I wanted to write something about the way greek media talk about the ongoing crisis we're going through, and how they try to keep quiet about the people protesting etc. But I ran into this and this article from http://teacherdudebbq.blogspot.com/ which I think tells the story as good as I'd say it. If you want to compare what's written in these blog posts to the way the Irish media talked about their own bailout program, please watch the video below (video from Mega Channel, the most popular private TV network):
Looks like the greek media don't mind showing how the irish media reacted to the announcement of Ireland asking for a bailout.

On the contrary, this wasn't the case on November 17th. This day is an official school holiday for the memoration of the Polytechnic Uprising that took place in 1973 against the US-backed dictatorship. The same TV network - Mega Channel - on their November 17th 8pm news, didn't spend a single word on this anniversary. They didn't even show the greek PM and other government members leaving flowers at the monument for those who died during the uprising. They didn't even say that this day is an anniversary of anything.

This yearly march was joined by some 40.000 people in Athens, and several tens of thousands all over Greece. Hundreds of thousands of kids celebrated this day and sang songs written for this special day at their schools' yearly event. How would an American feel if the celebration for the 4th of July wasn't mentioned on the news? How would a French feel if the celebration for the 14th of July wasn't mentioned it on the news? How can these people at the most popular TV network in Greece believe that this way they managed to "hide" the protests or all the other events from the people?

This day is called in Greece the "Celebration of Democracy day".
Quite a few members of the parliament today, built their careers on the fact that they took part in the Polytechnic Uprising of 1973. How ironic is this? How shameful?
 
 
copyright: Al Jazeera 2010

Ο Riz Kahn στο Al Jazeera έχει καλεσμένους τον πρώην υπουργό Οικονομικών επί κυβέρνησης Σημίτη, Γιάννο Παπαντωνίου, τον οικονομολόγο Mark Weisbrot και τον Alexander Mirtchev, σύμβουλο σε διεθνή οικονομικά και επιχειρηματικά θέματα. / Riz Kahn in his show is hosting Yannos Papantoniou (ex-finance minister of Greece in the late '90's), economist Mark Weisbrot (co-director of the US-based Center for Economic and Policy Research, a non-partisan think-tank that promotes debate on important economic issues), and Alexander Mirtchev (the president of the Washington DC-based consultancy Krull Corporation which specialises in new economic trends and business strategies).
 

copyright: Bloomberg 2010
 
"... If Greece were a highly cohesive society with collective wage-setting, a sort of Aegean Austria, it might be possible to do this via a collectively agreed reduction in wages across the board -an "internal devaluation." But as today's grim events show, it isn't."

Read the whole article here.
 

About a month ago, the president of the Greek Parliament came up with the opening of a special fund at the Central Bank of Greece for greek people to contribute in order to reduce Greece's debt. He called it "Greece's debt pay off account".

 
Dear mister President,


I suggest that you open a "politicians' apology account". Politicians shall voluntarily sign under a written apology to the greek people, this could be something that would may calm down the rage that people my age feel.

I'm sure that my suggestion will be widely accepted by the politicians of the last decades, and this will be a proof that greek politicians still have dignity and pride.

Mister President, still in my adolescence, I feel I have already mortgaged my future, the rest of my life, my dreams, my studies, the family I'll have some day. I feel insecure about my own future and that of my country's. And I already feel this, before I even had the chance to vote yet, before I'd taken part in any decisions made, before I had the chance to feel like a citizen of this country.

That's why I believe you should first go on and open the "politicians' apology account" and when you're done with this, then you can open an "account for Greece's debt payback".

Mister President, if you follow my suggestion - which I believe you won't - and when at least one of the politicians of the last decades will sign under this written apology to the greek people, then I'll offer all my innocent thoughts, my hopeful dreams and my adolescent's enthusiasm to your account.

With respect,
Christina Siamaga