The Truth About Greece: Syriza's Creatively Ambiguous Referendum

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Friday July 03, 2015 · 7:01 PM PDT

2015/07/03 · 19:01

It was just four months ago, though it already seems like a lifetime away, when Greece's celebrity finance minister Yanis Varoufakis publicly stated that "creative ambiguity" won the country a "loan lifeline" from the institutions formerly known as the troika: the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund. Despite the never-ending soap opera that is Greek crisis politics though, few would have imagined that the SYRIZA-led coalition government would succeed in outdoing itself in terms of its "creative ambiguity," by calling a referendum which, just days before the polls open, remains remarkably unclear as to its actual meaning and potential consequences.

neo11

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Sunday May 25, 2014 · 4:59 PM PDT

2014/05/25 · 16:59

Many in Greece and throughout Europe are celebrating Syriza's "victory" in Greece's elections for the European Parliament. Though Syriza indeed finished in first place, a careful analysis of the election results and a comparison with the 2012 parliamentary elections in Greece reveals that talk of a "historic victory" is woefully premature.

neo11

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Sunday May 25, 2014 · 10:00 AM PDT

2014/05/25 · 10:00

An open letter towards European and Greek authorities and the public at large, from a citizen of both Greece and the United States. This open letter contains serious and documented allegations of breach of justice, abuse of power, impunity, corruption, intimidation, and possible bribery, all for what should have been an open-and-shut legal case in the Greek islands of Karpathos and Rhodes. It provides a clear picture of how justice is often blatantly abused, and injustice covered up, by the otherwise "pro-European" government and authorities in Greece.

neo11

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Wednesday November 06, 2013 · 7:37 PM PST

2013/11/06 · 19:37

At approximately 4:30 am local time Thursday morning, riot police invaded the main headquarters of ERT, Greece's national broadcaster, under orders to vacate the premises.

Poll

71 votes Show Results

Is the Greek government justified in shutting down ERT?

71 votes Vote Now!

Is the Greek government justified in shutting down ERT?

Yes

11 votes

60 votes

European Broadcasting Union Sells Out Greece's Public Broadcaster

neo11

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Tuesday August 20, 2013 · 1:21 PM PDT

2013/08/20 · 13:21

In a recent announcement, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that it would cease retransmitting the employee-run protest broadcasts of ERT, Greece's national public broadcaster, on Wednesday. ERT was officially shut down by the Greek government on June 11 but has remained on the air since then with the help of the EBU. In its statement, the EBU claimed that the new "interim" public broadcaster launched by the Greek government will fulfill public service obligations through its impending launch of news broadcasts. The EBU, however, ignores the very private nature of this new "public" broadcaster, and its connection with Mega Channel, Greece's largest private television network.

Poll

44 votes Show Results

Is the EBU justified in its decision to cease its transmissions of ERT?

44 votes Vote Now!

Is the EBU justified in its decision to cease its transmissions of ERT?

Yes

5 votes

39 votes

Chronicling the Greek Government's Shutdown of ERT

neo11

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Monday June 17, 2013 · 1:22 AM PDT

2013/06/17 · 01:22

The sudden announcement by the Greek government last Tuesday that it was shutting down national public broadcaster ERT set off a new wave of protests and stirred a new political crisis in Greece. This detailed article chronicles the shutdown of ERT, the protests which have followed, the unprecedented discussion of social and political issues that the shutdown of ERT has spurred, and the actions of an increasingly authoritarian political regime in Greece.

Poll

74 votes Show Results

Was the Greek government justified in shutting down ERT?

74 votes Vote Now!

Was the Greek government justified in shutting down ERT?

Yes

5 votes

69 votes

New Eurogroup Agreement On Cyprus Proves that Democracy Doesn't Matter

neo11

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Sunday March 24, 2013 · 9:02 PM PDT

2013/03/24 · 21:02

Today, March 25th, is Greek Independence Day, but in Athens, just as in Nicosia, there is little reason to celebrate. In the wee hours of Monday morning, the Eurogroup and Cypriot government representatives reached an agreement in principle on a new deal that would "bail out" Cyprus and its suffering economy. According to reports coming out of Brussels, the new plan proposes a 30% "haircut" on deposits of over €100,000 in the Bank of Cyprus, which will, as a result, be "saved." This plan differs from last week's agreement—which was later voted down unanimously by the Cypriot parliament—which called for a 6.75% haircut of all Cypriot bank deposits of €100,000 or less, and a 9.99% levy of all deposits over €100,000.

neo11

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Wednesday March 20, 2013 · 11:12 AM PDT

2013/03/20 · 11:12

The historic "no" of the Cypriot parliament to the "bailout" and "haircut" of bank deposits prescribed by the EU has a historical precedent: Cyprus' rejection of the Annan Plan for "reunification" of the island in 2004. Then, just as now, the pressure from the international community was intense, and the consequences of a rejection were said to be dire. Then, just as now, Cyprus withstood the pressure and said "no."

neo11

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Tuesday March 19, 2013 · 12:14 PM PDT

2013/03/19 · 12:14

In a vote that already has the makings of being enshrined in history, the parliament of Cyprus voted on Tuesday evening to reject the EU-sponsored "bailout" of the country's economy. This "bailout" included the extremely controversial "haircut" of all bank deposits in Cypriot banks, which made worldwide headlines this past week and which was wholeheartedly supported by the European Union, and in particular, countries such as Germany. In total, 36 members of parliament voted against the "bailout," 19 abstained, while not one vote in favor was recorded.

neo11

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Tuesday March 19, 2013 · 10:46 AM PDT

2013/03/19 · 10:46

A tale of two European Unions: austerity-choked Greece on the one hand, where tens of thousands of households kept warm by burning firewood and whatever else they could find this past winter; and the sparkling, imposing EU buildings in Brussels, full of exhibits about the "European dream" and the EU's vaunted social justice and solidarity. Which EU is the real one? Follow the trail of smoke and find out.

neo11

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Saturday October 27, 2012 · 12:09 PM PDT

2012/10/27 · 12:09

In a shocking affront to democracy and freedom of speech, Greek prosecutors have ordered the immediate arrest of journalist Kostas Vaxevanis, according to reports by various media outlets and blogs in Greece. This comes after the publication of the so-called "Lagarde List," containing the names of 2,059 Greeks with Swiss bank accounts, in Hot Doc, a weekly newsmagazine published by Vaxenis.

neo11

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Monday January 23, 2012 · 3:26 PM PST

2012/01/23 · 15:26

Did 1.2 million people really move out of Greece in just one year, 2010? This article is a case study as to how quickly sensational "news" with no basis in reality can spread across the Internet, from one "reputable" news outlet to another, without any fact-checking or verification, turning a falsehood into a "fact" in the process.

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The Truth About Greece: Syriza's Creatively Ambiguous Referendum

A Historic Victory of the Greek Left? Not So Fast!

Who is Running Justice in Greece Anyway?

Greek government sends riot police on overnight raid of ERT

European Broadcasting Union Sells Out Greece's Public Broadcaster

Chronicling the Greek Government's Shutdown of ERT

New Eurogroup Agreement On Cyprus Proves that Democracy Doesn't Matter

The Historic "No" of Cyprus: History Repeats Itself

BREAKING NEWS: Parliament of Cyprus Rejects "Bailout," Bank "Haircut"

A Tale of Two European Unions

Arrest Warrant Issued Against Greek Journalist for Publishing "Lagarde List"

When mythology becomes fact: the 1.2 million people who "left" Greece in 2010