Merkel to face Greek anger over austerity

Police close streets around the German Embassy in the city centre on October 9, 2012 in Athens, Greece. / Getty

ATHENS, Greece German Chancellor Angela Merkel makes her first visit to Greece on Tuesday since the eurozone crisis began here three years ago.

CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips says if Tuesday morning in Athens was playing out in an old Western movie, the wizened old hand might observe that it was simply, "too quiet out there."

After months of occasionally violent protests against the government's austerity measures, Greek authorities have put into place the most stringent security measures seen in years for Merkel's visit.

Phillips reports the usual central Athens battle grounds were sealed off behind steel barricades Tuesday morning — 7,000 police were said to be on duty and public gatherings were banned in the Greek capital. The restrictions were seen as a red flag to the bull of Greek's more dedicated protest movement — the order to stay away has only made them more determined to show up, in force.

An unemployment rate around 25 percent (50 percent for the younger generations) has meant a lot of people are angry and have a lot of free time on their hands. A quiet afternoon in Athens is not in the forecast.

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Merkel has said she's coming to show support for the Greek government's austerity measures, more of which are needed if the country is to get its next infusion of bailout cash from the European Union in November.

The Greeks have already received two installments, and the Germans have been the biggest donors for both. But the words "thank you" will not be on Greek lips, notes Phillips.

Merkel has become the personification of anger at austerity in Greece for the job losses and pension cuts Greeks have endured as a means of trying to get public accounts out of the red. Many in Athens say they're being asked to bear a greater burden than elsewhere in Europe and that the poor and middle classes are being hurt most, not the rich and powerful who have hidden their money out of the country.

The German leader is due to arrive in the Greek capital at 1:30 p.m. (0730 Eastern) Tuesday for talks with conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

Many of Europe's leading politicians have avoided official travel to Greece and the risk of a hostile reception, as the debt-saddled country struggled to keep up with commitments needed to guarantee rescue loan payments and long-term euro membership.

But Merkel accepted Samaras' invitation to Athens despite failure by his government so far to conclude a massive new austerity package. The cuts will save euro13.5 billion ($17.5 billion) but doom Greece to a sixth year of recession in 2013.

Greece's respected Kathimerini daily cautioned Tuesday that "no foreign leader should be afraid to come here."

"Extreme behavior, violence, and exaggerated comments by politicians on TV can achieve nothing to help the unemployed or pensioners and just place the country in a position where it looks bad whatever it does," an editorial said. "Today's visit is crucial and historic. Let us all treat it accordingly."

After months of tough rhetoric, the German chancellor may be preparing her own voters for a more tolerant approach toward Greece ahead of federal elections next year, according to Jason Manolopoulos, author of the 2011 book on Europe's financial crisis "Greece's Odious Debt."

"Given how some other members of the (eurozone) core — Austria, Holland, Finland — had made some very harsh comments ... I think it does send a message to Greece," Manolopoulos said of Merkel's visit.

"But I think it's also important, if not more important, for German domestic consumption."

In Athens, Merkel will meet with Samaras and President Karolos Papoulias, the largely ceremonial head of state, in adjacent buildings before flying back out of the country.

Draconian security measures include a ban on public gatherings outside the German Embassy and other parts of central Athens as well as within 100 meters (330 feet) of her motorcade route from the airport.

Samaras' own partners in his coalition government described the police measures as excessive. And Greece's main labor union, the GSEE, called them a "display of force ... aimed at canceling our democratic rights," insisting it would go ahead with plans to stage a 1:00 p.m. (1000GMT) rally near parliament.

Late on Monday, about 2,000 people attended a peaceful anti-austerity demonstration around Athens' main square.

Greece's debt crisis started in late 2009 after it misreported deficit figures, triggering fears that debts in other eurozone countries may also be at risk.

Since May 2010, the country has depended on bailouts from the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund.

But to get the loans, it implemented successive pay cuts and tax hikes, while increasing retirement ages and facilitating private sector layoffs that are expected to push the rate of unemployment up next year to nearly one in every four workers.

"These measures are hitting every Greek family — hurting our children," Nikos Papageorgiou, head of a hotel workers' union in greater Athens, said at Monday night's rally.

"People should not be afraid to protest because of the police measures. No one can deny us the right to ask for a better life."

[littleoldguy]

Greeks can pay the debt, then they don't have to listen to Merkel - Wait, they don't have the money to pay their debt. Ooops!

[Nikos_Retsos]

The tough love Mrs. Merkel is giving the Greeks is the best long term therapy for them. They have been spoiled for so long with 14 annual salaries annually, 12 regular + 2 bonus, + Christmas and Easter bonuses, + vacations, +medical insurance, + pensions, and easy disabilities pensions for phony reasons. In the island of Zakynthos, 700 pensioners were re-examined - yes, as part of the EU demand to cut down on corruption- and 500 of those pensions were fraudulent and were cut off! That is a 71% corruption rate on pensions. Greeks, who called Greece "Psorokostena," means a "rag tag country full of fleas," had an easy life for too long on borrowed money, and now they blame Angela Merkel for taking away their non-earned easy living, and for being asked to pay back what they owe!

There is a curse in the Greek culture, inherited from the Turks during the 376 years of occupation of Greece by the Ottoman Empire: "Be smart; cheat, deceive, and live off the money of others!"
Worse yet, there is no shame about! One who does it, can go to a party, brag about, and become the center of attention and admiration! Greece gained independence from Turkey in 1829, but
the bad habit of cheat, deceive and live on the hog on the back of others remained a quality of social prestige! There is another proverb, however, that warns Greeks that living off fraud can have serious consequences. The adage - in translation from Greek says: "The "stamna" (clay water pot) goes to the fountain to fill with water, but sometimes doesn't come back!" The moral of the proverb: Clay water pots break easily, and people should find something that doesn't break (mean legal, not fraudulent) to make sure they have an uninterrupted supply of water!

Well, the Greeks have filled their "stamnas" with billions of borrowed money, but now the stamnas have broken, and the water bill from the EU and foreign investors must be paid! Blaming Angela Merkel, and claiming that the Greek problems were caused by the Nazi occupation of Greece, won't get them out of the hole. Greeks need to learn that living fraudulently is immoral, unethical, and a shame to the Greek civilization. They should tell Mrs. Merkel "thank you" for the tough love she gives them, which is also an "absolutely necessary" re-education into
the morals and the virtues of real Greek ethics. Greeks prize themselves as being Europeans, but they prefer to live with fraud and deceit the Ottoman Empire brought to Greece from Turkestan 559 years ago.

Well, they cannot have them both. They have to re-adapt to the Greek ethic ( ethos), or move to Central Asia, and live happily ever-after - on their own! Nikos Retsos, retired professor

[nonpolitico]

It sure looks as if the EU leaders should, (finally,) maybe ASK THE PEOPLE whether THEY agree with all the decisions that the EU Oligarchy have decided is to happen?
Remember,when the Greek bailout was first mooted, the then Greek PM declared he was to hold a referendum on the subject.

He was preremptorily ORDERED TO PARIS to meet the then French President Sarcosi, and Germany`s Angela Merkel. It was high handed, but he acceded.

The terms he was saddled with under this duos instruction resulted in each Greek Department of State having to accept a German (unelected) "Advisor".(A type of Obergruppenfuhrer)
As this stirred memories of how the Third Reich did roughly similar in WWII, a great deal of antagonism was created, as it put the high handed instruction of the EU on a par with the dictatorial measures that Greek had to suffer under WWII occupation!

Now, much later with no sign of Greece improving, no doubt these EU "Leaders", having kicked the can down the road, making no firm decision YET as to how the EU is to support the struggling countries, no wonder the Greek people, suffering terribly from the results of the political non-accountability of the European Union, are angry and desperate!

For the Euro was set up as a political entity, with no Plan B if a state failed.

To date, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy are all in the "Failing" category. The unaccountable `crats who run thr EU unelected Monolith cannot face that their European Dream, (Nightmare if you talk to actual citizens) has actually failed. Political hubris makes it imossible for the EU politicians to accept what has occurred.

Possibly there is not enough money in the whole of Europe to bail out ALL the countries that are failing.

An answer(which the dreamers in Brussels will not countenance) is to scrap the Euro, which, being a political construct, was never going to work anyway.

I wish Europe well, for they are fine people. But they are ill served by the Democracy-poor, dictatorial and unaccountable set up which was originally just a trading bloc.
It worked well then as the European Economic Community! It failed only when Politicians (mainly in Germany and France), dreamed up utopian ideas with little grounding in reality.

EU Citizens have been betrayed by a power hungry elite.

Financial experts have been advising the return to the old European currencies for over 2 years, but it seems the `Crats are keen to do battle with the citizens rather than give up the dream of a European Superstate! Poor Greece!!