Holy Crap !!! - 'Austerity & Fascism In Greece – The Real 1% Doctrine' - NakedCapitalism

[WillyT]

Mark Ames: Austerity & Fascism In Greece – The Real 1% Doctrine
By Mark Ames, the author of Going Postal: Rage, Murder and Rebellion from Reagan’s Workplaces to Clinton’s Columbine. Cross posted from The eXiled: http://exiledonline.com/austerity-fascism-in-greece-the-real-1-doctrine/
NakedCapitalism
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011

<snip>



See the guy in the photo there, dangling an ax from his left hand? That’s Greece’s new “Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks” Makis Voridis captured back in the 1980s, when he led a fascist student group called “Student Alternative” at the University of Athens law school. It’s 1985, and Minister Voridis, dressed like some Kajagoogoo Nazi, is caught on camera patrolling the campus with his fellow fascists, hunting for suspected leftist students to bash. Voridis was booted out of law school that year, and sued by Greece’s National Association of Students for taking part in violent attacks on non-fascist law students.

With all the propaganda we’ve been fed about Greece’s new “austerity” government being staffed by non-ideological “technocrats,” it may come as a surprise that fascists are now considered “technocrats” to the mainstream media and Western banking interests. Then again, history shows that fascists have always been favored by the 1-percenters to deliver the austerity medicine.

This rather disturbing definition of what counts as “non-ideological” or “technocratic” in 2011 is something most folks are trying hard to ignore, which might explain why there’s been almost nothing about how Greece’s new EU-imposed austerity government includes neo-Nazis from the LAOS Party (LAOS is the acronym for Greece’s fascist political party, not the Southeast Asian paradise).

Which brings me back to the new Minister of Infrastructure, Makis Voridis. Before he was an ax-wielding law student, Voridis led another fascist youth group that supported the jailed leader of Greece’s 1967 military coup. Greece has been down this fascism route before, all under the guise of saving the nation and complaints about alleged parliamentary weakness. In 1967, the military overthrew democracy, imposed a fascist junta, jailed and tortured suspected leftist dissidents, and ran the country into the ground until the junta was overthrown by popular protest in 1974.



<snip>

Much More: http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/11/mark-ames-austerity-fascism-in-greece-%E2%80%93-the-real-1-doctrine.html

:wow:

:kick:

[Luminous Animal]

1. I read that yesterday and I am still having trouble wrapping my head around it...

[WillyT]

4. In A Nutshell... From the article...

"...history shows that fascists have always been favored by the 1-percenters to deliver the austerity medicine."

:shrug:

:hi:

[kenny blankenship]

2. The Big F is back, baby!

But what is the United States doing offering the Greek military generous terms on main battle tanks out of one side of its mouth, and this at a time when the Greek govt. fears a coup d'etat, while from the other side of its mouth it pronounces the Greek govt so broke it can't afford a pot to piss in? And Germany doing the same?

[glinda]

3. K & R n/t

[sabrina 1]

5. European democracy appears to have been overthrown.

Both Greece and Italy have now had puppets installed as leaders, with no elections. What many people feared might happen with the EU was not apparent until now as the Global Capitalists become more and more desperate. There is not even a pretext of democracy anymore.

To see someone like this take advantage of the horrendous situation Europe has been placed in by Global Neo-liberal policies is not a surprise.

But it is really sad to watch the demise of so many sovereign, democratic countries.

No invading armies could have accomplished what the Global Capitalists have done.

And it is heading our way as soon as the Euro collapses and Banks begin falling like dominoes.

But here, our 'News' media is busy talking about other things.

Predictions are the Euro (currency) will be gone in a matter of weeks unless some kind of miracle happens.

The only thing standing in the way of the Masters of the Universe is OWS which is why they are being so brutally crushed.

[riderinthestorm]

6. When George Papandreou backed down on having the people vote on the austerity package in Greece

and then was subsequently kicked out and replaced by the banksters own guy, I had chills.

Chills.

I honestly was hoping the Greeks would revolt in even greater numbers (dammit which hasn't happened). And then when Italy had the same thing happen, I knew it wasn't a coincidence.

The elites aren't even trying to hide their hegemony anymore. Very scary....

[sabrina 1]

16. I think the people will be rising up in greater numbers, but

like here, they are being subjected to scare tactics, being thrown out of the EU eg, which may soon become their goal rather than something to fear. But Greece wanted to be an EU member for so long, it is taking time for them to realize how much they had to give up for the 'privilege'. Same goes for all other European countries now being effectively and openly, as you say, taken over by the Big Banks and their surrogates.

[Harmony Blue]

25. If elections don't happen they will

The vast majority remember the military junta's reign and they don't want to go back to it.

[AntiFascist]

7. I agree...

any movement that appears to threaten power with power by the people is quickly brought down by those with pro-fascist tendencies. It's basically all about money, but when those who embrace fascism get out of control then it can get ugly, as we have seen.

[WildNovember]

8. Could you link me to something describing how it came about that

the leadership was replaced without election? Aren't they parlimentary systems where the party rather than the popular vote elects?

[sabrina 1]

14. In Greece, eg, the PM, Papandreou, democratically elected btw,

had the temerity to suggest that before the Greek Govt accepted the terms of the IMF for more austerity, which will turn Greece into a decades-long debt slave, and a former 1st World country into a third world country, that the people of Greece of should have a chance to vote on it, being that it is a democracy and THEY, the people, would be so affected by these decisions.

This suggestion of a democratic process was met with horror in Brussels. Before long, days in fact, the idea was dropped and Papendreou was forced out and replaced by a 'technocrat', who has some Goldman Sachs background, as they all seem to have.

In Italy, Berlusconi was never considered a liability to the EU, not matter how scandalous his behavior was, until he spoke publicly about the 'end of the Euro'. Within he days, and without an election, he too was gone and replaced with yet another Goldman Sachs related 'technocrat'.

Bets are being taken now for who will be next to be replaced, without an election, by the next Goldman Sachs 'technocrat'.

Financial Pressure Killing European Democracies

The biggest story too few in the U.S. are reporting, is a trend that may portend nothing less than at least the partial death of Democracy in Europe. In Italy, Silvio Berlusconi has been replaced by a non-elected prime minister who has served as an international adviser to Goldman Sachs. “Technocrat” Mario Monte, has brought in a team of non-elected advisers (including the boss of a major bank) to assist him with running the Italian government. These people are not politicians and they were not elected.

So much for Democracy in Italy.

The same is true in Greece, where the democratically elected George Papandreou, has been replaced by “technocrat” and banker, Loukas Papademos.

James Chapmen, in the Daily Mail, calls the situation in Greece, “…a Brussels-led* coup d’etat. Appalled at the prospect of the Greek people giving the wrong answer in the referendum he proposed, Germany and France first threatened Greece with ejection from the single currency, then enforced bankruptcy and finally expulsion from the EU itself for at least a decade. The result is that country that gave us democracy is to be forced to change its leader and install an unelected coalition government that meets with the approval of the unelected Brussels machine.” -dailymail

Lots written about this alarming undermining of Democracy in Europe, but not so much in the US.

[AntiFascist]

18. I would argue that "technocracy" can be a double-edged sword...

On the one hand it can be an apolitical tool to solve problems for society at large. On the other hand, as George Orwell rightly charged, it can a tool for fascists to disengage from democracy. If the pending technocracy is led by Goldman Sachs and the "American banks" one wonders if this is a last ditch effort to save the 1%.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/16/europe-technocrats-politics

http://3eintelligence.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/who-is-taking-over-europe-technocrats-or-goldman-sachs/

Translation:

"Really are they the men of the situation?" Because on closer inspection, these men were from all experience of Europe. They have had not only an active role in its development but have also, if it is initiated, to the less covered the polling, the manipulations, the errors which are today in the heart of the crisis of Europe and the euro. With Mario Draghi, the new President of the European Central Bank, they formed a trio which has been at the heart of the problems of sovereign debt, maintaining that closer proximity with Goldman Sachs and American banks on the subject. The same banks that today speculate against European States and the euro. “

[sabrina 1]

19. Yes, I agree with you re technocrats. The question here is though

are these people 'technocrats' or infiltrators to ensure that the policies of Austerity remain intact, policies that are geared to saving the wealthy at the expense of the people?

Looking at their backgrounds, most people believe they were installed to protect the interests of the very same people who created the Meltdown and force on the people, the responsibility for debts they did not create.

The most disturbing thing however, is the undermining of Democracy and how they are not even hiding it anymore. That is probably due to their desperation, to knowing that their corruption and crimes have created a Global mess so bad, they no longer have time for pretenses of democracy. All that matters is that the Banks do not have to suffer.

[WildNovember]

32. Who is this goldman sachs person? I read that papademos the new PM

has extensive ties to the U.S. and to central banking:

(MIT, Columbia, Kennedy School, Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, joined the Bank of Greece in 1985 as Chief Economist, VP at the European Central Bank, Trilateral Commission...)

but I don't see anything about him being with GS. It seems to me more like the US-affiliated central bankers' network getting their guy in.

[2banon]

22. This was a very dramatic event that took place a couple of weeks ago, The PM wasn't allowed to put

the matter up for a referendum if they were to accept the bail out, when the PM changed his mind at the last minute and announced he was going to put the matter up for a vote, Germany and the IMF as well as the "markets" went ballistic. So in the end he was forced to withdraw his intention to put the matter up for a vote, and subsequently resigned and this fascists was put in position. I listened to BBC, World Have Your Say and other BBC broadcasts discussing this issue when it was going down. Now the same thing will be happening in Italy, and possibly Spain and France is teetering, may go the way of Greece. Germany is in good financial stead apparently. This is getting weirder and weirder.


Edited country name

[lunatica]

28. The US police may be brutes but the OWS hasn't been 'brutally crushed'

In comparison to real brutal crushing of movements what's happening in the US is quite minor. I can certainly envision a real brutal crushing since it's obvious they already have the weapons to do it (tanks and other anti-terrorist weapons) but so far they've only tried to incite a violent reaction which they haven't been able to do.

Hopefully the OWS will continue to be fluid and preemptive in their next course of action and that could keep the police state unable to respond quickly enough.

But I do think we need to start thinking in terms of being in a police state. If not a full blown one yet, it certainly seems to be going in that direction.

[defendandprotect]

9. Violence is the only way RW can hold power -- or any other corrupt system can hold power --!!

[Huey P. Long]

10. woah.

[Octafish]

11. This is why it pays to study history.

Soon it should be apparent to even the staunchest, rock-ribbed conservative moron why the hobnailed jackboots consider "We the People" to be the enemy.

[Lint Head]

12. Why does fascism have to do major damage to society before anything is done?

Fascism is less a political ideology than a crime of sadism using psychological sociopath abuse. Technology has made it easy to control people using paranoia and fear by catering to the lowest common denominator.

[whosinpower]

13. The greatest enemy to democracy....

Is not socialism, or communism. The greatest threat to democracy is fascism. No middle class can survive under fascist rule.

We are there now.

The eurozone will collapse. Germany grows again into a position of strength and power over all of Europe. Greece and Italy have already fallen to the "technocrats" - Goldman Sachs men, whose loyalty cannot be verified by democratic elections.

I do not say this lightly, but I am growing more convinced that I will see world war 3 in my lifetime.

The global banking cartel is gearing up for war.

[woo me with science]

15. K&R

The entire world is waking up.

[xchrom]

17. Recommend

[applegrove]

20. Um. The Greeks. They didn't suffer from buying subprime mortgages. They overpaid themselves

and did that by lying about their debt to get into the EU and then used that fact to borrow more money. The people did it to themselves.

[Harmony Blue]

27. Actually

The Greek government conspired with Goldman Sachs to cook the books.

[RainDog]

21. k&r n/t

[suffragette]

23. K&R

[WillyT]

24. Morning Kick...

:kick:

[Demonaut]

26. In Greece right now, mood is terrible..from bankers

to subway workers, will say the the banker was far more optimistic about the future
beautiful county though

[WillyT]

29. Woo Hoo !!! - Chris Hayes Just Covered This On His Show This Morning !!!

Getting coverage!!!

:woohoo:

:hi:

:kick:

[lonestarnot]

30. I love that guy! Why does he have to get up so early?

[Odin2005]

31. Scary! K&R

[Laelth]

33. k&r for the truth, however depressing it may be. n/t

-Laelth