17 June 2012

Greek voters do have rational choices - but they reject them (UPDATED)

The two main incumbent parties in Greece, although both supporting the necessary bailout plan, are both institutions that have led the country down a path of corruption, fiscal incontinence and reality denial for too long.  Beyond them, the Greek Parliament is polluted by the likes of Marxists who believe business should all be owned by the state, and fascists who preach bigotry and racism with their faux pride and proto-violent approach to government.

However, there are parties that can make a difference:
- The Liberal Alliance advocates the state withdrawing from business, abolishing permanent employment in the state sector, privatisation and replacement of the state pension with a privatised pension system, along with tax cuts. 
-  The Drasi party supports cutting government spending and free market reforms.

Both parties ran on a single platform in the May 2012 election, but only gained 1.8% of the vote.  This time they are running with the "Recreate Greece" party which is said to share a similar approach to economic policy although being more centrist.  The hope is that the combined support of all three will cross the 3% threshold for Parliamentary representation.

Democratic Alliance would have been another option.  It supports cutting the civil service by a third, abolishing permanent tenure and introducing performance pay.  It also seeks major tax cuts with a flat tax of 20% and negative income tax to replace welfare.   However, it has aligned itself with the incumbent New Democracy Party (the non-socialist one).  Will it have enough influence to make a real difference?  I doubt it.

So the best option appears to be the "Recreate Greece - ActionLiberal Alliance". 

Together they would embrace real austerity that does not include raising taxes, but does include cutting the state down to a size that is affordable, it does mean not scrapping the Euro in favour of a junk currency and means opening up the Greek economy to be more competitive and dynamic.

The two major incumbents support more taxes, the Syriza party supports putting its head in the sand and hoping that Greece doesn't go bankrupt.

In the meantime, wise Greek citizens will be emptying their bank accounts in Greek banks.  Opening German, French and British ones, and depositing their Euros as fast as they can, and holding onto just enough cash necessary to function.   Good luck to them all.

UPDATE:  It looks like a binary choice between New Democracy (in favour of the bailout package including spending cuts, privatisation AND unfortunately tax rises) and the Green Party like Syriza Party which essentially expects to blackmail Germany into paying for its retention of socialist economics.   New Democracy retains a chance Greece remains in the Euro, Syriza is highly likely to see a complete default in late July if it can't convince the Germans to prop them up.

It is entirely plausible that neither could form a government.

That's why it remains the most principled choice to back the Liberal Alliance, for only it will support both less spending and lower taxes.  New Democracy may be less worse than Syriza, but if economic growth matters to anyone in Greece, they can't get it voting for for those who support higher taxes (let alone a bunch of reformed communists).

1 comment:

Jeremy Harris said...

I worry that June 17th 2012 and Greek Election Part Dio will be remember as the date we went from 5 years of stagnation into 15 years of depression.

Paul Keating said in the 80s, "this is the recession we had to have", maybe we are entering "the depression we have to have".