GreekIslandGirl wrote:It's acceptable to question why GD have been accused of these things. It's acceptable to question how communist the left/Syriza happen to be - but it is NOT acceptable to make wild accusations that ANY of Greece's parties and politicians are any worse than those of any other European country!
Stop the cycle, please!
I found an interesting piece from a Greek Philosopher about the current state of play within Greek Politics and thr rise of GD.
What he has to say makes a lot of sense and I agree with many of the points he makes.
Unfortunately I will have to disagree with you about Greek Politicians. They have generally been terrible. They must bear much of the reponsibility for the level of Political Polarization within Greek Society which sadly has also been excessive and unhealthy for the country.
Here is what he has to say:
Golden Dawn has fed on people’s insecurity
Philosopher Stelios Ramfos discusses the cultural underpinnings of far-right extremism in GreeceRecent developments concerning Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn suggest that the rise of the party – followed by the ensuing crackdown against it – cannot be assessed through a straightforward political analysis. Can this phenomenon be understood simply as an offshoot of the economic crisis or do we need to drill deeper below the surface? A discussion with philosopher Stelios Ramfos provides interesting food for thought on the issue.
Why would a Greek be attracted to an extremist political grouping like Golden Dawn?
We are experiencing a crisis that has serious social and political consequences. Greeks feel betrayed and, to a large extent, reject the formerly dominant political system. Golden Dawn capitalized on their anger and disappointment, quickly increasing its popularity to double-digit figures. The rise of leftist SYRIZA on the other hand can be explained by the defection of the populist element from PASOK. Golden Dawn is really the new player here
This certainly makes a lot of sense. Similar to what occurred in Germany during the 1930s.
There is a strong sense of betrayal and I certainly can understand this.
Is there a cure for these people? Can they make peace with their fellow citizens?
It would be best if they could first come to terms with themselves and find peace inside. It would help if politicians would realize that, at a deeper level, the problem lies in the fact that all these years of partisan wrangling gave rise to a political system based on discord and confrontation without having anything positive to offer – only tension. People are disgusted at seeing that politicians are not changing tune. Tension, as we all know, is a key component of insecurity, while it is insecurity that is pushing people toward Golden Dawn and other similar groups. In order to release the tension and temper passions there must finally be a policy of national unity that can grapple with the big problems of society. Only then will the illness begin to subside. To the extent that social tension will continue to breed insecurity, and even if Golden Dawn is dismantled as a criminal organization, the problem will remain and the extremist party will simply be substituted by something else.
He is dead right unfortunately.
Our politicians have developed this level of partisan wrangling and the political system is based on discord and confrontation. I have not seen this in other countries quite to the same extent. Not even close.
It really is an incredible shame, and it is very difficult for a country to be Governed properly under such an atmosphere. Which is why it is imperative for the extreme parties to temper their ideologies. The raids against GD send a clear message, that their behavior will not be tolerated. Then we have Syriza, whose supporters nearly sacked all of Athens!
THEN, it is important for the other centrist parties to develop strategies to unify the country because things cannot continue the way they are.
It is not right to blame the people. They are desperate, and very insecure in the current environment and they feel betrayed.
There certainly are some seedy forces (GD) from within that would love a Civil Way. The political elites (ND and PASOK) must join forces and never allow this to happen. Foreign powers certainly don't want to see this happen either. The threat is internal, not external. Hopefully, the Government is dealing with it in the right fashion.
Anyway, there is more to the article. Have a read because it is quite an interesting piece.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_ar ... 013_522787
