Press review Dec. 2

Riot Police Break Up Street Market That Cuts Out Middlemen

In Aristotelous Sq. in Thessaloniki the police yesterday broke up yet another street farmer’s market that was part of ‘No Middlemen’ movement.

Background:
The ‘no middlemen’ movement,’ also known as the ‘potato movement,’ started as an initiative by a citizen’s group in Pieria (Northern Greece, close to Thessaloniki), who arranged for the direct sale of potatoes produced by 1.082 potato farmers of Kato Nevrokopi, a village that is known for one of the best potato varieties in Greece. Rapidly, the ‘potato movement’ spread across the country and expanded to many products. The group has since been promoting even bolder initiatives. They have convinced local farmers to stop selling to middlemen and to plant beans, lentils, etc, that will be bought directly by local consumers.

Special Education: Papering Over The Cracks

The Education Ministry is performing dangerous experiments in order to fill 1,300 empty positions requiring specially trained staff in schools for the disabled by exclusively hiring personnel via social welfare programs of the Employment Organization (OAED). Unemployed workers are hired under 5 month contracts with unemployed specially trained educators being excluded from the process, left waiting on the rolls of.

Background:
The disabled have never been privileged in Greece. The general lack of disabled-friendly infrastructure has always made life difficult. However, during the last 4 years, they have faced much more serious problems given that one of the most important side effects of the crisis was the disintegration of the welfare state. State run schools for students with special needs lack special tutors, physiotherapists, speech therapist, basic equipment, etc.

The Spectre of Poverty For 2.5 million Citizens
Poverty is sweeping through households througout Greece while the income gap between the rich and poor widens. According to ELSTAT’s official figures for 2012, 2.535.700 citizens are facing the nightmare of poverty. The statistics for 2013 are expected to be even more dramatic.
And while Greek households are suffering under harsh austerity, the government is delaying the agreement with the troika in order to pass, without amendment, the budget which is figurative in terms of revenues and anti-social in terms of cutbacks. In due course the Samaras governemnt will impose – probably via a new law – even tougher measures which will allow mass lay-offs in the public and private sectors,  clear the way for auctions of main residences and establish the new property tax.
Health and Education are in disarray due to layoffs with employees waging a tough battle against government policy.

Company to be Established for Church Holdings
In the next few days a company will be established that will assume the duty of evaluating the church’s real-estate holdings. 50% of its share capital will come from the archdiocese of Athens with the other 50% from the state. The first project to be undertaken will be the management of the 83 stremmata (about 20 acres) of land next to the Athenian coastal resort of Asteras owned by the church. If that undertaking is successful, the same process will be followed for a further 25,000 stremmata (6,250 acres) in Pendeli, and the model will be adopted by more of the 82 metropolitans.
 
Background:
‘Asteras’ refers to a hotel resort on a wooded peninsula on the south coast of Athens in the area of Vouliagmeni, (one of the richest in Athens). One of the oldest and most famous luxury hotels in Athens, the hotels and the surrounding grounds (which include a private beach) are for sale. It is considered one of the most valuable pieces of real-estate in Greece.
On Saturday the meeting of the Regional Council of Attica voted in favour of the study establishing the environmental restrictions on the use of the property, but amid a cloud of controversy with a brawl breaking out during the meeting. Critics of the environmental assessment, which include the mayor of Vouliagmeni and local residents, claim that by allowing new residential building on the peninsula the new, looser environmental restrictions will be environmentally catastrophic with the sale amounting to a financially damaging giveaway.