I grew up in a small/tiny island (Karpathos), subsequently moved to a bigger one (Rhodes) while still spending my summers at Karpathos. When I was a child, the only way to get there was through a boat, and my island was part of what is called "αγονη γραμμη" (non profit) boat line since the trip was subsidized from the Greek government. The port was not that great and therefore when the winds were strong the boat couldn't coast and from time to time we had no other choice to continue our trip to Heraklion (Crete).
I recall from my very young years my grandfather telling me: you should get a job at the public sector! the job is not that hard, you have a salary and your life is set. I also recall the evolution of my island, from a remote and completely isolated poor island where people were struggling to survive (stories that my grand-father was telling me), to a reasonably developed touristic destination generating a new class of people with land next to the sea consider themselves superior. This was also the case in particular at Rhodes as well where tourist related business have generated a new class of people. I also recall local and national elections and the flipping of votes from one party to another depending on the promises given from the candidates towards assuring public servant positions either at the municipality or at the public administration. I also recall the corruption at all levels of society as well as as hindering all public services. Public administrations were deficient and people in key positions had unbelievable power to overwrite laws - assuming some minimal compensation -. I also recall an colossal tax invasion at all levels of society with no exception. I also recall the state of health services and the need to "compensate" illegally physicians in order to get a better access to the national health service system. I recall also my university years when the average graduation used to happen in a couple of extra years studying (in order to get degree) and again all my mentors saying! work hard to get in, once this has happened then you will graduate at some point or another. I recall the swap of power between left and right hand side parties for almost two decades and the constant increase of the public service sector. I recall the importance of pushing more and more people in higher education through the funding of universities throughout the country and an unbelievable imagination on funding most of the departments in areas with almost no relevance with respect to the needs of the Greek society - still it makes no difference, we educate more people, hire more professors and satisfy local city councils which once put together more votes for the coming election even if these departments will be around forever -. I recall the massive (without declaring them) use of legal or illegal immigrants towards reducing the cost and maximize the profit! I recall people without qualifications being positioned at "key" positions simply because they happen to know people who happen to know people. Last but not least, I recall conspiracy theories on the reasons why Greece had bankrupted from intellectually highly qualified people.
The Greek crisis is now economical and societal but before that there was an ethical one. We have learned to live into a highly corrupted environment - government was corrupted, public administration as well and society profoundly -. We have adjusted our operational mode to better take benefit of this system and keep reinforcing the system over the past four decades! We have lost our ethical values and principles.
However, crisis has arrived and hurt people, the deficient public services were further penalized to the extend that some of them are unable to offer even the basic services, the society had collapsed. It was a desperate situation but at the same time an opportunity! Build a new Greece, improve services, organize administration but not, in order to do that you have to hurt people and take visionary decisions that most likely will have a long term impact and non an immediate one! This didn't happen, the progress that was made was disproportional to the efforts of the nation, the right hand government screwed up big time! and when someone suffers for a while he becomes desperate and have the tendency to believe in miracles! or go to a denial mode.
That is what will happen tomorrow. Greece will go back to the nighties when flipping of the left and the right hand party destroyed the country with such a great human intellectual potential. The same arguments, the same people in power with the same old arguments! We will reopen the "old" public television, re-hire people who have been laid of from the public sector, surprisingly no one have considered to re-instate olympic airways, reposition "our" people to the key positions and then blame others for our problems. Also, the public sector will be able to hire the 15% (out of the 25%) of the population being unemployed and therefore unemployment will come down to the average European standards. Also Greece will vote a extreme right/nazism party which will explain us how Greece is a superior nation, that all problems are due to immigrants and "military junta" is the right political answer to our problems which most likely will revoke my nationality.
Ps. Have been living abroad for so many years (I have left Greece two decades back - still spending almost all my summers there), maybe things have changed and everything works perfect and as my brother says, you shouldn't express any opinion about Greece, you left and you do your life abroad so let to us to decide how we will solve our problems.
