Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Meritocracy And Greece

This paragraph says it all:

"We need meritocratic decision-making in Greece, be it by left- or right-wing governments, and both in the public and private sectors. More than debt relief, Greece needs meritocracy. This is not something that we can translate into a specific prior action. This is not something that you can order from the Eurogroup. This is something about a political and governance culture of responsibility and a mentality that needs to continue to be developed. Many Greeks have suffered during the economic crisis. The price they paid should not be for nothing."

It comes from an article written by the Dutch Ambassador to Greece and published in the Ekathimerini. The Greek nationalists will probably consider this article as a display of arrogance by a foreigner. Particularly the following sentence from the article will trigger their ire: "The country needs to keep working on the structural challenges of its economy. Greece needs to aim for its economy to converge to a European standard." The Greek nationalists will cry out that the premise of Greece having to adjust to the European standard is totally false. On the contrary, it is the other way around: the rest of Europe should adjust to the great wisdoms which had their origin in Greece.

My reaction? This should not be viewed as an either-or proposition. Instead, it should be viewed as an as-well-as proposition. 

2 comments:

  1. Thanks, but no thanks. We don't take advice from grand scheme liars:

    http://www.iefimerida.gr/news/396146/paraitithike-o-ollandos-ypex-eipe-psemata-gia-ti-synantisi-toy-me-ton-poytin

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  2. I read it with interest and astonishment. It is a rare day when a high ranking diplomat is more honest and frank than most of the EU politicians.
    PS. Predictably you had your first "cry out". Just as predictably it was not about the content, but the person.
    Lennard.

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