And there should be little pride in that.