Posted by
Corthell on Sunday, December 20, 2009 3:17:57 PM
''There was so much waste and misuse of funds, said Samaras, that Greece could easily “cut fat” without pain. But it is feared that slashing perks such as an extra month’s salary, to which workers are entitled each year by law, could provoke a repeat of the rioting that set central Athens ablaze last year...'' A black mood has settled upon Athens. After the bonanza of European Union development aid and the euphoria of hosting the Olympics, the Greeks are shocked to realise that their gravy train has rolled off the tracks.
Forget about British MPs putting the occasional duck house on expenses. Sumptuous villas have sprouted around Athens on altogether more lavish government spoils. The carnival of corruption and waste has brought Greece close to ruin.
“The party is over,” said a senior official in the former conservative government last week as fears grew that Greece might default on its £270 billion debt and trigger another global financial crisis.
The former official, who now works in the private sector, offered a candid assessment of the Greek malaise on condition that he would not be identified. He slapped a newspaper down on his desk and jabbed at it with his finger. “This is what it is all about,” he said. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6962790.ece