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But this is not sufficient explanation. The volatility of the Greek character, probably the only remaining link with the glorious past of antiquity, is another. The highly individualistic Greek is too self-seeking to submit easily to the dictates of others. His unruliness has helped him survive throughout the centuries of oppression, as well as to rise above adversity, economic or otherwise. But it has also made him unaware of the advantages of a communal spirit and true democratic attitudes. He will go to any length to attain his goals, not hesitating to lie and cheat in order to achieve them. This has — brutal though it may sound — created a climate where cheating is a way of life, and where the highest and the lowest of citizens do not hesitate to use dishonesty, especially where politics are concerned.
A direct result of this way of life has been the spoils system. Although not a Greek invention, nowhere has it been practised more assiduously than in Greece. Successive governments have shamelessly brought in their favourites, returning favours and expecting new ones in the future, and changing laws to suit their purposes; thus encouraging resentment, divisiveness and a ‘wait-until-my-turn-comes’ way of thinking. No Greek government has ever come to power that truly tried to reconcile the people.
But going back yet again, while the Turks left the Greeks mostly on their own, many who came into conflict with the Turks took refuge in the craggy mountains that cover almost 60 per cent of the country. These ‘Klepths’ led a guerrilla existence for centuries, and their exploits caught the imagination of the people. The fiercely independent Greek spirit thus managed to survive, along with the inherent belief that taking the law into one’s own hands is not a crime, especially when the regime is an unpopular one. The irony is, of course, that the present Greek government was recently elected by a great majority, the majority thinking it would act like previous regimes and give them more for working less. Once the cat was out of the bag, the Greeks decided they were victims of, rather than partners with, the crooks who have been in power for the past 30 years.
Even the word democracy has been totally bastardised by the Greeks. Is it possible that George Papandreou, the prime minister, had a father and a grandfather who held the highest office? His predecessor, Kostas Karamanlis, a buffoon who gives fools a very bad name, is the second one of his family to lead Greece, two dynasties of peasants whose only concern is power and sole ability to lie and cheat. (George Papandreou might sound responsible now that the you-know-what has hit the fan, but in opposition he was demanding fewer hours and more pay for the very same civil servants who sank the country with their greed and incompetence.)
Ghost jobs, easy hours, spin, political favours, do any of these Greek habits remind you of modern Britain? They do me. Especially the lying. Gordon Brown has lied about everything — immigration, stealth taxation, education, you name it — yet you Brits have yet to kick him out of office (at least while this is being written). We are all Greeks now should be his slogan, and it might be sooner than you think. Once upon a time, when I first came to England, spin was at a minimum and lying unacceptable. In politics, that is. Blair and Brown made lying the sine qua non of their administrations. John Profumo lied about a hooker and spent the rest of his life in the East End making up for it. No one died except Ward, and he took his own life. Blair and Brown have sent countless numbers to their deaths and have caused thousands of innocent deaths, yet they swan around in their limos and dare to show themselves preening to the public.
Thinking about it, we Greeks are not all that bad. At least our leaders have not sent young men to die for the glory of Bush and Blair and Brown, despite enormous pressure to do so. So what’s a little stealing from the crooks of the EU, with a little help from Goldman Sachs, that is.
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