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Jens 'n' Frens |
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The 77-year-old retired pharmacist, Dimitris Christoulas, shot himself in the head on Wednesday after saying that financial troubles had pushed him over the edge.This is, of course, tragic, even if the current course of action is the least bad available."It's horrible. We shouldn't have reached this point. The politicians in parliament who brought us here should be punished for this," said Anastassia Karanika, a 60-year-old pensioner.It's worth noting that the politicians "who brought us here" are mostly no longer in parliament. It's also worth noting that a great deal of what did bring Greece to its current point is captured in the phrase "60-year-old pensioner". She may well have responded reasonably to promises that were made to her as to the terms of compensation under which she worked; it may even be that the promises were made in good faith by people who thought they could be honored. Some of the promises that were believed will have to be broken, and people are going to be unhappy about it.The IMF, which is unpopular among many ordinary Greeks for demanding the austerity together with the EU, said on Thursday it was saddened by the pensioner's death.The IMF is in a position to make demands, of course, only insofar as Greece wants the IMF to lend money to it. This is a bit like disliking the doctor for providing medicine that tastes bad; at best, it is like disliking the doctor for providing medicine that tastes bad at the behest of your mother. Of course, unlike your mother, members of parliament can be unelected. Hang on, folks; the show in Greece isn't over yet. |
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