by Alex Loukopoulos
There is no doubt about the severity of the current situation in Greece and the repercussions it will have in the E.U. and beyond, but it is a fight worth fighting. What the European Union represents is not just numbers in bank accounts, but ideals and values based on democracy. It is – or at least it was meant to be – a union where each member state would have an equal “voice” and subsequently receive equal treatment based on the principles of a democratic political system.
The current events in Greece are not endangering the future of the E.U., as it is continuously and purposefully represented to all of us by the mass media. The bigger picture of recent events serves to illustrate the democratic deficit of the European Union at this moment in time, and how a newly established government managed to shake the status-quo by protesting what was forced upon a whole nation.
“Forced” being the operative word, but it’s not really anything new; countries like Cyprus were treated in the same way and others before that. The European Union is used to forcing its proposals on its financially weaker “partners”. What is remarkable about recent events, is that the E.U. is not used to taking “no” for an answer or having to pile quite so much pressure on a member-state to accept its terms. It is here that the “mask” of democracy has fallen and the true face of the E.U. is right before our eyes, which considers the referendum imposed by the Greek Government as unacceptable.
Some might say that the Greek Government wants to avoid the responsibility of a potential fiasco and of not keeping their pre-election promises by throwing the hot potato to the people via a referendum, others could claim that a government which was elected by only 36% of the voters does not have the right to take such an important decision that will affect 100% of the Greek population. Who is right and who is wrong is of minor importance and only time will tell, we ought to focus on what is really important and of value, which is nothing more than the referendum, the chance for the people to state their opinion by voting on such an important issue.
The core of democracy lies in voting. It is the best opportunity for each one of us to express our opinion, to be active citizens and have a say in our own future. It is a real shame for the European Union to condemn such an act and try to punish a whole nation because of a government which is only guilty of being as democratic as the E.U. was meant to be.