Modern Greece - The makings of a tragedy

Many of you will have witnessed through the magic of the world's media the tragic events that occurred recently in my - in many ways beloved - country of birth, Greece, and may even have wondered how these things could happen in a modern 'western' country. We are constantly bombarded with tragic events from all over the world, so they do not necessarily come as a surpriser a shock, but nevertheless the recent Greek events are not entirely 'run-of-the-mill' disaster fodder. You may also wish to argue whether Greece can and should be classified as a modern 'western' country, or if it is, in fact, closer to the Middle East or Africa in the way that it operates, but this is a different discussion, for another day.

Let me try to explain why and please bear with me if this gets a bit complicated. In a recent post but taking inspiration from a simple retail receipt I wrote that Greece must simplify or die; tragically these events fall into this category though I was not talking about deaths of individuals but was referring to an economic death, something Greece has been in the throes of for about a decade, if not longer. I was not expecting something like the events that unfolded, which were unexpected and very painful, as many people have lost their lives due, in large part, to the labyrinthine ways of the Greek state, as accepted and endorsed by the majority of society there. Oh, I know that people will now be coming out of the woodwork, tearing their hair out and declaring to all and sundry how they truly opposed whatever will be deemed to have been at fault, but they all (most?) were silent until tragedy struck, silent while the going was good.

Successive Greek governments not only failed to create and support a robust economy (which, in my opinion, should be based largely on free market principles) and thus have brought on the existing economic catastrophe there, but they also spent most of their time and money 'buying' votes by appeasing sections of society; this was done in large part by allowing people who had systematically broken the law for personal gain, often by building illegally in areas where no building was allowed (such as forestry land), to legalise their assets by paying a fee of sorts to the state. This, I'm afraid, was done by governments on all sides of the political spectrum so they are all culpable.

Where the current Greek government falls down, though, is in its supreme inability to accept operational - thus current - responsibility for failure, their lack of understanding, indeed, of the meaning of responsibility. 80+ deaths within a few miles of Athens (a modern large city and the Capital of Greece) surely cannot be blamed solely on challenging weather conditions, especially as it seems that there was no plan for tackling an emergency of this sort (a major fast-moving fire) or, if there was, it was not put into effect or was ignored. The various departments responsible appear to neither have used the predictive technology at their disposal nor liaised properly with the other such departments involved. Even if the current government had inherited a no-emergency-plans scenario from their predecessors, surely they've been in power long enough to have taken the bull by the horns and rectified - or attempted to rectify - this.

Greece is not a lawless place, though, but a place that has too many laws, most of which are not properly enforced. The snag with this is that - and this can happen at any time - that they can be enforced just as if they have always been, or there may be a way out, usually by currency-stuffed envelope. This, combined with a refusal to plan, or often even to think, ahead makes for a very dysfunctional society, which under normal circumstances can be annoying, tiresome, costly, unpleasant; the complexity of trying to get anything done was behind my  seemingly harsh 'Simplify or Die' post  This time around alas, due to a combination of things, it has become literally true, a proper tragedy with loads of dead bodies, missing people, massive destruction and a government squirming to avoid any blame!

This is not about politics, though I do despise the current mob's left-wingery and self-proclaimed moral superiority because of it,  but about accepting responsibility when things go wrong on your watch. With children it's an essential part of growing up.

In awe of a stable genius...

Not long ago a certain character appeared on the stage of world politics with a bang, becoming leader of a country important in world terms, despite having one of the most ridiculous hairstyle seen outside a circus (on clowns, if you're wondering), a peculiar orange tan and a brand of hate-filled rhetoric. On the way to straddling the world stage this man proclaimed that he is very smart, a genius, a very stable genius in fact, unaware of the irony involved in self-proclamations of that sort. The funny thing is, though, that no-one outside his immediate family and various toadies has ventured forth to back him up - no former colleagues, fellow businessmen, nobody!

Despite this my admiration for this unique creature is immense, because he is truly a world-class figure at least in terms of self-belief, self-promotion and bullying behaviour. He appears to me to be, admirably, a direct descendant in political terms of the snake oil salesmen of the old Wild West, as he seems to be able to convince his fan base (and himself!) that anything he says is true even when their is ample evidence to the contrary. The man is just amazing, with an eloquence so powerful that his words change shape and form, even after they've become public property, and their meaning is so flexible as to be practically fluid.  And as he uses many words, and often, he produces veritable symphonies thrilling to the eyes and ears, created in his own unique way, the Beethoven of politics.

My admiration hardly stops there, for here we have a man capable of seeing the best in everybody, at least I assume so, for surely if he looks at his visage in the mirror and takes it at 'face-value' he must feel revulsion, yet he obviously doesn't; he obviously, starting from himself, sees everyone in a kinder, softer, more forgiving light, accepting of ugliness, frailties and absurdities. After all, anyone who sees oneself in that softer, kinder light must surely be prepared to see others in a similar way, no?

At the end of the day it seems that this is just a gentle, pleasant man hiding behind a mask, who only wants others to be happy - you can read it in his smiley, twinkly eyes, his ready, warm smile - and will stop at nothing to ensure this. What can I say? Are you biased enough to have a different opinion? Of course not, so join me in my unbridled admiration and savour him while he lasts.

A relaxed Friday afternoon in South London

The last couple of weeks in London have been hot and full of sunshine, with the last couple of days being the hottest; when my friend J and I arranged to have lunch on Friday 6th July we were not to know this, however. Why is this significant, I hear you ask, bursting with impatience? Well, sit back and relax, for everything will be revealed, explained etc... Patience dear reader, patience.

J is a wine trade friend and, unlike me, he is still active in the trade on a day-to-day basis running his own successful business partly advising, partly importing and distributing wine to anyone discerning enough and with the requisite liquidity (ha-ha). He is very good at what he does, knowledgeable, informed and open-minded in his approach, seeking out interesting wines for his diverse, thirsty clientele. I have known him for many years (about 30!), since we were both establishing ourselves in the trade, and we have been friends for rather a long portion of that time. Our lunches have been known to be long-lasting, highly interesting and entertaining, VERY liquid and with the drink consumed always being of decent/good, even great quality befitting our background, interests and expertise, so why should this one be an exception?

The initial plan had been for a restaurant lunch, which would have been fun, but J had to be at home to look after their dog, and this ended up being better in so many ways. For one we were, at least partly, in the company of his lovely wife, whom I had not seen for ages, but also we were able to be far more relaxed dress-wise, both indeed attired in shorts and polo shirts in response to the heat. Furthermore, entertaining at home results in far more modest costs for all concerned and a bigger and better choice of wine.

A glass of chilled rose from Provence was thrust into my eager hand on arrival, and it was everything that wines of this type should be - juicy, bone dry with an undercurrent of strawberry fruit, subtle yet obvious, and a great drink for summer either as an aperitif  or with food. Rose wines had been unfashionable for a great many years, but thankfully this is no longer the case, so there is a good variety available on the market. This example (Chateau Trians 2017) is of the lighter-in-colour, stylish but with plenty of taste, versions, modern and clean, delightful served cold in hot weather, this is miles away from the cheap, nasty off-dry stuff available at the lower end of the market. What can I say, I'm a fan of rose wines and I certainly enjoyed this one.

A white wine from Italy followed, Roero Arneis Daivej from the Deltetto family, clean and typical, a round mouthful which works well with food, but is able to stand on its own as well, ever so gluggable if slightly unremarkable, this disappeared quite quickly with our starter. A versatile little number that I'm sure you would have enjoyed, dear reader, if only you had been invited...

Our main course being meaty somehow we needed to find a space for a red wine, and J had set aside a Barolo 2011 from Tenuta Rocca and a Chianti 2013 from Badia a Passignano, both spending time in the fridge so that they could warm up in the glass, but not too much. Here we had two good examples of Italy's great red varieties -Nebbiolo in the Piedmont for the Barolo and Sangiovese in Tuscany for the Chianti. When I first started in the wine trade Barolos were uncompromisingly tough and needed a lot of time to come around and be drinkable, but the modern ones are different, juicier and better balanced, though still tannic and big. From a good if not outstanding vintage, this was all rich red fruit, dark colour and a long finish, drinking well now and with quite a few years of life ahead, gently improving, if only we hadn't consumed it.

Good Chianti is a joy to drink (the cheap stuff generally is not, lacking fruit and balance) and ages very well, with this a fairly young example just shaking off the firmness of youth and showing its typicality, with a hint of woodiness. Sangiovese is lighter in colour, less dense and purple, than Nebbiolo and less powerful; this example was youthful with a hint of awkwardness, plenty of ripe fruit and the class so lacking in run-of-the-mill Chiantis.

Sauternes is one of the great wines of the world, under-appreciated like many sweet wines as our ignorance rules our palate and fashion. Chateau Rieussec is one of the major properties of the region, with the Grand Vin a regular super star. Having never before tried their second wine - Carmes de Rieussec - the example before us from the excellent 2009 vintage was everything a Sauternes should be: bursting with complex white fruit flavours, layered gentle honey sweetness and incredible length, not far off their top stuff. If I had to choose a high point this would have been it, a sublime way to end a meal.

By now you are shaking your heads in disapproval at our indulgence and good fortune. I too was shaking my head, but in wonder at my great good fortune, in wonder at the generosity of my kind friends, in wonder at my capacity for discovering ever-changing enjoyment from the varied aromas, tastes and textures of wine. Yes, I'm a lucky little bastard, get used to it!

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London's new skyline - striking yes, but beautiful?

Don't start gearing up to shower me with all the 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' stuff before you have a good look at the photographs or, even better, go and look at things yourself. That is not to say I am dismissive of your opinion, no, I would just like it to be intelligent and considered, not knee-jerk. In any case, irrespective of your, or even my, views London will coninue developing in whichever way the powers that be and, maybe, greed, decree.

In the distant past civilised society valued proportion in its buildings, even if this was not always achieved; what seems to be important now is scale, statement, a form of urban aggression. The various communist regimes used this in a far more clumsy way to make their own statement, destroying elegance wherever they could and bequeathing a succession of monumental - and usually monumentally ugly - buildings that spoke of the power of the state juggernaut. For some reason free societies seem to be following in their wake, albeit with more interesting, occasionally even good-looking, buildings. Their common denominator is that they are all striking in some way or other, they attempt to impress and, occasionally, dominate.


The arguments for more and more modern space are well known and well rehearsed; in some instances they are also true. More often than not, though, my belief is that it comes down to numbers and short-term thinking, ignoring the long-term effects which a city will feel long after Mr./Ms Fat Developer will be dead, cremated and forgotten.

 I suppose the discussion has to come down to one fundamental point: what kind of cities do we want to live in and bequeath to our children, and grandchildren? Should everything be about efficiency, practicality and profit or should our cities also be lively, liveable places with a human scale, built to accommodate not only economic but social needs. In the past 50 years we have made mistakes with state residential developments, building council tower blocks that have ended up being unpleasant, unsafe and ugly; they too, however, were once upon a time touted as the vision of the future, the way forward, etc. etc., but are now being demolished one after the other.

Perhaps I am but an old, romantic man unable to process the future as it influences our lives more and more, pining for an idealised past. Even if there were some truth in that it does not invalidate the fact that function is not everything, that beauty is important, that modern is not the whole story - just look at the photograph below!

Down by the riverside...

It is becoming a, sort of, annual pilgrimage, this foray down to the banks of the Thames at Chiswick for a beer (other drinks also acceptable, unless they do not contain alcohol) or three with my friends A and M, with this year's being the 2nd annual! And what a load of fun it is too, especially in the sort of weather we have been having recently; out come the shorts, t-shirts, sunglasses and off we go to various enchanting hostelries by or near the river to catch up on news, dissect life and generally enjoy ourselves.

You, innocent creature, may think all this to be easy, even a game, but let me assure you it is hard work, requiring dedication and stamina over and above the call of duty! Luckily all three participants have had lots of practice in the art of drinking over the years (no, do not call us piss artists...), appreciate quality and know about limits - when you reach them, even exceed them, and when it's time to stop, at least temporarily! A hot summer's afternoon makes refreshment essential, but pace and rhythm are also important; we are finely trained athletes, machine-like in our approach and execution!

None of this would be half as much fun, of course, without access to a sensationally beautiful part of London, down by the river Thames in Chiswick. The setting here is serene, almost rural and quite unlike the Thames that you know and love in central London. There's hardly any street noise but little river traffic either, gently swishing along; the ducks seem to make more noise than most other than the few humans wandering about or, like us, relaxing in a riverside hostelry. Unlike us many choose to sit in the sun to either acquire a tan or top up an existing one, but we find that the drinks get warm at an alarming rate and we suffer correspondingly, so we give it a miss and, if need be, head indoors.

Be that as it may we had a  cracking time, despite our late start due to rail tracks distorting in the heat (yes, really, at 30 degrees Celsius...) and other such idiotic happenings and me getting my timing wrong... Starting with an ice-cold pint of dry cider as a cool-down sort of warm-up, I continued on real ale for the rest of the afternoon; my buddies stayed on cider for the remainder. So obviously this post should not have 'wine' as a label, strictly speaking, but the term is used loosely to describe alcoholic beverage, at least for today. The main object of my affection was London Pride bitter, made just downriver in Chiswick by Fullers, at its best a great pint, rich and complex with a hint of acidity and bitterness, discreetly hoppy and lightly aromatic. And, before the ignorant among you wonder how I could drink warm beer on a hot day, check your facts - real ale should be served at cellar temperature if served correctly, and that is cool, not cold. These beers are complex and full of taste, something obliterated when they are chilled making them bland and over-bitter; too warm or too cold are both wrong for the good stuff, much like good wine - ah, I just reclaimed the label... I think! Anyway, as two of the three pubs we visited that afternoon were Fullers pubs I was mainly able to stick to Pride, with a couple of interesting interlopers just to keep me on my toes.

Good company, good drink, gorgeous surrounding - I'm already looking forward to next year's pilgrimage, though the chaps and I will probably meet up for a session or two before then at different venues to fine tune our philosophies of life etc. etc., so keep reading and learning.

Greece - Simplify or Die!

Much has been made recently about the fact that the Greek government has signed some agreement or other with its overlords (strictly speaking its creditors...) in the European Union to supposedly become independent once again, standing on its own two feet and being able to raise money on the international markets with a level of credibility. You and the European Union would be forgiven for feeling that this signifies the end of nearly 10 years of struggling for the Greek economy, with normality and growth soon to reappear on the scene, and the long-suffering Greek people sighing with relief.

If so, both you and they would be wrong. The real Greek economy is still in tatters with little activity in any meaningful way other than tourism and the long-talked about growth nowhere in sight. Very little investment is taking place despite 'Greece being open for business' because the system there is fundamentally business unfriendly, hugely complex, expensive and frustrating to operate in. Antiquated procedures, hostile attitudes from government and a workforce that views itself as a partner in a business during good times, wanting a percentage of the profits, and a victim needing protection during the bad times.

But the biggest single problem is the inherent complexity of the system, as illustrated by the retail receipt shown in the photograph. Look at the complexity of what is a retail receipt for a single bottle of mineral water at Athens Airport and marvel at the wealth of information on there, the need to include all that on a simple till receipt which, incidentally, is not valid for reclaiming VAT despite being a legal receipt containing all possible information - for that you would need an invoice that would include your company details as well, even for a bottle of water worth .75 Euros! Hardly anything on there, incidentally, is advertising.

And this, alas, is indicative of the way most everything is handled in Greece. Instead of promoting a simple, functional system that penalises dishonesty and cheating, Greece has created a system which assumes everyone is cheating and places obstacles in their way to stop them from doing so. Every business in the country is assumed to be dishonest and made to jump through an ever more complicated series of hoops in order to establish innocence and avoid punishment; this will often take the form of fines, but may also be unofficial, i.e. 'under the table', in other words bribes. This adds to the complexity, with a wide-spread underlying system of corruption in place, allowing dishonest companies and individuals to pay their way out of trouble but leaving the honest ones in limbo. Whilst Near and Middle Eastern neighbours might not feel unduly uncomfortable operating in such a system as it may resemble their own modus operandi, western companies are taken aback and find it difficult or impossible to operate in that way. In any case it would be illegal for most western companies to function thus, leading to further complications.

This is not a post about ethics, though, but about practicalities: Greece needs investment in productive segments of its economy in order to rebuild the damage of the past decade and more. The Greek economy needs rejuvenation which can hardly come from within, as most honest companies and individuals have been taxed almost dry by successive unfair, if possibly necessary, taxes to keep the Greek state afloat. Under present conditions, though, who would want to bring good money and effort into Greece? For what? The West, having been fooled before, is not rushing in; unfortunately neither is anyone else in a meaningful way, with the possible exception of the Chinese investment in the port of Piraeus. And, please understand, there are some good, sound companies in Greece that manage to survive and thrive despite the prevailing business climate. This is not a sign that all the others are incompetent or bad, exceptions always exist; the task (the challenge, if you like) of any proper government should be to make successful, well-functioning (and, therefore, tax-paying) companies the rule. Only then will the economy be productive without needing external support, overly high taxation, alchemy - all distortions and, ultimately, destructive.

Greece needs a bold, decisive government to simplify the system and help rebuild business confidence to stimulate growth, but I somehow doubt that I will live long enough to see that. While the present mob (yes, I mean the Greek government of the day) are not only incompetent but dogmatically aligned to State interference and complexity, the alternatives - such as they are - appear feeble and, in any case, will have to face opposition, even unrest, by the leftist trade unions should they ever come to power. So will Greece choose a dishonourable death rather than productive life embracing a move forward, with simplification and positivity at its core?

To the devil with stupidity, ignorance and petty politics, this is a struggle for survival which must be won, so wake up, now!

Stop Press: a piece of wisdom from Sir Winston Churchill taken from an article on the BBC website by their economics editor Kamal Ahmed that precisely describes the value of private enterprise, quote 'Some regard private enterprise as a predatory tiger to be shot, others look on it as a cow to be milked, only few see it for what it really is, the strong and willing horse that pulls the whole cart along.'

Brockwell Park is in my heart!

In the last few weeks I have been fortunate to be living practically across the road from Brockwell Park in South London, one of many beautiful parks, largely unknown to outsiders, which adorn London neighbourhoods. In the many years I have known the area I had foolishly never bothered to visit it, thinking it was just another green space; I was wrong.

Brockwell Park is a truly superb space available to all from 07:30 and until 15 minutes before sunset (there is a schedule, updated and posted regularly by the gates), more obviously appreciated in the summer months with the sun shining but, in fact, widely used all year round. To my mind it is a perfect park, large but not enormous, beautiful but not ornate, simply laid out, spacious  and accommodating to almost all. Within one finds ancient and young trees, shrubbery, lakes, a playground and even a miniature railway, all linked by a discreet network of pathways enabling the visitor to either hasten from A to B or meander about. Many runners - my corpulent self among them - often use the path that encircles the park close to its outer perimeter in order to increase the distance achieved.

But the cherry on the cake is Brockwell Lido, an open air swimming pool complex (featuring an olympic-size swimming pool) built in Art Deco style in 1937, since modernised and open to all throughout the year (caution: it is unheated!), and much appreciated; alas I have yet to use it, so you will have to wait a bit for a first hand account, though I'm told it's delightful. The local council, owners of Brockwell Park, tried to do away with the Lido on the grounds of cost in 1990 (to my mind there may have also been a 'class' element to this, as swimming facilities may have been regarded as 'for the privileged or bourgeois') but ended up bowing to local pressure and reopened it a few years later, having updated the buildings and including enhanced fitness facilities. It appears to operate successfully to the delight of locals and visitors alike.

Brockwell Hall sits in the grounds at the highest point, master of all it surveys, and houses a cafe providing a useful service for visitors to the park, if a bit of a comedown for the building. Having said that and despite its Grade 2* listing the building is, to my eyes, relatively ordinary and undistinguished on the outside, built on a modest scale in a superb setting in the early 19th century as - and this is hard to credit today surveying its urban surroundings - a country retreat for a wealthy glass merchant! The house and its land were purchased in 1891 by the LCC (London County Council, defunct since the 1960s) and therefore saved, with more acreage added later to produce the current park. Of course many other country houses, often much more important, suffered far worse fates, including demolition, when they ceased to be relevant and became unable to survive after WW2, so we should be grateful for any that remain, however downgraded, and at least a cafe is an important local amenity. The attraction for me here is not found in the house, in any case,  but is in the almost perfect setting replete with ancient trees and green open spaces - in Brockwell Park England truly is a green and pleasant land, even if up the road lie the drab expanses of inner city grey buildings, together with assorted towers of council estates!

This is not a park on the grand scale of the Royal Parks in central London, nothing like as formal or fussy and far more relaxed. It whisks the visitor away to the countryside almost immediately one steps within despite the teeming traffic just outside parts of it and seduces not with its scale or grandeur, though it is neither small nor demure, but with its natural feel and elegance. It has become my favourite London park, displacing my beloved Regents Park on the northern side of which I lived for nearly twenty years.

Herne Hill railway station is two minutes walk from the entrance to the park and normally has a regular service so it is quite easy if you would like to visit it from other parts of London (but do check train schedules because they do alter, especially at weekends) and buses swarm all around from different parts of town, thus eliminating the last of your excuses. On a Sunday there's even a market in Herne Hill (by the station) with tasty food, amazing bread, organic and direct-from-farmer groceries and various trinkets, so things for all (most?) tastes, making the area even more attractive but busier. And there are plenty of local restaurants and welcoming hostelries awaiting you after your meanderings in the park to feed and water (ha-ha!) you in the best possible way, catering to all budgets.

Brockwell Park is a real treat for the senses and can be almost anything you want it to be for everyone, young or old. Visit and find out first hand, amigos, and please let me know how you get on. Those of you who can't be bothered to go have only yourselves to blame, so don't be jealous just because I happen to live but a stone's throw away; like the rolling stone that I have become over the last three or so years, I may soon be moving on again, or not. Whatever happens, part of my heart will always be meandering around the ancient trees of this amazing park.