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In Greece, the main political camps are centred around the ‘Left’ and the ‘Right’. The Left supposedly ‘progressive’, ‘egalitarian’, ’socially sensitive’, the Right allegedly ‘conservative’, ‘patriotic’, ‘business-friendly’.
Currently the biggest party of the ‘Right’ is New Democracy (ND). A relatively new party on the right (6 years old) is the Popular Orthodox Alert (LA.O.S, the acronym means ‘people’ in Greek).
On the ‘Left’, the biggest party is PASOK (Greek acronym of the Panellenic Socialistic Movement), two smaller left parties who are represented in the parliament are SYRIZA (Greek acronym of ‘Coalition of the Radical Left) and the Communist Party of Greece (Greek acronym/abbreviation KKE). There are a lot of smaller fringe parties on the left and the right, but currently the ‘centre’ is dominated by New Democracy and PASOK.
Beyond the pompous sounding names and the Left-Right labels, all the parties and in particular the above-mentioned bigger five (ND-PASOK-LAOS-SYRIZA-KKE) are promoters of a protectionist rhetoric and all its by-products: Nationalism, Populism, Statism, Religionism.
In essence these main parties believe that the Greek people are at such vulnerable state and of such a limited ability and intellect, that they need the state, to intervene at any possible aspect of their life so that it protects them.
At the same time, in Greece an almost paranoid attachment to the notion of ‘a steady job-one job for life’ and a generally hostile and suspicious attitude to businesses and entrepreneurship, have lead to a demand for jobs in the public sector and its increased role.
The main parties have played on this ‘will of the people’ and although they alternate in power for the past 30 years, they kept the same policy: Bigger government, and special privileges to public sector employees.
The results are by now known as they were expected. Innovation is almost non-existent, knowledge economy is a distant target, research is under-funded. Oligopolies that have ’special relationship’ with the government have access to profitable contracts of the public sector, whilst delivering poor quality in return. Privileged groups enjoy benefits from the State, which the majority of the population does not. The markets are not open and also non-competitive. The prices of goods and services stay high so the less privileged cannot afford them. Bureaucracy is a constant obstacle in the citizen’s everyday life. A comfortable stagnation has set in.
Greece has one of the highest poverty and inequality rates in the European Union despite the fact that it has been a member since 1981
Greece is dragging with the first gear when the rest of the world is speeding ahead with the fourth. The fable of the hare and the tortoise comes to mind, only in this case we are competing with many hares who have no time or intention to fall asleep and lose the race.
Liberal Alliance comes at this juncture to offer a different approach and solution for the problems that Greek society and economy is facing.
This approach is based on the tried and tested belief that open societies and free market economies bring prosperity and progress. Governments should be limited. Collective values or beliefs should not override individual rights.
The difference between the Liberal Alliance and the ‘Left or Right’ is that in this century the debate is not between ‘Left or Right’ but between Freedom and Protectionism.
Free Markets help Open Societies-Open Societies lead to free Minds-Free Minds demand Open Societies-Open Societies need Free Markets
Open Society-Free Economy-Human Rights
Liberal Alliance (Greek liberals)
Αυγούστου 13, 2007 at 1:21 pm | English please! | No comment
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