Although I consider myself a pretty open-minded person, I must admit, I did find it quite unsettling to be in (more or less) agreement with an article I came across in the Daily Mail recently. In his unsurprising euro bashing "string up them tax dodgers" tone, the author, Andrew Malone, highlights corruption to an outrageous degree which has existed within our dear EU, under our very noses, since Greece was admitted in 1981.

It`s true, we have to admit it, on first impressions it`s very simple; the Greeks overspent and must balance their books, so what`s all the fuss about?

Well, the key word in the last sentence is "Greeks" which assumes that the whole greek population shares equal responsibility for the fiscal irresponsibility at the heart of the current crisis. In reality, only a small wealthy percentage of Greeks benefited from the massive influx of funds that EU and Euro membership brought. Today they are the only ones able to move their funds, children and even themselves abroad while the average greek suffers record unemployment and poverty.

Is it not reasonable to imagine that, if EU funds and loans were spent by the Greek people with the good of the Greek people in mind, we would not find ourselves in the crisis we are in? Longterm investments would have been made in health, industry and education rather than funds being used to prop up a rotten system that, as it turns out, has only benefitted a privileged minority.

Would you not be upset at having to pay someone elses debt? The EU bailout package demands the average greek pay for the excesses and corruption of a parasitic politico-economic elite. Greeks have no confidence that tax reform will be respected or enforced and their politicians are not even symbolically cutting their wages!

As EU citizens, whether we like it or not, we must demand a fair bailout package. It is unacceptable that our taxes should go straight to the offshore bank accounts of wealthy Greeks while the majority of their countrymen suffer crushing austerity as a consequence. But then again, can we really expect such equity from the EU and IMF considering the serious democratic deficits characteristic of such institutions?

Be this the case and the EU cannot offer a fair bailout package which demands serious political reform, then Greece would certainly be better of defaulting and leaving the EU (to which they are well within their right). Yes, the whole system may collapse, but if it does, it will be due to its own internal weaknesses. One thing is clear, we must look beyond the rosy dream of a united Europe and demand serious reform of the EU if it is to survive. If not, we`ll have to start again from scratch.

Full referenced version availabe at:  http://yabastamedia.wordpress.com/