Lessons not learnt

The crisis did not come without warning. Former Premier Costas Karamanlis knew serious fiscal measures were needed in spring 2009 to avoid bankruptcy but failed to act due to electoral concerns. George Papandreou refused Karamanlis’s offer to reach a consensus in March 2009, triggering snap elections. Aware of the economy’s woes, Papandreou won and led Greece to the memorandum as his party did not want to take any measures. Antonis Samaras also hurried to power through early elections and did not allow Lucas Papademos’s government to complete rudimentary reforms. As PM he did his best to keep the country on its feet, but the government panicked before the Euro-elections, and reforms froze.

Obviously the current pretender to power has learnt nothing from his three predecessors. The battle for power and power alone goes on. We have to wait for leaders who will put the country’s interests first and foremost and reach consensus when necessary.