In the port of Piraeus, dozens of young men with shaven heads and black t-shirts packed a small room one evening to hear Golden Dawn's dream of a Greece purged of foreigners, its borders sealed with landmines.
"We want all illegal immigrants out, we want to take their stench out of this place," said Frangiscos Porihis, an election candidate for the ultra-nationalist and highly secretive party.
"They shouldn't be here and they will leave one way or the other - the good or the bad way," he told the Piraeus meeting.Read it at Reuters
Analysis: Secretive far-right party taps into Greeks' anger, fear
By Renee Maltezou
(h/t Kevin Fathi via email)
Shades of the thirties.
Members say discipline and years of unwavering dedication are required to win acceptance. One said it can take up to three years to become a member - starting first as a supporter, then as trial-members before joining the "family".
"For the Communists we are Nazis, for the Socialists we are fascists and for the conservatives we are extreme right," said Nas, a Golden Dawn member who declined to give his last name. "Let them call me what they want. I do what I do with honor."
I see conflicting political trends in the EZ. Which I suppose is to be expected given its economic turmoil as Pettifor pointed out (FDR vs fascism).
ReplyDeleteTom, what direction do you see this all headed in? I know that's a loaded question, but any personal insight you may have would be appreciated.
I've betting from the outset that Germany will opt out and fall back on the DM. While the currency appreciation would hurt German exports, I don't see the Bundesbank going for what it will take to make the euro sustainable, and I don't see Germans approving a fiscal union in a referendum, which is required. Unless the EZ countries agree to go forward, there is little room to keep punting. The political space is running out as austerity bits even the core. So, unless they get creative, and Germany agrees to loosen its hard-line position, this currency union is doomed. So it is really up to Germany.
ReplyDeleteHistory doesn't repeat but it rhymes, and the PTB fostered economic chaos to save themselves. Austerity is now baked into the economic pie. We don't know what birds will sing when that pie is opened. Fascism? It's possible we'll see something entirely new. The dissolution of the EU, at least, looks almost inevitable.
ReplyDeleteIn the medium term, start watching for new frictions at the nation-state level. These will eventually blossom into the faultlines of the next global conflict. The story of the coming decade is China's ascent to superpower status and the dead man's hand of economic chaos.