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"Spitha" Presentation
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FOUNDING DECLARATION OF MIKIS THEODORAKIS'S INDEPENDENT CITIZENS' MOVEMENT
FIRST PART
Dear friends,
By announcing the creation of an Independent Citizens' Movement, I do not intend to form a political party or an organized grassroots movement with a structure, members and leadership. My only motive is to help give an impulse, create a fermentation of ideas, outside the existing political-party status quo. It is aimed at the independent citizen who feels the need to react to the current impasse and to contribute with any strength he may have to getting our country out of the inextricable crisis we were led into by the global capitalism crisis and the prominent political and business circles dependant on international groups, together with the entire political world, which has participated actively or passively in the tumble of public life since 1974.
The fact that the problems arose after the fall of the Soviet Union and its allies and the monopolization of military and economic power by the U.S., transforming them into a modern imperialist state, leads humanity into forced developments which, either by war or the fear of war or by the economic blackmail or by economic dependence, distort the social developments in the international arena,, affect and lead the nations either to outright disasters or to generalized crisis and national impasse.
Our country, since the Civil War, is under constant control and dependence on the U.S.
The form of substantial dependence forced upon us, gives to the character of the struggle that the independent citizen is called to shoulder, the features of a liberation fight within the new conditions of globalization, which often makes the enemy invisible. And for this very reason, the complexity of problems and especially the rulers' disguises make it difficult and even impossible to deal with, as in the past by just using a doctrine and a few slogans.
This is why every independent citizen should reflect seriously and responsibly until he discovers what exactly is happening to us, where we stand and why, as well as to which forces and in which way we should count on; also, how we, ourselves, one with another, we can create the power to save us. It is sufficient to see who our enemies are nowadays. Who are the enemies of our People and our country.
In short, I believe that we stand in the period when we should think all together; we should study, inform ourselves search and decide.
And this is why I call this book "Spark." A little spark that I hope will withstand the wind of our enemies as it seeks to ignite another and another and yet another spark, until the purifying fire that will save us flares up.
Dear friends,
The present government was elected in October 2009 just because they assured us that they were unlike the Karamanlis government which predicted hard days. They believed that there was no lack of money, there should only be a development programme that will immediately pull the country out of the crisis.
In the Thessaloniki International Fair, the current Prime Minister even had the opportunity to describe in detail how to achieve higher wages, to decrease taxation and how the country would march towards prosperity with the implementation of a detailed economic development plan which was ready.
However, it was soon proved that not only there was no such programme or governance plan, but there were many new inexperienced ministers who were improvising, while most of them didn't know what to do due to lack of coordination. This was happening while the general crisis was flaring up dangerously around us. In order to avoid absolute bankruptcy, immediate strict measures became necessary.
This was, in my opinion, the most dramatic and unfortunate moment for our country (ie the first months of the new government), because valuable time was lost, so precious that made damage repair impossible.
To the contrary, the crisis deepened rapidly every day to the extent of arriving at the verge of bankruptcy, without the slightest reaction from the Government!
Rising Spreads
I wonder; what the government should have done? For a start, they should have gotten in touch with the harsh reality and rush to borrow, as all the governments did since 1974, with the usual rates, in order to ensure at least the employees' wages.
Instead, the government blatantly ignored the gloomy developments and tried to throw the blame on to Nea Dimokratia out of partisan empathy, dividing the people more deeply, while in Portugal the two major parties joined forces to face a crisis in which all the population was involved.
And, while the gentlemen Papandreou, Papakonstantinou and Provopoulos were stating right and left, in Europe, America and Asia, how poor we were and how much poorer we became each day because Karamanlis doubled the public debt solely to enrich himself and his associates, the famous spreads were rising every day so fast as to reach a world record of 1000 units!
Thereby, as I mentioned, precious time was lost, during which, not only we did nothing, but we were wholeheartedly helping, so that the banks eventually stopped lending to us and thus leading us to the dilemma "Bankruptcy or IMF."
IMF or Bankruptcy
This was a nice pretext to cheat once again on the people, after the "there is money" slogan, so a few could say "What could George do since he had to respond to this dilemma? Since on one hand was Greece's salvation through IMF, while on the other was Chaos”. Besides, he ultimately repeated this himself more clearly when he threatened us with elections "Either me or Chaos"!
So this was a nice pretext, except that in October 2009, when PASOK became government it wasn't facing such a dilemma, because back then the solution of borrowing still existed, as was done by all governments and as the governments of Spain, Portugal, Ireland and others who are facing similar problems continue to do. Therefore, we caused the dilemma ourselves. Willingly or unwillingly? We shall not know. However, it is enough that under the pretext of this dilemma, the country has now come under high supervision - probation and real governance by the IMF and the Europe of Banks, that is to say the most advanced form of aggressive U.S. policy on one hand and the most bloodthirsty and reactionary circles of Europe on the other. And this, at a time when Berlin's economic imperialism becomes more ruthless and poses a direct threat to exterminate not only the Greek but also other eurozone's economies, in which there is not even the excuse of the Greek internal pathogenesis. Germany has entered a very dangerous path for us and for itself, that is why you see the reaction flaring up in that country too, but unfortunately, at least until now, it seems to bring no results.
Germany like France, along with the U.S., have the monopoly on regular weapon sales to Greece for decades. Where else would they find such "dummy" customers as ourselves and the Turks, who out of fear of one another, we cut every year billions of our national deposits and we are becoming impoverished, to make the rich people richer! Who, instead of thanking us, shake their finger to us and say "You are incompetent, corrupt, you give us false information and that's why you don't deserve to be in Europe with us. Anyway, for the last time, we send you two banks, in order to stand on your feet until we throw you out of Europe". This is what Merkel told us yesterday loud and clear to our face and we basically agreed with her! So the banks came to save us, when in fact the money we get will eventually go to Germany and France, because we still owe them for the weapons we bought and because even now, in the middle of this devastating crisis, we still buy submarines from Merkel's Germany!
The Memorandum
And we arrive at the Memorandum, namely the conditions under which they agreed to 'help' us.
On this subject, let me give the floor to Professor of Constitutional Law, Mr. George Kassimatis, who was kind enough to write the following, especially for my present speech:
"Everybody," the Professor writes, "discusses daily about the 'Memorandum', by which the constitutional rights of workers are violated. Along with the 'Memorandum' and based on it, there is the Loan Agreement, signed between the Greek Government and the [other 16 15 member states of Eurozone. The terms of this agreement tie hand and foot Greece as a sovereign state. They insult both the Greek people and the European civilisation.
I will only refer to one term, from the many that humiliate Greece: the term to surrender the national sovereignty. Yes, as you heard it: Surrender of national sovereignty in favour of Greece's creditors if Greece was unable to pay off its debt.
The relevant text of the Convention – Agreement -, exists in two points: I cite the simplest: 'Neither the Borrower (i.e., Greece) nor its assets have immunity due to national sovereignty or for any other reason in case of: trial, seizure (preventive? or forced) or enforced execution and in case of any other action or procedure relevant to the Agreement'.
In another term, the Convention stipulates that Greece renounces its sovereign rights "irrevocably and unconditionally".
Such a term cannot be signed even with a gun on the temple. Only a Shylock could think of such a term. Such a term is incorporated in a loan agreement for the first time in the history of mankind".
Europe of Banks
Moreover, the EU official Mr Juncker himself declared that he knew long ago about Greece’s economic tumble due to the continuous and huge loans it got from certain European countries; however he did not speak, because this would be at the expense of these countries’ interests. Of course he refers to the decade of the ΄80s, when the public debt soared from 32% to 112% of GDP. (I remind here that from the 112% in 1990 until 2009 the debt increased only by 20% of GDP and the speculations about doubling and tripling constitute malignant propaganda. Today (2010) the debt is 132-135% of GDP and for 2011 is forecast to rise by about 10 points).
In other words the governments of Mitsotakis, Simitis and K. Karamanlis are accountable for the 20% while the Governments of Andreas and Giorgos for the 70% of the rise the first and for the 10% of the rise the latter within a year, thus proving that these were and still are primarily responsible for the country’s effective bankruptcy. If we add to these loans, the remaining 110 billion promised by our lenders for 2011, then the debt will shoot up to heights that will tie up our country hand and foot and will lead to permanent underdevelopment and even more grim economic dependence.
Juncker's reference to European countries points mainly to Germany and France,because a large proportion of the loans issued to our country concerned the supply of war material. And it is at least hypocritical and unacceptable to accuse us of corruption and mismanagement while they knew that they were leading us systematically to bankruptcy to enrich themselves. This was the truth that Juncker knew, who, however, out of solidarity with the perpetrators, did nothing to protect the victim.
This is the true image of Europe that they were hiding from us until now. A small group of wealthy people, who thanks to their military industries that export the black death, have a dominant economic position and look down on the other small and insignificant people, to get to the recent revelation of their true -genuine dictatorial character- face, the Merkel-Sarkozy duet, who requested and imposed punishments for all of us who are good only if they can earn from our deficient income as they did systematically until now.
Since this is the reality of Europe, so cynically described by Mr Juncker, how can we deliver the management of our national economy to Europe's banking representatives? How our national pride, our honour, our dignity were lost so suddenly? How our struggles to defend the dignity and value of this small but very proud country, are forgotten?
As for the excuse that thanks to Troika the Government dares to make these life-saving cuts in state services and society, this is something that should make us all feel ashamed, if we accept that some foreign officials should come as monitors to replace the elected representatives of a nation and indeed the government itself, as if we were unable, underdeveloped, timid and cowards to make the necessary changes. We shall see below, when and by whom these necessary changes, which for many decades constituted a brake on our national development, had to be made.
In this vicious offence to us, the response of a proud nation must be one and only: Cease to buy weapons from these two countries, Germany and France.
And what about our defence?
The first thing we should immediately do is to propose to the Turks a special meeting on mutual reduction of military equipment.
The second is to approach Russia and China, who are very likely not only to charge us cheaper, but to be willing to be paid either in kind or by creating joint ventures, as happened with Cosco, in a series of projects that will contribute to national development.
Instead of selling to the Arab tycoons with burdensome and, basically, underdeveloping conditions "Astakous", shipyards and sensitive areas such as the "Helliniko", it is worth investigating whether Russia and China are willing to create with us, in the form of partnerships, units to exploit our natural wealth without compromising our sovereign rights.
Information published and circulated on the Internet report that Greece, in its bad economic situation and on the verge of bankruptcy, it received various proposals some time ago from:
1. China who is saying that it wants to help Greece and proposes to us:
– To repay all our public debt, without consideration (what is the debt of Greece for the financial capabilities of China?)
– To lend us whatever amount is necessary for running the country, with 1% interest rate (versus 6.7% of the German loans)
– Το send us as many tourists as we want or as many as we have the infrastructure to accommodate.
The Government's response: NO, we do not need help!
2. Russia, which is offering any help, financial or otherwise, under the condition that the agreement of the famous Gas Pipeline will be activated and that it will be allowed to repair its warships in Syros (as was the case in the past for its merchant ships).
The Government's response: NO, we do not agree!
As an epilogue of all these, obviously the famous since decades issue of the enormous mineral wealth of our country, for which anyone who dared to speak was characterized from a graphic to a psychopath, still exists (recently the media started finally to deal with the issue). Greece is said, not only to be drowned in oil, but that it also has gold, uranium, osmium and bauxite deposits.
The Government's response: NO to everything!
I would still say that if these proposals were really made, then it is possible to address the repayment of debt of about 350 billion Euros by proposing to the Russians and the Chinese other repayment modalities, such as e.g. the consortia that I have mentioned or even payment in kind mainly from our rural production, which in this way will be revived.
The public debt
Let me now turn to the issue of responsibilities for the indeed terrible debt swelling that has led us to the current crisis. All data show that the main responsible for the surge of Public Debt, which from 32% of GDP in 1981 soared within a decade to 112%, turning our country hamstrung of the excessive interest rates which led us to the current crisis, was the PASOK governments between 1981 and 1989.
It is indicative, as many highly-regarded economists note, that from 1990 to 2009 the three governments of Mitsotakis, Simitis and K. Karamanlis increased debt by only 20 units, which means that they handed it to the government of George Papandreou at 132% of GDP. And even that most of these 20 units were used to pay off interest. Incidently, in order to understand the magnitude of interest, we indicate that in 2011 we will pay for interest and redemptions, 45 billion euros. We should also say that, to this day, we follow with Troika the same wrong way of surging interest.
Already in 2011 the public debt will reach 145% of GDP, which means that in one year only the current government has increased debt by 12 points while, as we have seen, the three previous governments increased it only by 20 units within 19 years. When the European loan of 110 billion, for which the Government boasts, is added, then the debt will be ejected to such heights that our total annual revenue won’t be enough to cover the colossal interest. So we will get to the point where the annual labour of our people not only will not be enough to live on but we will have to beg in order to stand on our feet. Our position will then be this of a beggar who stretches out his hand for a piece of dry bread.
As to the urgent need to pursue a development policy not only nothing is being done but, on the contrary, all the measures undertaken by the government lead to deeper recession.
One wonders what may be happening and this government, in the 12 months that it governs, has not taken a single significant developmental measure. As for foreign investments, the Prime Minister had nothing else to report other than this of the Chinese Cosco, whose presence, as it is widely known, was fought fanatically by PASOK and survived only because the Chinese took care to insure hard economic conditions in case Greece failed to comply with the terms of the contract. For this reason, as it seems, the Americans didn't insist for the cancellation of this contract, as they did with the Burgas pipeline which was abandoned, because they apparently weren't willing to undertake themselves the burden of compensation for the contract annulment with Cosco.
And since we mentioned the pipeline, does anybody believe that the Bulgarians suddenly discovered that it pollutes the environment? And would it ever be possible that any government, in situation of economic crisis like now, would throw in the bin such a major deal if there were no other reasons? However, the U.S. interests and policy are for the current government much more important than the interests of the Greek people. This is the ugly truth, which indicates even to the most sceptical the degree of our country's dependence, as well as it reveals IMF's role for a deeper penetration of the foreign dependence, so that Greece can transform, as did Kosovo, Albania and Skopje, into one more U.S. protectorate.
But how did the government think to get us out of the crisis when on the one hand its economic and social measures sink us in recession, inflation, unemployment and to gradual economic misery of the people starting from the weaker layers, while on the other it does not create the slightest counterweight to promote growth, attraction of foreign investment and major public works that could be used to offset the current losses, in order to not need to borrow so heavily to survive?
Instead, this gap between negative and positive progress of the country rather than starting to close, it becomes even greater, to the point of seriously wondering to what irreversible underdevelopment level the country is lead and why.
But why did George Papandreou refer to the possibility of elections, since it is well known that our notorious lenders expect the slightest negative sign for a potential social unrest, to start raising the spreads once more to unbearable heights. When a slow but steady spread decline began, which gave us at least a small hope that someday we could borrow at reasonable rates as before, it’s him, the prime minister himself, who drove us back to square one, that is, in front of the nightmare of bankruptcy so that we would have no choice but to continue indefinitely under the IMF, Troika and the Memorandum governance.
Is this pure chance? I don't think so ...
Hungary
Is there, I wonder, another way to get rid of the tutelage of the IMF and the Bank of Europe? The reputable journalist George Delastik helped us to discover it.
It is a path through the system itself, since it comes from the government change that took place a few months ago in Hungary. Hungary as you know is also a member of the EU 27 and it had the misfortune to get acquainted, like us, with the beneficial effects of Troika’s presence, which had been called there also by the Hungarian socialists in order to save them.
Then the damned Right-wing won the elections and started without delay to work for the country's redemption from IMF’s shackles, etc. This fact offended the French newspaper "Le Monde" because, as it writes, the Hungarian government "doesn't care at all about the requirements of EU and international organizations». However, in this way, as the French newspaper writes, the new government "gained international admiration for the courage of its leadership by Hungarian right government to refuse to continue the policy of national subordination of its socialist predecessors».
The New York Times add: "Challenging its creditors, Hungary denies further tightening of the belt." and they underline "This provocative attitude reflects the fatigue and resistance that threatens to cause throughout Europe the continued pressure for financial soundness.” In the meanwhile the Hungarian finance minister said about the "Memorandum": "We declared to our partners that we do not consider under any circumstances any additional austerity measures".
Τhe German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine writes: "Rarely a Hungarian government was thrown into the job with such impetus. This was urgently needed because the government had set as its objective the overcoming of despair and lack of confidence that the Hungarian population was lead into for eight years of socialist rule. Because of this, Orbán's team wants to promote "national cohesion". INSTEAD OF AUSTERITY, TAX THE BANKS! However, the EU and IMF oppressors require that the Hungarian government cut the already meager pensions, alter unfavourably the national health system by cutting wages and jobs for doctors and nurses and cutting back government spending on health, close loss-making huge state companies and sack hundreds of thousands of Hungarians. Cuts of at least one billion euro are required to be able to reduce the deficit to 3.8% this year and to 3% next year, said the experts of the EU and IMF to the Hungarians. Therefore, they solemnly noted that additional austerity measures are required. That's when the Hungarian government raised the stakes and drove them mad! “You want one billion additional revenues in two years?” they answered, “We will collect more, but not with new austerity for the people. Quite simply, we will tax the banks! ".THE PARASITES WILL PAY FOR ΤΗΕ DERIVATIVES BUSINESS.
They almost died of a stroke, all together - the EU, the IMF, the bankers and all the parasites and the "hustlers" of the financial system! Until 10th September they have to pay the first instalment, until 10th December the second - based on the 2009 revenues, which have already been declared. Delighted Hungary's Minister of Finance made his accounts in public: the banks will pay 450 million; the insurance companies another 135 and the remaining financial companies another 110 million - here they are the 700 million euros right away just for this year! Matoltsi György, the Hungarian Minister of Finance, declared sarcastically on television: "We know that this is a significant extra burden, but we also know that, in this way, we can achieve the deficit target of 3.8%"
With these funds, not only we will reduce the deficit to 3.8% but we will also give incentives for economic growth, he added. We will reduce by half - ie 10% - the tax rate of all businesses that have gross profits up to 1.8 million euros, a measure which concerns 250,000 small and medium-sized businesses, which represent three quarters of all Hungarian enterprises. Also, with the money that the Hungarian government will get from the banks, it will be able to reduce the rate of personal income tax to a flat rate of 16% covering the loss of tax revenues with a portion of the banks' money! "EUROPEANS YOU "FLAYED" US ENOUGH, NOW PAY!".
Panic prevailed in the circles of the EU. The European Commission hasted to accuse the Hungarian government that ... it failed to assess properly the impact of this special taxation on banks, which "may have negative effects on economic growth" and "deter foreign investors." Nonsense and pretences. The real reason that panicked the EU and the IMF was whether this beneficial Hungarian national attitude could be imitated by other European countries and create a "school of thought", encouraging other governments of the state - members of "27" to tax the banks rather than take more austerity measures.
"Hungary will become the first country in Europe with a corresponding decision on this scale" is the conclusion of the German 'Frankfurter Allgemeine' on the eve of the vote for the law for the special taxation of banks by the Hungarian parliament.
What is the IMF and what does it want
The journalist Fotis Papoulias in Sunday's "Eleftherotipia" of October 31, 2010, refers to the question: "What may link the CIA and the investigative techniques it uses to the IMF and the World Bank?" and continues, reporting, literally, shocking details. As, for example, the disclosure by the Canadian journalist and University Professor Naomi Klein that the "shock doctrine", which CIA uses since the early 50's, finds direct application in the methods proposed by the IMF and the World Bank to save the astray national economies!
"According to studies published in the 60s and 70s, the head of the CIA experiments in the '50s, Dr. Ewen Cameron, believed that the only way to teach his "patients" new, healthy behaviour manners, was to penetrate in their minds and break the old abnormal mental shapes. This massive loss of all memories was the essence of the therapy so as to boost the patient to a new stage of development. When a series of successive shocks had achieved "complete breakdown" of the patient's personality, he could then start the psychic guidance.
The famous economist, professor at the University of Chicago and deceased now, Milton Friedman became jealous of Cameron's work:"Instead of the electroshocks he recommended that when the economy is subject to distortions, only the challenge of painful shocks, the" bitter medicine "as he called it, could bring the economy back to a healthy state. He wrote in 1982: "When a crisis erupts, we must develop policies until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable." Therefore "leaders are free to do what it is or what they claim that is necessary to tackle crisis, crisis periods are periods of democracy suspension." If this reminds you of Greece and the vote procedures of the Memorandum or the violent overthrow of labour and social security issues, the reduction of wages and pensions, then you probably think subversively ...», comments the Greek author and continues:"The IMF's leaders adopted the shock doctrine, noting in 1996:" People may resist to partial changes (e.g., cut health programmes), but if dozens of changes in every direction occur simultaneously, a sense of futility consolidates and the population becomes inactive". Just as in the experiments of Cameron, where the "patients" after the shock were "lost." And, as some bankers of the World Bank noted in 2002, “if elections had preceded, the shock can be glorified as a democratic process, regardless of the fact that the will of the people was ignored". No, "dilemmas of Kallikratis" and combination of votes against George Papandreou had not yet occurred... And although in his experiments Cameron used psychotropic drugs, the economic shock has found a worthy supporter in corruption. "Corruption of everybody, either real or invented, is responsible for any failure” support IMF's officers, only that they forget that for thanks to "corruption" and "an extremely swollen and incompetent public sector" the markets became vulnerable to the plans of the IMF and World Bank. The CIA interrogation manuals indicate that the prisoners should be isolated immediately and underline that: "They should be constantly under confusion, disorientation and surprise. Without these elements there is no shock". The same applies to societies; however, when the mechanism of the shock doctrine is collectively understood, it is more difficult to surprise entire communities, it is more difficult to place them in a state of confusion, as they become more resilient to shock. "Memory, both individual and collective, turns out to be the greatest shock absorber of all" says Naomi Klein, and recalls that when the IMF and World Bank lost their 'client countries' of Latin America, they turned to Europe to seek out countries - "blank pages", so that the new state - models could be constructed…
Searching for information about IMF on the Internet, I discovered a chapter titled: "Reinforcing the military dictatorships" friendly to American and European interests. What is noted there, is the general indifference and hostility that they nurture against human and labour rights... In 1960, the IMF supported in Brazil Castello Branco's dictatorial regime with tens of billions of dollars that it had refused to the previous democratically elected regime. Finally, countries with dictatorial regimes became members of the IMF. Countries like: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile of Pinochet, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan (during two dictatorships from 1977 to 2008), Paraguay, Philippines, Somalia, Sudan, Thailand, Zaire (Congo). As for Greece, it settled for CIA's experiments with electrodes which were used for the first time, in 1967, at the General Security (Bouboulinas Street) during the junta years on the fighters of the Patriotic Front (PAM).
IMF applied everywhere "austerity programmes", increase of taxation, etc., which echoed the ideology and the interests of the Western banking community. In Argentina, this tactic led, in 2001 to a devastating economic crisis affecting particularly the sectors of health, education and security.
In Kenya the structural reforms’ programme worsened the country's situation. On his part, former Prime Minister of Romania Tăriceanu claimed that since 2005 the IMF always made mistakes in its estimates of the country's economy.
"The agreement between Indonesia and IMF was signed in January 1998. The "unlucky president" was General Suharto, who in May of the same year was forced to resignation after a month of mass protests. The programme imposed by IMF in Indonesia, led to the dissolution of the economy, to the free fall of rupee and to the explosion of unemployment and prices. 40% of the population ended up below the poverty line and the riots that erupted led Suharto to resignation after 32 years of authoritarian governance. The then vice president J. Habibie undertook the Presidency, but the situation in the country remained unsettled. The following year A. Wahid was elected president, only to be deposed two years later by the parliament for corruption and incompetence.
Indonesia and the other "Asian tigers" which faced the spectre of bankruptcy in 1997-1998, are far away from Greece; so is Argentina and other Latin American countries who found themselves in a dreadful financial situation a few years later. However, the element of political instability that comes with the IMF's stability programme isn't noticed just in developing countries. In Europe too, the shock treatments had almost the same effects: recession, social conflict and political upheavals.
In Hungary, the deal with IMF in late 2008 for the provision of a 25 billion U.S. dollar loan resulted in the depreciation of the currency by some 20% in the first stage, wage freeze, elimination of the bonusses and reduction of all social spending. The socialist government of G. Bajnai failed to pass the referendum on the changes that he promoted in the health and education sectors in the year of the memorandum. He met resistance, at times, but not full-scale social reaction. In the elections of April 2010, he got 19.3% of the votes. The right-wing coalition (Fidesz) of V. Orbán, who opposed the agreement with the IMF, won the elections with 52.7% of the national vote."
Finally in the port of Constantza (Romania), EU began distributing food to the 73,000 needy people who were supplied with ration coupons. Every day thousands of people lined-up for a plate of food.
The mess, with the signature of the EEC, included flour, pasta and sugar. Do you think that we will be obliged one day to reverse the time machine and go back to 1942, the German occupation time, when the public messes started, thanks to which the Athenians finally survived ... As if a hand has decided to erase the history of 70 years of this country, where generations of patriots were sacrificed and the Greek soil was watered with rivers of tears and blood in order to get where it got.
Let me dedicate this chapter to the recent statement by former U.S. President George W. Bush " I personally decided and ordered torturing", a statement that stains for ever this big country with the stigma of adopting torture against prisoners as official state practice. In other words, human brutality in all its glory!
Because, such brutal acts as torture
when declared without committed, express stupidity
when committed without being declared, barbarism
and when committed and declared, brutality.
I wonder, what the Americans and their friends and partners have to say about the confession of one of their country's President?
The IMF, therefore, is not an ordinary bank which agreed to lend us out of kindness and compassion, but above all it is a political organisation serving the interests of USA. If the American war machine has the mission to serve by violent means its imperialistic policy, the IMF is its other iron arm, which in different ways, i.e. the control of the economy, penetrates within a country, in order to lead it to that point of economic and social decay, which will transform it to an obedient pawn on the chessboard of its global strategy.
The degradation operation
Besides, IMF's advent in our country is the icing on the cake of a series of interventions, which began in 1974 and changed systematically the social, political, cultural, moral and cultural map of the country. The spread of subculture, of corruption and the decline of our moral and educational levels did not fall from the sky but were created systematically and persistently through concrete policies and actions in all areas of our national affairs, so when, at the last stage, under the threat of bankruptcy ,the people will be in every sense disarmed and become easy prey to the evil plans that would even manage to make us forget that we are Greeks!
Those responsible for this systematic effort for the demolition of Hellenism, of Nation, of our History and Culture, that everyone knows who they are and who supports them, are a link in the chain of the negative acts mentioned above, whose effects now seem clear from the reactions and attitudes of our people in front of the whirlwind of unpopular measures:
People stunned, confused, frightened, disoriented but also angry, who have not understood yet what's happening and therefore are in despair.
Moreover, those circles that undertook the deconstruction of our national, historical and traditional character were embraced by the present government, which appointed them in high positions in the most sensitive area of the formation of thought, conscience and character of young Greek women and men, the Ministry of Education. It is characteristic that new names were given to the Ministries, only to remove the word "National", like Macedonia and Aegean (whom does that bother?). Think at last, dear compatriots, without the fanaticism of party blinders. In your opinion, what means this aversion to the word "Nation"? Who has interest in removing the word and concept "Nation", which is the main adhesive force that unites us all, right, centrist, left, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, everyone, all Greeks without exemption, and that, if it happens to join altogether and form a fist, as happened on October 28, 1940, would form a force capable not only to resist, but also to win?
Art for all the people
Consider also, what interest can a man like me have, at my age and who can say that I have it all, success, fame, glory and above all the love of all Greeks without discrimination? And I love you all equally and it gives me pain when I'm forced to reveal and condemn my fellow citizens for acts that, I am sure, harm the country and our people.
So please do not anticipate condemning me and categorizing me here or there without listening to, even for the last time, what I tell you, because frankly I do not belong anywhere but to Greece and my only concern is the interest of all our people without discrimination.
As an artist, I also find myself among the few who decided to compose music for all the people and not for a minority of educated, who supposedly are the only ones who understand difficult compositions as Symphonies, Oratoria and Operas. You should know that the risk to make myself understood by all Greeks was very big, because my art ran the danger to scatter into the crowd. To become instead of popular, populist. easy, cheap. But I risked it and it was like I wanted to paint with the colour of my music, not a house’s facade or a bowl of water, but the entire Aegean, i.e. my music to give to our entire people not just a song but the oratorio, as is the "Axion Esti", and to touch all hearts without discrimination.
Our Cultural Movement
And it is a boon that my effort found, during the sixties, fertile soil to be planted and to bear fruit: a Nation and above all a Youth thirsty for Greek art, Greek culture, many composers and poets with talent, personality, inspiration and will to dedicate their work to Greece and the Greek people.
Thereby a movement was formed, an unprecedented movement of all nations and all times except the time of ancient Athens, when intellectuals, artists and people, all together, were creating a spiritual miracle unsurpassed in audacity and quality to this day.
And how proud we should really be, we, the modern Greeks, because we speak the same language and hear the same music as we inherited today with intermediates the Byzantium and the Church hymns, the folk songs followed by the rebetiko and our popular music ... And how much our public education system should focus our children' education on the richness of this unique in the world intellectual continuity, in order for them to grow strong and proud of their homeland...
Instead, some set about to cut the trunk of this unique tree and recently reached the point of trying to uproot it.
But no! We will not allow this to happen and let us be accused of being nationalists and other nonsense. If the fact that you believe and love your roots is called 'nationalism' then I'm the first to say that the greatest the highest and the most beautiful thing I met in my life is my little homeland, the current, the past, the eternal…
And this unprecedented movement that originated in our country inspired our people to a point that made them nicer, more mature, more responsible and ultimately more powerful and therefore more dangerous to our enemies.
Kissinger's command – Cyprus
The U.S. Secretary of State Mr. Kissinger was one of them. Moreover, he was the strongest and most dangerous, because he had behind him America’s immense power. Really, have you understood why the Americans hate us so much? What have we done to them? Weren't all our rulers since the Civil War until today their obedient stooges? The Greek oligarchy did they not slavishly roll out the red carpet for them?
I will refer here to two "conspiracy theories" among others, which I like to create in general and more specifically in this text, describing various unexplained negative interventions and results, for which, if the foreign factor is excluded, we should accept that we are a suicidal people.
So, why did they condemn us to the darkness of a seven-year military tyranny, whose strings were in their hands? Why, by the machinations of Mr. Kissinger personally, the conditions in Cyprus for the invasion of the Turkish army (for which he wasn't hiding his sympathy) were created, so that the Hellenism lost 40% of their island? A foreign occupation which is extended until today thanks to the Americans' tolerance, who do not seem satisfied with half of Cyprus but they want to get it all with the Annan plan, which, although rejected by 70% of Greek Cypriots, they have not abandoned yet. And how to abandon it, when nowadays in Greece govern those who were not only enthusiastic supporters of the Annan plan but also took part in the plan's drafting? And I honestly suffer when I see President Christofias try to persuade the Turkish Cypriots to find together a just and viable solution, when, on one side, behind the discussions, is Ankara and on the other, in Athens, governors are those who against the will of the 70% of Greek Cypriots remain advocates of a solution like the Annan plan, just like the English-Americans, who haven't abandoned their effort.
Kissinger’s Command and Culture
Following junta's imposition and the Turkish military occupation of Cyprus, Mr. Kissinger turned in 1974, shortly before the dictatorship's fall, his arrows to the most sensitive area of the Greek people, as he called the Greek Culture. And what did he mean by the word "Culture"? The ancient Greek Culture? Of course not. As a proven smart and experienced head hunter with this directive - order, he clearly indicated that the next target, in order to bow this rebellious, as he described us, people, is this big, unique and powerful cultural movement of the 60's that kept upright the Greeks' soul in the dark years of dictatorship, which after junta’s collapse had transformed our country into a vast stadium with hundreds of thousands of mainly boys and girls, who were incited by the songs of composers and poets, who through their art expressed the Greek soul, which is characterized in the difficult times by three words; Freedom, Independence, Democracy.
But, in the meanwhile, the storm destroyed all the works of all authors. It took away and eventually eradicated this great movement! And imposed in its place a subculture, which so well fits the ignorance, irresponsibility, indifference, vulgarity and finally corruption; in other words all the necessary steps to rot a people and thus to become vulnerable and powerless to react to the final stage designed for us; marginalization, obedience, servility, slavery and eventually the "slaughter me my Aga to sanctify".
Today, we are so close to this predicament that we don’t react anymore when incredible things happen around us, which touch upon the very integrity of our country.
East Aegean
Listen to what the well-known and remarkable reporter Keira Adam claims:
"Mr. Papandreou and Mr. Erdoğan were intentionally sparing in their statements after a long meeting in Vouliagmeni, last Friday, although they did everything they could to create the impression that the exploratory talks are progressing and will soon have good results. Mr. Erdoğan apparently didn’t have much to add, since he had already expressed the major points shortly before he came to Greece in the form of protest to Athens:
Why did he protest?
Because;
• The Greek fighter jets fly over the Turkish shelf.
• And because;
• The Greek fighter jets violated the Turkish sovereign air space (!) 2 n.m. (nautical miles) from Agathonisi.
As unbelievable as it sounds, Ankara has every reason to continue raising its voice of "protests" toward Athens, while the latter does not respond when and where it should: On October 14, the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers of Greece and Turkey agreed, in principle, to everything in the new NATO doctrine, although the Alliance since August 2006 formally considers in formal documents that Greece in reality has no sovereign rights on the islands east of the middle of the Aegean.
It is important to recall that NATO on August 26, 2006 issued two basic orders, with which it prohibits the Greek fighter jets of Larissa's Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC-7) from approaching closer than 6 miles the East Aegean islands' shores, flying over them and landing on them.
This issue may be considered incredible, but it is a tragic reality for our country and is destructive for our sovereign and economic rights.
By these orders, NATO not only considers the 21 islands as demilitarized, but even questions whether the islands are Greek at all. This is happening because according to the Chicago Convention, it is prohibited to military aircrafts of one country to fly in the airspace of another country, because this area is sovereign territory. So NATO, by its commands, indicates and sets that the eastern Aegean islands are not Greek sovereign territories, but "foreign state" since it prohibits to the Greek fighter jets to fly over them.
Yet, since 2006 until today no Greek government has reacted or set as strict condition the immediate withdrawal of NATO orders. Not even now, during consultations before the Lisbon Summit in November, has the Greek government exercised its veto power on the new NATO doctrine, which by its decisions ignores international treaties and seems to serve special interests.
Yet, the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, the Montreux Convention in 1936, the Treaty of Paris in 1947, which deal with the islands of the Eastern Aegean, do not impose at any point flight restriction of Greek aircraft over these islands. So these NATO commands violate those treaties, but also previous orders of the Alliance, until 2001, when it determined that under the existing Treaties the islands of Lemnos, Lesvos, Chios and Ikaria are not under demilitarization.
As the solution is postponed "for later" there is a risk that the issue of flight restriction be developed into a practice of legalizing the offenses - of the NATO and Ankara association (guild)- to the expense of Greek sovereignty and that the East Aegean would become a gray zone, without sovereignty over these territories.
But this directly affects the shelf (ridge?) and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Aegean (with the risk of looking for it ...in the Vistonida Lake), while the interests of Greece in the Aegean are in doubt."
Allow me to address, even a little belatedly, Ms. Adam, to tell her:
"Dear Ms. Adam, your revelations about the conspiracy of the guild (as you name it), NATO and Ankara, against Greek sovereignty in the eastern Aegean, should concern and mobilize every Greek patriot. What is happening is really unprecedented, and I wonder how Greek politicians (ND and PASOK) dare to engage in acts of such a national treason.
I am reading that the basic NATO commands were given on 26 August 2006 (N. D.) and that on 14 October 2010 (PASOK), the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs agreed to every point of the new NATO doctrine in which Greece has no essential sovereign rights on the islands of the Eastern Aegean.
I confess that I find it hard to believe that some Greek politicians, militaries and senior officers proceeded to an act, which allow me to say, I personally consider as clear treason and I believe that it is a shame for us, the vast majority of our people willing to be sacrificed for one square meter of sovereignty, to deal with it passively as if we were enslaved.
No! We are not enslaved, dear Ms. Adam, and this is one more reason "to climb the mountains', because apparently we are betrayed by all sides.
The entire Nation must learn all your incredible reveals, to finally be awakened from the lethargy in which it is thrown, otherwise they risk being found tied hand and foot on a mutilated, ransacked and unrecognizable country.
With friendly regards,,
Mikis Theodorakis
Balkans - "Smurfing" saucissonage
What worries me about the Americans is that, once they flattened Belgrade with bombs, demolished schools, hospitals, bridges, killed thousands of men, women, elderly, children and eventually destroyed it and sank its people into absolute poverty, then they even decided to dismember the remaining Serbia (after the independence of Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia).
So they chose one of its provinces, Kosovo, and on the pretext that there was a majority of Albanians, they finally turned it into a sovereign country, with UN's involvement, and then they turned it into one of their largest military bases in the world. And I now think fearfully, if they decide to "fill" a prefecture of Greece, for example Laconia or an island like Crete, with the foreigners they like, and along with their known plots cause local elections, as in Kosovo, where the majority will not be Greek, what will happen to this prefecture and this island? will they be recognized by the international community, as it happened with Kosovo as, for example, Albanian, Skopje, Turkish or any other nationality, as an independent nation outside and against Greece?
Aren't there, at this very moment, potential risks against our country, behind which lie the staunch participation and support of Americans, such as Albania, Skopje or even Turkey? It is therefore time to stop sleeping and decide, at last, to face the reality.
Albania-Skopje
Let's start from Albania, which is the spoiled child of the Americans in the Balkans. Skopje is next.
Hundreds of thousands of Albanians live and work in our country; they revived their homeland with the money they earn here. So, in fact we have friendly relationships, indicating that at least from our side we see Albania as a friendly country.
How does all this combine with their national propaganda, which, according to the creation of the Greater Albania, circulates maps that include Kosovo, half Skopje, a part of Serbia and the whole of our "Ipeiros" Prefecture, from the borderline to Preveza?
If it is true that these maps are made by the Albanian Academy and are taught in schools, then this case is very serious for us. Firstly, for typical reasons, because what kind of friendly country is it when it prints and distributes maps in which Greek territories are included as Albanian areas, and secondly because we cannot be quiet when we know that behind the Albanians and the Kosovars are the U.S. agencies, whose target is the smurfing(?) of the Balkans, process they have already started with the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the creation of Kosovo, and the full support to the fans of the Greater Albania and Greater Macedonia. Not to mention the concerns they express every now and then for the "Turkish minority", as they call the Muslims of Thrace.
Exactly the same thing is happening with Skopje, with whom we maintain business relationships, to the extent that we are almost the number one factor in their economic existence. And they ignore our country's friendly role, under the pretext of a name given to them suddenly by comrade Tito, who, although a communist, was apparently dreaming of the "Aegean Macedonia" as they call it and covet it.
With Tito
For the record, I would like to say for the first time that the cordial relations between me and Tito ended abruptly when he asked me to compose music for a Skopje film and I refused when I discovered how the name "Macedonia" was being used in that film. Of course, not only did I refuse to cooperate, but I also told him bluntly that these views should not be supported by a communist like him who, out of love for the independence of his country, confronted Stalin. "I also have", I said," the same love for my country and will fight with all my forces against such a threat". I said these in an evening in 1972, around the fire in his hunting lodge next to the river Sutjeska, at 4,000 meters, after viewing the homonymous film, for which I wrote the music. I left and never met him again.
But I did not forget the promise I gave to Tito and when, in 1991 or 1992, Mitsotakis brought the issue of "Skopje" to the cabinet of ministers, I achieved a government decision by which we rejected once and for all the name "Macedonia" as name of the State of Skopje. As I explained then, by means of the name, they plot against the integrity of our country.
They print maps of "Greater Macedonia" that reach to Mount Olympus and they consider Thessaloniki as their future capital, which today is "Macedonian city, under Greek occupation"!!!
We should say clearly and plainly to these two countries, that the friendly and economic relations do not match the ideology which they promote in their countries beginning from the school desks and which targets our territorial integrity.
We should not play with these situations and for reasons of national dignity we should tell them that we consider this propaganda as a hostile act and thereby we have to change our attitude towards them.
I will not mention here what a government should do if it reaches the same conclusions as those I mentioned above.
Minority and Turkey
Regarding Turkey's relations with the Muslim minority in Thrace, I consider that this illegitimate situation must be terminated immediately. The Patriarchate of Orthodox Christianity is in Constantinople; while the behaviour of the Patriarch, who has Turkish nationality is formal and appropriate, we see that nevertheless the Turkish authorities face implicit issues, such as the functioning of the Theological School of Halki in a far from friendly manner.
On the other hand, the Turkish Consulate is in Komotini, despite the fact that there are no Turkish nationals there; there are only Greek Muslims. This is a manifest hostility, since the rulers of Turkey themselves cultivate and maintain an unacceptable Turkish nationalism, including even the Pomaks, preventing Muslims from integrating in our common country, which is Greece.
So we must tell them clearly that all this effort is a thorn which blocks the road towards the friendship of the two peoples. And we should also take seriously the issue of the Turkish Consulate’s inexplicable presence in this sensitive region as well as its role, which is considered the centre of the Turkish nationalist propaganda. This big problem takes alarming proportions since our bitter friends, the Americans, promote more and more frequently the alleged oppression of minorities by the Greeks, and among those minorities the Muslim one is always in the first place. And how can I stop thinking of Kosovo's precedent?
Israel
And since I mentioned Israel, I recall its role in the aggressive U.S. policy in our region and its responsibility for crimes against humanity, committed against the Lebanese and Palestinian people, its peak being the slaughter of innocent people in Gaza and the since prolonged inhumane blockade, in the same area, of hundreds of thousands of people, who in their overwhelming majority are women, elderly and children. It is a series of crime, which shames humanity and yet remains unaltered despite the international reactions, thanks to Israel's support by the Americans.
Many people, including Greeks, attempted to break the blockade carrying mainly medicines, but Israel's fleet brutally prevented them; it did not hesitate to kill cold bloodedly, and even in international waters, 8 Turkish pacifists provoking a general outcry against Israel and Netanyahu personally.
After this bloody episode, Netanyahu, the current prime minister, is considered internationally as a persona non Grata, that is to say a person unwanted by all nations except the U.S. and a handful of subjugated to their interests.
And it was for Greece, a country and a people who were always at the forefront of the defence of Palestine's martyr population, to cut first the thread of international isolation and that in a provocatively cordial manner, fact that ashamed especially those who continue to believe in moral values and to condemn barbaric acts such as those of the Israelis, that offend the conscience of every free citizen, every free people.
Apart from the issue of the moral responsibility bestowed on the prime minister and his government, there are two more serious problems: Who gave permission to the Israeli Air Force to perform drills in our national airspace? And under which logic our country is entangled in Israel's aggressive plans? It is well known that in a possible U.S. aggression act against Iran, the role of the Israeli air force in particular, will be crucial and everything indicates that it has to bear the weight of the first strike against Tehran. That is why they need a "similar" airspace to train their crews and this space is given today by the Prime Minister and the Greek government. Does anybody believe that Iran's government is not aware of this? Or is there anyone who believes that Iran will deal with this arms crossed? And who ignores how far and how dangerous are the reaches of this state, which as it feels the threat to its very existence increase, it will become more and more vindictive and dangerous?
Just yesterday the National Security Council of Turkey said that the instability of the region comes from Israel's actions and policies, which can lead to arms race in the Middle East.
And the question is: "Did we have any reason to become embroiled in the hot zone of conflicts, mutual threats and risks which have transformed our region into a powder keg? The serious economic problems that we face are they not enough? And by what right any government dares to derail us from the established peace oriented policy which we should be scrupulously observing both on principle and for reasons of National Security?
See: SECOND PART
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