Themes - From a "Swindler" to a Prime Minister

From a "Swindler" to a Prime Minister
The events so far were astonishing enough. However, twenty years later, the same "swindler" Papademos turns up again, now as Prime Minister and saviour of Greece. At the beginning of 2011, the country was already in a disparate situation: the preconditions of the first bailout package had left scars: food sales had dropped by 39%, investment by 50%. Pharmacies only provided medicine for cash. Prescriptions were no longer accepted because the health insurances could no longer pay. The hospitals were on the brink of collapse. Then President Papandreou announced a referendum on the "second rescue package". For the Troika of European Union (EU), European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), however, the risk was too high. Papandreou was urged to resign and replaced by Lucas Papademos. He was presented as a "technocrat" and took the oath of office outside the parliament, in absence of Members of Parliament, with his right hand on the bible. The orthodox archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, whose church does not pay any taxes, sang the Kyrie Eleison (Lord, have mercy).
Mister Papademos now had another difficult task: The Greek public debt was still the risk of international financial corporations. But the "markets" were already betting on Greece's bankruptcy. So the banks don't like sitting on their treasure of highly profitable Greek debt (interest rates of more than 6%). They could become worthless in a meltdown. Mister Papademos calmed down the banks. As he left office, the risk of the Greek debt no longer was in the hands of the banks. It is now our risk. The more than 240 billion euro in debt were transferred to Europe's taxpayers. Were we ever asked whether we want them? Every hour, this amount increases by 10 billion euro. The billions of the "rescue packages" for Greece have made rich Greek richer and prevented losses for hedge funds and banks. The billions of "aid" were made private wealth. And the country was economically driven to the abyss. The bailout brought hunger and unemployment to every second young person. Now the Greeks are allowed to vote gain. They can also leave the Eurozone, too.