Teacher Dude's Grill and BBQ

That's a long wait for a train don't come

2012-01-28T01:18:00.001+02:00

That's a long wait for a train don't come, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek students lower banner protesting changes in higher education

2012-01-27T23:05:00.001+02:00

Greek students lower banner protesting changes in higher education, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greece's Dark Knight returns

2012-01-25T20:12:00.003+02:00

Apparently, ex-law and order minister, Mihalis Chrysohoidis was too busy fighting crime to even read the terms of recent austerity legislation before signing it. The measures, which have brought about an economic crisis unprecedented in modern Greek history are loathed by the overwhelming majority of Greeks and are now being seen internationally as a failure. The admission made during a TV interview has been seen as a crude, not to mention misguided attempts by the minister to distance himself from previous government policies which have cost his PASOK party more than 30 points in the polls over the last two years.

Just when you think that the Greek political caste can fall no longer in the eyes of the public they manage to drop yet another bomb shell.

#De_diavasa_to_mnimonio_giati Add your own captions

2012-01-24T12:51:00.002+02:00

#De_diavasa_to_mnimonio_giati Add your own captions, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

The Greek language Twittersphere is having a field day with the admission by Greek minister, Mihalis Chysohoidis that he didn't even bother reading the terms of austerity package imposed on Greece by its Troika creditors before signing it into law.

Feel free to download this and add your own caption about what excuse the minister might have for passing legislation (unexamined) that has pushed millions of Greeks into poverty.

For novices I'd recommend Speechable for adding speech bubbles and text easily.

en.speechable.com/

They Live. We Sleep - The Poster

2012-01-23T15:15:00.002+02:00

They Live. We Sleep - The Poster, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Science fiction, whether by intent or not is more a reflection of what scares or ails a society than a prediction of what will happen in the future. Whether it is HG. Wells's tale of class conflict in late 19th century England (The Time machine) or Orwell's commentary on the propaganda and the power of the state (1984) science fiction has provided writers, film makers and others with a powerful tool to look their societies straight in the eye. This is no less true in John Carpenter's 1988 B-Movie sci-fi classic, They Live with it's scathing indictment of 80's Reagonomics.

Life is too important to be left to politics - The T - Shirt

2012-01-22T01:07:00.002+02:00

Life is too important to be left to politics - The T - Shirt, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

EUROZONE or How I learned to stop worrying and love economic collapse

2012-01-21T12:58:00.002+02:00

EUROZONE or How I learned to stop worrying and love economic collapse, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

IT LIVES! Eurozone comes back from the dead.

2012-01-21T12:57:00.002+02:00

IT LIVES! Eurozone comes back from the dead., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greeks protesting austerity measures

2012-01-19T20:12:00.002+02:00

Greeks protesting austerity measures, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Which side are you on ?

2012-01-18T01:38:00.000+02:00

Last summer at the height of the Indignant movement in Greece I want down to Athens with fellow demonstrators to take part in the anti-austerity protests outside parliament. The video is probably as accurate an account of what happened next as anything I have seen anywhere. Please remember this when you see the next clash in Greece in order to understand why people fight so fiercely for what they believe in.

Resistance. The choice of a new generation

2012-01-18T00:43:00.002+02:00

Resistance. The choice of a new generation, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

What we've lost - A personal account of the crisis in Greece

2012-01-16T15:21:00.004+02:00

I could give you a list of statistics and figures that show just how bad the situation has got here in Thessaloniki, such as rise in unemployment or I could tell you how many businesses have closed down in the city over the last 12 months. Then there are the number of suicide attempts "successful" and "unsuccessful" that have taken place in Greece recently. But I doubt that they would mean much to you. Numbers have a strange way of draining the life out of any disaster, reducing it to simply an accountant's end of year report.

Instead I would like to talk about what I have lost and through that give you an idea of the what people are going through. For me, the most poignant memory of late has not been people sleeping out in freezing temperatures or pensioners scavenging for for food in rubbish bins, nor has it been the sight of kids as young as eight years old collecting scrap metal from bins and off the street to sell. No, for me the worst image has been that of a cardboard box, inside it the things my daughter will be taking with her to her new home 200km from here.

Unable to survive economically in the city Lydia's mother has decided to move away to be closer to her side of the family. The small flower business Maria has struggled to keep afloat for the least two years is now completely unviable and so is being closed down. With people now waiting to see what happens before getting married and fewer and fewer buying flowers to take as presents to friends and family the shop has become a liability and will shut in the next few days.

For my daughter it means leaving her friends, school and home to start out afresh in a new community, a tough challenge for anyone but especially so for a twelve year old on the brink of teenage.

As for me, that means the amount of time I get to spend with her will be drastically reduced, no longer will she be just a bus ride away but every visit will need to be co-ordinated and so will lose the spontaneity I so cherish. Of course, 200km away is not another world but it is far enough to make visiting much more difficult.

So far I have hidden all these thoughts from my daughter, she has enough on her mind without an adult's compliment of concerns, so instead I've kept on emphasising the benefits of moving to a smaller community where she's have more freedom to roam and even have her own cat.

I cannot fault her mother for her decision as things have got so bad in Thessaloniki that any alternative form of decent employment is just a pipe dream. Even when work is available friends have been telling me that wages as low as 300 euros a month are bring offered. And if you don't like it there are plenty more desperate people who do. Just to give you a sense of perspective 300 euros is barely enough for rent let along food and bills. And of course such wages come without health benefits or unemployment insurance.

Lydia's mother is making a rational choice and abandoning a sinking ship and in that she is not alone, so many friends have left the city either to return to the small towns or villages they came from or alternatively gone abroad to places as diverse as Germany and China. Indeed, anywhere where they can have something resembling a living wage and a future.

On the other hand I've been lucky in being to keep my head above water financially, but that is just for the time being, my lessons are growing fewer and no new ones are coming along. Occasionally, I am asked if I want to take on new students but almost invariably it doesn't work out as people struggle to pay yet more taxes and rising prices for basics such as power, food and transport.

Like so many others I have had to give up so much over the last 12 months, eating out is just a memory as is going to the cinema or buying new clothes. instead you feel happy if you can earn enough to pay your rent this month and still have enough left over to go food shopping. And I'm one of the lucky ones. Today 20,000 households and businesses will have their power cut off as they did not pay the latest property tax hike included in their electricity bills. The total number of accounts under threat is estimated to be a quarter of a million.

In the meantime Greece's political leaders bicker and pose for the cameras daily issuing statements that show that they have lost touch with the mounting crisis outside parliament. locked away in their offices, surrounded by police guards they indulge in power struggles over who will take over once the present party leaders are toppled. However, given the plummeting poll figures for all three parties involved in the present coalition government whoever the the next leader is, they are about to be charge of not much at all as much of the Greek electorate has written them off as corrupt, venial and inept.

But little of that matters, the packing cases containing my daughter's possessions are still in her bedroom, awaiting a removal van to take her off to a new life and I'm still here trying desperately not to get sucked down into the kind of despair that has debilitated so many people I know.

Beware zombie capitalism

2012-01-14T12:53:00.002+02:00

Beware zombie capitalism, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Αγαπούλα! Την κουκούλα.

2012-01-13T14:01:00.001+02:00

Αγαπούλα! Την κουκούλα., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Trekonomics - The German finance establishment's contribution to the Dismal Science

2012-01-12T21:10:00.000+02:00

The term Trekonomics (neologism derived from Star Trek & Economics) was inspired by the article, Germans and Aliens in the New York Times by economist Paul Krugman. In a nutshell Krugman argues that the insistence by German leaders on all EU members producing a budget surplus can only be achieved if we start exporting off-world.

"But the Germans believe that their own experience shows that austerity works: they went through some tough times a decade ago, but they tightened their belts, and all was well in the end.

Not that it will do any good, but it's worth pointing out that Germany's experience can only be generalized if we find some space aliens to trade with, fast."

New York Times

Here's to you, Mr Cameron. Now with new, improved lyrics

2012-01-12T13:38:00.006+02:00

And here's to you, Mr Cameron
The markets love you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mr Cameron
The City holds a place for those who obey
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

He'd like to know a little bit about you for their files
He'd like to help you learn to help yourself
Look around you, all you see are CCTV eyes
Following you around and when you're at home

And here's to you, Mr Cameron
The markets love you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mr Cameron
The City holds a place for those who obey
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Hide your money off-shore where no one ever goes
Put it in Swiss accounts with all your gold
It's a little secret, just the Camerons' affair
Most of all, you've got to hide it from the poor.

Coo, coo, ca-choo, Mr Cameron
The market loves you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mr Cameron
The City holds a place for those who obey
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Sitting on the front bench on Monday afternoon
Going to the candidates debate
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Ev'ry way you look at it, people lose

Where have you gone, Maggie Thatcher?
The wealthy turn their lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What's that you say, Mr Cameron
The Iron Lady has left and gone away
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Song to the tune of Mrs Robinson.

ΠΑΜΕ ΠΛΑΤΕΙΑ - LET'S GO TO THE SQUARE

2012-01-11T22:36:00.001+02:00

ΠΑΜΕ ΠΛΑΤΕΙΑ - LET'S GO TO THE SQUARE, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Sunday 15th January will see a series of anti-austerity protests across Greece.

Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate the Epiphany - Thessaloniki, Greece.

2012-01-09T20:27:00.001+02:00

Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate the Epiphany - Thessaloniki, Greece., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

What the Olympics will really cost you.

2012-01-02T21:04:00.003+02:00

What the Olympics will really cost you., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious,makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part

2012-01-02T01:21:00.004+02:00

"There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all! "

Mario Salvio - Berkeley, California 1964

New Year's Eve - Greece. Coming to a debt crisis near YOU soon.

2011-12-31T20:02:00.001+02:00

New Year's Eve - Greece. Coming to a debt crisis near YOU soon., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

2011 in posters

2011-12-30T23:43:00.000+02:00

2011 in 12 images - Greece

2011-12-30T00:27:00.002+02:00

Every year I choose one photograph from each month to give an idea of what happened during the past 12 months..

Fight to win or don't fight.

2011-12-23T00:17:00.001+02:00

Fight to win or don't fight., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

I SURVIVED 2011 - The T-shirt

2011-12-22T23:15:00.002+02:00

I SURVIVED 2011 - The T-shirt, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Welcome to the EU Think tank

2011-12-21T22:35:00.002+02:00

Welcome to the EU Think tank, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

If you are not 1 percent, you are little people

2011-12-20T23:35:00.002+02:00

If you are not 1 percent, you are little people, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek protesters decorate Christmas tree with electricity bills with latest tax hike

2011-12-19T11:16:00.003+02:00

Greek protesters decorate Christmas tree with electricity bills with latest tax hike, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

We are 99

2011-12-18T10:05:00.002+02:00

We are 99, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Your most powerful weapon is refusal

2011-12-18T01:05:00.002+02:00

Your most powerful weapon is refusal, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Fight for your right to say no

2011-12-18T01:03:00.001+02:00

Fight for your right to say no, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Occupy the Ministry of Magic

2011-12-17T14:02:00.003+02:00

Occupy the Ministry of Magic, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Harry Potter gets radical.

EU Death Star II

2011-12-17T14:01:00.002+02:00

EU Death Star II, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"Governor Rehn: National legislatures will no longer be of any concern to us. I have just received word from Berlin that Merkel has dissolved them permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republics have been swept away forever.

General Sarkozy: But that's impossible! How will the Merkel maintain control without the bureaucracy?

Governor Rehn: The regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local governments in line. Fear of this battle station."

Occupy The Death Star

2011-12-16T22:10:00.002+02:00

Occupy The Death Star, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Resist: While you still can.

2011-12-16T14:34:00.002+02:00

Resist: While you still can., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greeks queue up for a slice of cheese and a tub of yoghurt

2011-12-14T17:47:00.001+02:00

Greeks queue up for a slice of cheese and a tub of yoghurt, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Welcome to the jungle. Greek retirees protesting cuts in pensions -Thessaloniki, Greece

2011-12-14T00:39:00.002+02:00

Welcome to the jungle. Greek retirees protesting cuts in pensions - Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

In Kosovo

2011-12-13T01:27:00.001+02:00

In Kosovo, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Memorial for the dead pinned to the wall of a government building in Prishtina, Kosovo.

The best amongst the poor

2011-12-12T15:13:00.001+02:00

The best amongst the poor, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

It's what you do right now that make a difference.

2011-12-11T23:58:00.002+02:00

It's what you do right now that make a difference., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Looking back at 2011 in Greece

2011-12-11T14:04:00.003+02:00

Anti-government protests during Thessaloniki Trade Fair, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

This week I received an email from the Guardian asking if I would like to contribute 200 words to an article on this year's events in Greece. Here is my reply.

"Greece has been through such upheavals that it's hard sometimes to separate all the different defining events, since the beginning of 2011 the country has seen changes that would have been inconceivable beforehand.

As austerity measures continue to grind the economy and population into the ground the reaction has been ferocious, with mass protests from groups as diverse as teenage would be anarchists and middle aged taxi drivers, both of whom I saw fighting riot police units in September.

On the other hand determinedly peaceful protests such as the Indignant movement which flourished in Spring were also violently put down in June, leaving people angry, confused and for the time being, without focus.

"Of all the demonstrations that took place in the last 12 months, perhaps the most decisive were those that saw politicians escaping from angry crowds nationwide during the annual 28th October No day parades. TV images of Greece's president being forced to flee in Thessaloniki, set in motion a series of events that led to the fall of the government of prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou, marking the end of a two - party system that has dominated Greek politics since the return to democracy in the 1970's."

Latest austerity measures in Greece adding to the flames

2011-12-07T11:29:00.002+02:00

Greek riot police grab teenager during demonstration - Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"Why are you taking photographs?" The riot cop kept on screaming at me, his face screwed up into a red ball, his club raised, waving back and forth.

What I wanted to say was "So you don't beat the kid you just caught to a bloody pulp. So you don't plant evidence on him"

But I didn't say anything of the sort, I just said that I was doing my job, whatever that may mean. I suppose I could have got into a discussion about the role of citizen journalists in the newly emerging media landscape but then again, never argue with a man with a baton and a badge.

Yesterday I marched with students in Thessaloniki who were marking the third anniversary of the murder of 15 year old Alex Grigoropoulos, who was shot by a police officer in cold blood on December 6th, 2008 in Athens. His crime was talking back to an officer with an attitude and a gun.

The death sparked off a maelstrom of violent protest that lasted for nearly a month and saw clashes between protesters and Greek police across the country, affecting both large cities and smaller communities.

The crime acted as a catalyst for anger over much of the discontent many young Greeks felt about their future and the way the country was being run, as it came in the wake of a series of corruption and influence peddling scandals involving top government officials.

It also was fuelled by the widely held belief that the police, and by extension much of the state is above the law, able to flaunt legislation and human rights at will.

Three years on and the economic situation has deteriorated so rapidly that 2008 seems like a lost paradise, where there were still a future for some and some way of making do for most.

With youth unemployment at 40% nationally and over 50% in Thessaloniki little now remains for Greece's 15-30 year olds in terms of jobs and career choices.

To make matters worse the problem has spread to their parent's and grandparent's generations as the relentless list of austerity measures and tax hikes have hit both the public sector and small businesses, both bastions of Greece's new enfranchised middle class.

Footnote. The teenager you see being arrested in the photograph was simply guilty of not running fast enough, like most of those who took part in yesterday's demonstrations, he did so peacefully. However, in the heat of the moment trifling matters such as innocence and guilt matter little to ill-disciplined riot police units looking to settle scores.

Welcome to the leaner, meaner Greece

2011-12-06T23:48:00.001+02:00

Welcome to the leaner, meaner Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek general strike - December 1st 2011

2011-12-02T15:16:00.002+02:00

Greek general strike - December 1st 2011, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Welcome to the New Greece

2011-12-02T13:34:00.001+02:00

Welcome to the New Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek protesters in trial by Facebook

2011-11-28T21:01:00.003+02:00

Greek protesters in trial by Facebook, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek protesters who peacefully blocked roads, forcing the country's president to flee a military parade last month have been hauled before judges in the northern port city of Thessaloniki. The district attorney has introduced video and photographic evidence gleaned from Facebook, Youtube and other social media sites to convince judges to press charges against 17 defendants.

If the case goes ahead then I have to seriously re-evaluate where and how I take photographs and video since I do not want to be the reason someone is sent to prison for exercising their right to peaceful protest. In addition the possibility that images posted on social media or news sites is now to be used to prosecute people means that those taking part are going to be loathed to have photographers around, making my job even more difficult.

You have all the weapons you need, NOW FIGHT.

2011-11-28T11:46:00.002+02:00

You have all the weapons you need, NOW FIGHT., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greece's homeless set up their own shelter in abandoned hospital

2011-11-26T14:11:00.003+02:00

Greece's homeless set up their own shelter in abandoned hospital, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Somehow I doubt if this kitchen is going to receive a Michelin star any time soon but in its way it is a small miracle, just a couple of months ago this was an just another empty room in a gutted building that used to be the Agios Pavlos (St Paul's) hospital in the centre of Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki. As the country enters it's fifth year of recession and unemployment continues to rocket a growing number of people have been forced onto the streets. While no official figures exist for Thessaloniki, authorities in Athens report that 25,000 people there spend their nights sleeping rough.

However, amidst all the stories of suffering and despair a small group has turned a shell of a building into a viable living space, offering 28 people the chance to get off the streets. When I first entered the building, just days after activists had broken through the chained front doors ( see here www.flickr.com/photos/teacherdudebbq2/6233732675/ ) I thought that they were crazy to even contemplate turning the five story block into a place where people could live. Massive holes in the roof, dozens of missing or smashed windows, entire exterior wall missing meant that even in daytime the place was uncomfortably cold.

Yet, my pessimism has turned out to be misplaced and now where there had been gutted rooms, a kitchen and dinning area have been created, in the upper floors kids from the neighbourhood use the space for band practice and many of the rooms have been turned into dorm style rooms.

However, problems still remain as there have been conflicts between residents over the use of drugs and alcohol leading to at least one eviction. While I was there a window was being replaced after it had been smashed by angry drug user unhappy with fellow residents insistence that drugs had no place in their space.

Greek protesters clash with riot police units after 17 November commemorations - Video

2011-11-21T15:47:00.004+02:00

The anti - junta uprising by Greek students at the Polytechnic School in Athens, 17th November 1973 is commemorated every year nationwide.

During the march and for hours afterwards riot police units clashed with masked protesters around the campus of the Aristotelion university.

Grandfather and grandson in the annual Polytechniou Uprising commemoration in Thessaloniki, Greece

2011-11-18T14:02:00.002+02:00

Grandfather and grandson the annual Polytechniou Uprising commoration in Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greece's PM's horse trading reveals political system at odds with public opinion

2011-11-07T21:36:00.004+02:00

Over the last week the world's media have been camped out in central Athens following the machinations of Greece's political caste as they vie for power and government positions. Papandreou remains, for the time being, prime minister having survived against the odds a vote of confidence on Friday, a feat that has both mystified observers both domestic and foreign. For the past three days the countries political leaders have been locked in negotiations over what form the so-called government of national unity will take. I thought I'd take the time to try and explain some of the major player involved and why creating a coalition seems to be causing so many problems for Greek politicians.

As we speak Greek prime minister and leader of nominally ( labels such as left and right have no firm meaning in a system that is predicted on gaining and keeping power) socialist PASOK party has agreed, at least in theory to come to an agreement with former room mate and leader of the nominally conservative New Democracy party.

The dilemma Samaras faces is that any co-operation with a figure as despised as Papandreou is disasterous for both New democracy's delicate internal political balance and any future electoral campaigning as his leadership of his party is beset with problems since groups who align themselves with former prime minister Konstandinos Karamanlis are waiting in the wings to mount a leadership challenge.

Also with so little room to manoeuvre New Democracy's claim that they could deal better with the pressure emanating from Berlin and Paris over the nature of austerity measures would be put to the test and most probably be found to be little more than a PR ploy.

On the other hand Giorgos Karatzefris, leader of the far right LAOS party could conceivably be roped into a coalition government,as the party previously voted with PASOK to pass the first round of austerity measures. Although Karatzaferis faces fewer internal challenges (the party, like so many others in Greek political history, is, in essence a vehicle for his personal political ambitions) than Samaras, previous co-operation with PASOK has serious damaged LAOS's claims to be the only true patriotic defenders of the Greek fatherland and cost them poll support.

At the other end of the political spectrum Fotis Kouvelis, the leader of the tiny Democratic Left party has been mooted as possible new leader, presumably resurrecting the policy favoured by medieval French baron in elevating the weakest and least able amongst them to kingship. But once again, any party seen siding with the government is likely to severely punished in the next elections.

The Greek communist party ( KKE) and the reformist socialist SYRIZA coalition party have made it perfectly clear that will not even contemplate taking party in any unity government believing that such a government simply legitimises the deeply unpopular public spending cuts and tax hikes being imposed by Greece's creditors. Instead communist leader Aleka Papariga has called for open defiance to austerity measures and communist affiliated unions are in the forefront of industrial action designed to fight cuts.

Similiarly, Alexis Tsipras's SYRIZA coalition has also rejected any possibility of working with Papandreou's government, instead promoting a campaign of protest and civil disobedience against the austerity package.

What's left is a hodge podge of independent MPs many of them former PASOK members who've been drummed out of the party for failing to follow the party line so chance are they will be less than willing to trust their former colleagues.

However, what last weeks' dramatic developments have shown is that very little is certain in Greek politics and that MP's statement concerning who and what they support are little more than negotiating ploys and cannot be taken at face value. The endless round of horse trading and ever changing political gamesmanship has left many Greeks even more disgusted than ever with the seemingly amoral behaviour of their representatives who seem to consider party political careers a far more worthy use of their time than trying to repair their credibility with voters.

The reality remains that whatever government is formed they will be faced with the same unpalatable choices that forced the prime minister to offer his resignation and the same angry, resentful citizens who believe that they are paying for greed and incompetence of the country's political and economic elites.

Greeks say NO to their own government

2011-11-02T13:03:00.003+02:00

Greeks say NO to their own government, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

The Greek prime minsiter's decisionto hold both a vote of confidence in parliament and a national referendum on lastest austerity measures has taken the world's money markets by storm.

Even within Giorgos Papndreou's own PASOK party the decision has been met with mixed reactions. Whilst cabinet ministers have said they fully support the PM in this, backbenchers are rebelling with some saying they will vote against their own party if a referndum goes ahead, even calling for a government of "national salvation".

Opposition parties have been thrown into confusion by the referendum as well, The main opposition party, New Democracy has come out against it and is calling for elections. many smaller parties on the left are also against it, believing it a PR tactic to divert the public's attention from more important issues.

On the other hand the Greek public have thrown up their hands as far as the current political system is concerned. The nationwide protests and disruption of last Friday's national day parades made that clear to politicians who were booed and in some cases physically attacked by disgruntled voters.

The fact that polls show ever decreasing support for the two main political parties (figures for smaller parties have remained more or less static) shows that whatever the countries leaders may announce they are not in the position to say they speak for anything other than a small minority of the electorate. In such a situation the massive cuts in wages and public services and the prospect of a decades worth of painful austerity continue to have very little public support. Quite the opposite, Greeks across the political spectrum feel betrayed by their leaders and are in mood to go along with more of their follies.

The next crunch point will probably be Friday's vote of confidence which is likely to see the fall of Papandreou's as rebel PASOK MPs vote against their own party. The problem still remains who or what will take their place as no other party has a popular mandate to take over the reins of power and how do politicians campaign for re-election when voters would just as soon lynch them as give them their support?

On the other hand the annual 17th November anniversay of the fall of the Regime of the Colonels is just round the corner and this year a generation of Greeks raised on stories of heroic opposition to a hated regime will once again take to the streets across the country.

For the Greek government the writing is on the wall following latest protests

2011-10-29T10:56:00.004+03:00

It's not often you get to see history made in front of your very eyes, however, that is exactly what I witnessed yesterday during the protests here in Thessaloniki that saw the cancellation of the city's annual military parade and forced the president of Greece to flee the area along with the country's defence minister.

To those unfamiliar with the institution, 28th October is a national holiday in Greece and every year towns and neighbourhoods organise parades to honour those who fell while fighting an Italian invasion in 1940. The celebration is known as No day after the refusal by Athens to allow Mussolini's army to enter Greek territory and is a day loaded with signifigance for many Greeks, akin to Remembrance Day in terms of the hold it has on the national consciousness so the fact that the parade was abandoned and those present refused to let the army march is an unprecedent event. It's almost as if bystanders flooded Whitehall during Remembrance Sunday and forced David Cameron and the rest of the cabinet to flee.

While over the last few years people have started to use 28th October events to air grievances the numbers have been small and many other Greeks have found such incidents an insult to the memory of the war dead. All that changed yesterday to surprise and amazement of most involved. For the country's political leadership it signalled the end of an era when they could command the loyalty (sometimes grudgingly given) of their electorate and showed them definitively that they are no longer welcome in any sphere of public life.

Also for those who organised protests the reaction of the crowds took them by surprise, none expected that ordinary people would react in this way and close down the parade, many of them wandered round with huge smiles on their faces looking somewhat dazed, like kids who've been told in June that Christmas Day has been moved up to today.

The police also were caught on the hop, unsure of how to deal with mass of people that included pensioners, small kids as well as political activists and unruly football fans. Despite being given orders to disperse the crowd by the minister of defence Panagiotis Beglitis, local commanders kept their response low key, realising the use of tear gas and percussion grenades (the usual police respone to mass unrest) could have catastrophic results in such a tense situation. Instead they allowed the protesters through police lines so they could continue their own people's parade that cheered on all non-military units that marched through.

There were some clashes when army reservists taking part in the military parade tried to force their way through leading to fist fights with protesting football fans who lashed back (see video below). Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed on both sides and no one was seriously injured.

When I got on the internet I saw that similiar protests were taking place across the country, even in small towns not noted for their radicalism, in most places the presence of politicians acted as trigger for people to boo, jeer and throw objects.In many cases mayors and MPs had to be hustled away under heavy police guard lest locals let their anger get the better of them.

On the other hand the mainstream Greek media was mixed in its response to the day's events, TV channels such as Skai, Mega and Star filled their screens with indignant politicians and commentators who accused those involved in the protests from being everything from fascist dupes to mindless hooligans.Yet even with this heavy handed orwellian spin doctoring the images that showed town after town demonstrating and the street of Thessaloniki teeming with protesters clashed with the official line which claimed that all of this was the work of a few hundred political malcontents.

It is a sign of how hunkered down the country's political leaders are that they have started believing their own propaganda about protesters being a small group of malavolent trouble makers being used by dark (and always unnamed political forces). On the other hand the sheer scale of the demonstrations has finally woken some up to the fact that that they are loathed and dispised by people from across the political spectrum.

For the more conservative elements Papandreou's acceptance of foreign oversight is nothing less than treason, for those on the left the government has failed to protect the poor and the vulnerable and is happily dismantling what passes for a welfare state in Greece. For nearly everyone the latest austerity measures have hit them hard coming as they do at a time of falling incomes, rising prices and skyrocketing unemployment.

The writing is on the wall for the current political system as it is incapable of producing a credible alternative to the present set up and in such a situation the vacuum that will be created by the fall of the government may lead to turmoil and conflict as groups united only in their common hatred of PASOK clash with each other.

Greek protesters close down military parade during anti - governmentprotest

2011-10-28T17:26:00.002+03:00

Greek protesters close down military parade during anti - government protest, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek health system's revolutionary new payment plan

2011-10-22T13:30:00.002+03:00

Greek health system's revolutionary new payment plan, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

For just 1 euro you can enjoy 15 minutes of uninterrupted life support or 30 minutes of kidney dialysis."

Satire aside, read the Lancet's take on the real crisis in Greek health care here.

Greek general strike 19/20 October 2011

2011-10-21T13:15:00.003+03:00

In Athens , Thessaloniki and many other towns and cities acros Greece hundreds of thouands took part in anti - government demonstrations aimed at over turning the latest round of austerity measures which promise to finish off what is left of the economy.

Greek riot police protecting government building

2011-10-20T11:16:00.001+03:00

Greek riot police protecting government building, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Yesterday between 60 and 80,000 took part in massive anti-austerity protests ahead of a crucual parliamentary vote on laws that will push by employment legislation by decades and cut wages and pensions yet again.

There were extensive clashes between riot police and protesters towards the end of the march as it approached government buildings. Several molotov cocktails were thrown and police made use of tear gas and percussion grenades to break up demonstrations.

Euro zone pushing for tougher policing of Greece

2011-10-18T14:31:00.001+03:00

Euro zone pushing for tougher policing of Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek pensioner scavaging from rubbish piling up in the streets of Thessaloniki

2011-10-17T13:21:00.001+03:00

Greek pensioner scavaging from rubbish piling up in the streets of Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Every cloud has a silver lining, Ever since the government decided to go head to head with the country's rubbish collectors refuse has been piling up in the streets, providing rich picking for pensioners and other reduced to scavaging through dumpsters to survive. Yet another achievement that Greek prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou believes that the Greeks should take pride in.

Young refugee kid soon to be evicted from Thessaloniki RefugeeReception Centre, Greece

2011-10-15T13:11:00.002+03:00

Young refugee kid soon to be evicted from Thessaloniki Refugee Reception Centre, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

For over 20 months Greece's second largest city has been threatening to close down town's only refugee reception centre. For 20 months the 15 families in residence have survived due to the efforts of local volunteer groups who have been paying for the centre's bills and the families food supply. The Greek ministry of health and the local Thessaloniki city council have refused to support the enterprise even though it was set up by them to deal with Greece's refugee crisis.

However, even that indifference as been replaced by active attempts by the local authorities to evict the familes with no thought given to the future of those people. With the Greek economy in dire straits and the .local police department stepping up harassment of immigrants those inside the reception centre face the prospect of being kicked out into the streets and then with no permanent address, deported.

The residents along with local supporters decided to stage a small protest march fromthe centre to the local ministry building, a move which threw thr riot squad protecting it into action. Immediately the central gates were closed and police took up position in case the eight year olds present made an attmept to topple the government. As a result negotiations between the officers in charge and representative who wanted to present their case to the local politicans had to be conducted through the bars ofthe padlocked gate.

Young refugee kids soon to be evicted from Thessaloniki Refugee Reception Centre, Greece

2011-10-14T17:33:00.001+03:00

Young refugee kids soon to be evicted from Thessaloniki Refugee Reception Centre, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

For over 20 months Greece's second largest city has been threatening to close down town's only refugee reception centre. For 20 months the 15 families in residence have survived due to the efforts of local volunteer grouops who have been paying for the centre's bills and the families food supply. The Greek ministry of health and the local Thessalonikicity council have refused to support the enterprise even though it was set up by them to deal with Greece's refugee crisis.

However, even that indifference as been replaced by active attempts by the local authorities to evict the familes with no thought given to the future of those people. With the Greek economy in dire straits and the .local police department stepping up harassment of immigrants those inside the reception centre face the prospect of being kicked out into the streets.

The residents along with local supporters decided to stage a small protest march fromthe centre to the local ministry building, a move which threw thr riot squad protecting it into action. Immediately the central gates were closed and police took up position in case the eight year olds present made an attmept to topple the government. As a result negotiations between the officers in charge and representative who wanted to present their case to the local politicans had to be conducted through the bars ofthe padlocked gate.

Greece:Sliding into chaos

2011-10-12T17:02:00.002+03:00

Last month 10,000 police officer were on the streets in order to protect the Greek prime minister who addressed the nation during the opening of the annual Thessaloniki Trade Fair. While Giorgos Papandreou announced yet more austerity measures the riot police battled with demonstrators for hours once more turning a Greek city into a warzone.

Yet despite some of the most intense violence the city city has seen since the December 2008 riots which followed the murder of a 15 year old teenager by police in Athens the Greek media mainly ignored the scenes and instead concentrated on the prime minister's speech. Like the politicians they cover Greek journalists live in their own alternative universe where the major scandals go uncovered yet government press statments are repeated ad nauseum.

Dead hospital - Thessaloniki, Greece

2011-10-11T15:13:00.002+03:00

Dead hospital - Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

This used to be the central St Paul (Agios Pavlos) hospital in the centre of Thessaloniki, Closed down years ago it as recently been taken over by activits in order to give shelter to the city's growing number of homeless.

As more and more people are driven out of work and out of the country's health system the idea of a dead hospital is a pretty good allegory of the situtation in Greece.

Greek pensioner looking through rubbish for leftover food

2011-10-08T14:21:00.002+03:00

thessa
Greek pensioner looking through rubbish for leftover food, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek pensioner going through the garbage outside the central open air market in Thessaloniki looking for leftover baked goods.

Things have so bad here that many of my friends have stoppd listening to the news, they are sick of hearing about yet more job cuts and tax rises and the constant stream of hyperbole and hysteria that Greek media thinks passes for news.

Euroman, the EU's newly minted banking superhero goes into action

2011-10-08T12:16:00.002+03:00

Euroman, the EU's newly minted banking superhero goes into action, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"I tell you these austerity measues will work. We just need to try them one more times."

Worried about economic meltdown? Your family survival plan

2011-10-07T14:25:00.002+03:00

Worried about economic meltdown? Your family survival plan, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Reporters Without Borders issue alarm over police violence against media professionals in Greece

2011-10-06T13:19:00.003+03:00

Reporters Without Borders issue alarm over police violence against reporters in Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Following a series of attacks on photographers and other journalists covering anti-government protests in Athens, Reporters without Borders has issued an alarm over the Greek police's treatment of reporters. Below is an extract from their damning report on lack of press freedom in the country.

"Working conditions during demonstrations are nowadays rather like in a war-zone, which is both surprising and deplorable in an EU member-state. press photographers and camera-operators are by far the worst affected. Few protesters make a distinction any longer between media owners and journalists just trying to do a job.

Photojournalists and camera-operators are scapegoats for all the bitterness and violence. to the police, they are undesirable witnesses of often harsh and illegal repression. “Our images show that the police don’t know how to do their job,” says Aristotelis Messinis, a photographer in Athens for the french agence France-Presse news agency. “We show up their poor training and their abuses and excesses.

The police also consider the pictures taken of them as an invasion of their privacy. It’s weird but true. For activists and extremists, we’re a similar problem, as undesirable witnesses of their activities that don’t belong in such demonstrations. To them, the media is an arm of the government, so they attack us."

en.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/greece_2011_eng.pdf

Tim Booth, front man for the UK band James playing at impromptu openair gig in Thessaloniki, Greece

2011-10-04T15:59:00.002+03:00

Tim Booth, front man for the UK band James playing at impromptu open air gig in Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

I read about the gig on Twitter but thought that most likely the whole thing was a practical joke, but when I got to the White Tower I saw Tom Booth and the rest of the band rounding up people for an impromptu gig in a cafe opposite.

Really great atmosphere, like having James play in your back garden for you and your friends.

The Greek economic crisis - in pictures

2011-09-30T18:12:00.002+03:00

The Greek economic crisis - in pictures, a set on Flickr.

How much more can Greece take?

2011-09-29T15:06:00.005+03:00

How much more can Greece take?, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Another day, another government announcement of yet more taxes and job cuts. So far there have been five seperate initiatives in the last two weeks and yet more moves by Athens lay ahead in order for the Greek government to placate its creditors.

In such an atmosphere people have no idea what the future holds for them, planning any kind of budget as a family or business has become virtually impossible as no one knows that kind of new bills are coming their way, what their salary will have or even if they'll have a job in the coming months.

As you can imagine such insecurity has forced people to cut back on spending. Even those who have money are afraid to buy anything other than the bare essentials in case they are suddenly hit by yet another tax demand by the authorities or find themselves without work. In such an environment who in their right mind would invest, open a business or even buy a car? So people live in a kind of limbo, unable to move on with their lives and plan decision such as having children or getting married until the situation becomes more comprehensible

On the other hand the poorer off are been crushed by a vice consisting of falling wages on one side and rising prices on the other. Here in the north where winters are much cooler than one usually associates with Greece (we're just 130 km south of Bulgaria) the 50% hike in tax on heating oil combined with large increases in electricity prices are going to push many families into fuel poverty this winter.

Officially, unemployment in Thessaloniki is 21%, but studies carried out by GSEE (Greece's answer to the UK's TUC) put that figure at 5-8% higher with no prospect of any decline soon. Indeed the figures are guaranteed to go higher as tens of thousands of public sector workers are laid off and the continued fall in domestic consumption carries on apace.

Since the start of the year 17% of shops in the centre of Thessaloniki have closed down and store owners are claiming a drop in sales of 50% in the last three years.

In areas outside Thessaloniki's bustling downtown shopping district the picture is even grimmer with business organisations in the poorer western districts of the city reporting a fall in turnover of 80%.While some of this may be exaggeration many commercial thoroughfares such as the westbound Langada Street have indeed been decimated with 70-80% of shop fronts either boarded up or sporting For Sale signs.

Public confidence in the government of prime minister, Giorgos Papandeou has hit rock bottom as his party drifts to gaffe to gaffe, seemingly unable to do more than issue garbled public statements which raise more questions than they answer.

Greek riot police arrest protesting taxi driver during Thessaloniki Trade Fair demonstrations

2011-09-26T15:53:00.001+03:00

Greek riot police arrest protesting taxi driver during Thessaloniki Trade Fair demonstrations, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Green activists in Pristina, Kosovo demanding alternatives to coalpowered electricity plants

2011-09-25T00:16:00.002+03:00

Green activists in Pristina, Kosovo demanding alternatives to coal powered electricity plants, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Honey Sellers in central Pristina. Kosovo.

Greek teachers protest lack of school books

2011-09-22T16:25:00.001+03:00

Greek teachers protest lack of school books, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

A march called by students and teachers protesting controversial education reforms.Around the woman's neck is a DVD that ministry of education sent instead of school books to classrooms around the country. Unfortunately, there is no way of using the material in lessons as most state schools have just a handful of PCs.

There's a storm coming

2011-09-21T14:37:00.004+03:00

There's a storm coming, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

A sombre picture for a sombre time. Once again Greece awaits what is in store for it in terms of spending cuts and job losses. In the media rumours abound of how hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk and the possible imposition of yet more taxes on basics such as public transport and heating oil. All the while the political leadership shows how little the fate of the country depends on decisions taken by Greece's government and parliament. In response protests by ordinary Greeks are slowly gathering steam as people are driven by anger and desperation over the future to express their anger over how they are being treated.

Greece: Light blue touch paper and stand well back

2011-09-20T10:08:00.004+03:00

Evangelos Venizelos, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Over the last two days it seems that the Greek government has been in tense negotiations with the IMF and EU partners over the conditions attached to the country's sixth bailout installment. The local media has been cutting into normal programming to report even the the slightest update over the state of play.

In an address to the nation on Sunday, deputy prime minister quoted Churchill to show quite how serious the situation Greece was facing. In Venizelos's opinion anything but a united front by Greek political parties, academics and the media would lead to disaster and in a fierce attack on critics he stopped just short of accusing those opposed to the austerity measures of treason.

So considering the atmosphere of supposedly feverish negotiations it came as more than a surprise when the IMF's official spokeman said that Athens's creditors had in fact demanded no new cuts or taxes but rather that the ruling PASOK government applied measures that had already been agreed upon in summer.

And there you have so many of Greece's problems in a nutshell. The country's political elite, even as the situation deteriorates even further still continues playing the same old games.Like generals fighting the last war, the leadership of PASOK still thinks it can fob off foreigners with promises it cannot keep while fobbing off domestic critics with talk of victories won.

However, this particular web of half-truths, fudges and outright lies is about to crumble as it becomes more and more apparent that Athens hasn't the political power to stop massive cuts in public services and pay. On the other hand local trade unions, public sector workers and huge swathes of the population facing yet more tax hikes are at breaking point. After three years of recession pockets are empty, people are desperate and anger at the mendacity and ineptitude of the country's political class is at an all time high.

Even before the present debt crisis public confience in the political system was low following the seemingly endless series of corruption scandals that dogged the conservative New Democracy's five years in power. Even by the abysmally low standards of Greek politics the Karamanlis administration had reached new depths of veniality, helped in part by laws drafted by present deputy PM Venizelos protecting ministers from prosecution.

Both major parties are polling historically low and are struggling to get more than 20% of the vote. Nor have the smaller parties both of the left and right been able to capitalise on this trend. Instead there has been a widespread sense of disgust which is signalling a seachange in Greek political life.The current politicial set up is in crisis and despite frantic claims to the contrary no one is clear about how to get Greece out of the hole it finds itself.

Outside the hermetically sealed world of party politics however, protests movements are being created that promise to challenge prime minister Giorgos Papandeou's plans. Even the traditionally pro-PASOK public sector trade unions are promsing a long drawn out fight over cuts in pay, conditions and numbers. A battle that will intensify once details of lay-offs involving 100,000 civil servents are announced this week.

Less predictably, and perhaps more explosively, the country's Indignant movement is likely to see a resurgence following it's violent surpression in June. In addition the "I Won't Pay" civil disobedience movement created to fight road toll hikes is likely to pick up support amongst the 5 million housholds facing an emergency property tax in October as part of their electricity bill. Failure to pay in full will, according to the government result in people having their power cut off

This measure is deeply dispised as it is seen as little more than a legislative smash and grab that will includes the unemployed and disabled but not the nation's second largest property owner, the Greek Orthodox Church.

Just today there are at least three major demonstrations being planned in central Athens, a number that is likely to rise as the full extent of Athens's new austerity measures beome clear.

Venizelos may have compared himself with Winston Churchill on Sunday however, Marshal Petain, leader of the puppet Vichy French regime during World War Two seems a much closer historical fit, given how much national sovereignty has been surrendered propping up an economy on the brink of collapse.

Reporters Sans Frontiers on reporting in Greece: "Photographers and cameramen are more and more at risk as they encounter situations akin to civil war"

2011-09-16T15:26:00.002+03:00

Reporters Sans Frontiers on reporting in Greece: "Photographers and cameramen are more and more at risk as they encounter situations akin to civil war", a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

"The impact of the crisis has radicalized a sector of the population, which expresses its anger and frustration in increasingly violent demonstrations. Photographers and cameramen are more and more at risk as they encounter situations akin to civil war in the course of trying to cover the activities of these grass-roots movements.

Caught between the violence of the extremist movements and the violence of anti-riot police who show little respect for their professional status, photographers are paying a high price for the coverage they give us."

http://en.rsf.org/grece-could-the-crisis-help-media-14-09-2011,40986.html

Zombie nation, Merkel nation . Stencil on the wall of a building in Thessaloniki, Greece

2011-09-14T16:05:00.002+03:00

Zombie nation, Merkel nation . Stencil on the wall of a building in Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek riot police clash with anti-government protesters outside Thessaloniki trade fair

2011-09-12T16:11:00.003+03:00

Greek riot police clash with anti-government protesters outside Thessaloniki trade fair, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

The Thessaloniki international trade fair, or Helexpo as it is known locally has traditionally been the chance for the country to present its best face to the outside world.

However, this year's event was overshadowed by violent anti- government protests organised by groups as disparate as taxi drives and doctors, football fans and soccer moms, all angry with austerity measures which have crippled the economy and brought about a financial downturn unprecedented in modern Greek history.

Prime minister. Girogos Papandreou gave is annual speech at the fair, the nearest thing Greece as to a state of the union address from behind a security cordon manned by 10-12,000 riot police armed with shields, tear gas and pistols.

The centre of Greece's second largest city of 1,2 million inhabitants was sealed off for one kilometre around the Vellidiou conference centre where the prime minister was scheduled to speak.

In the end the most violent protests came not from the city's large student population or anarchists but rather taxi drivers outraged by government reform measures. For over an hour thousands of driver fought with riot police units outside the trade fair.

Round of tear gas fired by the police were met with a hail of broken paving stones and several times forced them to retreat to the relative safety of the fair.

To add to the authorities woes thousands of football fans also clashed with police units in the centre as the local Iraklis FC supporters smashed shop windows and set fire to rubbish bins along the main Tsimiski Boulevard.

Clashes between students and police around the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki which borders the trade fair also lasted into the small hours of the morning.

Everything you ever wanted to know about how Greek media works in one photo.

2011-09-10T12:50:00.002+03:00

Everything you ever wanted to know about how Greek media works in one photo., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

In the foreground a local TV news program with riot police forming a line to prevent protesters moving forward to demonstrate against Greek prime minister's visit to Thessaloniki town hall.

The media here, especially that funded by the state (as is the case with the station pictured above) is little more than publically funded propaganda designed to present those in power in the best possible light. Dull, biased and impossibly amateur these channels pump out a daily diet of press announcement and valedictory speeches which the vast majority of viwers simply ignore.

Since selection and promotion within such organisations depends on connections (bothe personal and political) and above loyalty to ones superiors quality and talent are often after thoughts which explains why so much money buys such bad TV.

Greek police protests against government austerity measures in Thessaloniki

2011-09-10T12:36:00.001+03:00

Greek police protests against overnment austerity measures in Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Woman employee grabbed by plain clothes police officers for taking photo of police infiltrators

2011-09-09T16:00:00.002+03:00

Woman employee grabbed by plain clothes police officers for taking photo of police infiltrators, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou is visiting the country's second largest in the run up to his annual address to the nation which traditionally marks the opening not only of the international expo but the new political season.

With coffers empty and yet more austerity measures soon to be imposed Papandreou's popularity is at an all time low as groups as diverse as dentists and taxi drivers, cleaners and surgeons are taking part in anti-government protests.

The city centre resembles less a trade fair than a city under seige with thousands of quasi-military riot police on stand by around strategic public buildings and the Makedonia Palace hotel where the prime minister and much of the cabinet will be staying for the weekend.

The real show of strength will be tomorrow when thousands of demonstrators have vowed to shut down the centre and do everything in theirpower to prevent the beleagured leader from giving his key note speech to the nation.

Greek students continue protests against controversial reform plan.

2011-09-08T17:46:00.001+03:00

Greek students continue protests against controversial reform plan., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greece's ambitious new privatisation plan revealed

2011-09-07T16:21:00.002+03:00

Greece's ambitious new privatisation plan revealed, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greece is cutting public spending to the bone

2011-09-06T17:03:00.002+03:00

Greece is cutting public spending to the bone, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Why I left Demotix

2011-09-05T14:28:00.003+03:00

As of last Friday I no longer contribute to the Demotix website. For those who do not know them, Demotix bills itself as an;

"award-winning newswire where YOU tell the stories. We put photos and video from ordinary people and freelance photographers into the international news media."

When I started to upload photographs and news stories I was hoping that the site would be a serious replacement for other citizen journalism news hubs I had previously worked with. I was hoping that unlike these others Demotix would not degenerate into a centre for crack pot ideas and conspiracy theorists desperately trying to convince us that Hitler's brain was living on Mars.

In that respect Demotix has suceeded by retaining editorial control over content and judicious choice of what stories it promotes. So why am I leaving? The first and most obvious reason is the seemingly endless list of technical difficulties that mean uploading photographs (forget video,where problems grew exponentially) and stories can take hours and many repeated attempts.

If you're sitting in the comfort of your own home, an hour of two wasted now and then may not mean much but when uploading more often or you're outside in difficult conditions, such delays are infuriating.I remember cursing the site with every swear word I possess in both English and Greek when trying to upload a story from the Athens riots which was written on a rapidly dying laptop in an arcade filling up with tear gas.

Despite recent attempts to improve. every upgrade simply changes the nature of the bugs rather than their frequency, it seems. The last straw was on Friday when an entire story just disappeared from before my very eyes never to be seen again. With my main job about to start again I do not have the time to spend two, three hours nursing a story through defective software.

The other problem I have with Demotix is over payment or rather the lack of transparency over what is being sold, where and for how much. By chance I happened to come across some of my images that had been licenced to the Wall Street Journal and some Danish news sites yet no mention was made of this either via my account on Demotix or email. Later a member of the Demotix staff assured me that all the details of these transaction would be made available to me within the following days. That was over a month ago and still no update of my sales has appeared in my account data in Demotix.

As you can imagine this lack of feedback is both disappointing and frustrating and has confirmed my decision that Demotix is not the place for me.

Greek students take to the streets to protest controversial education reforms

2011-09-02T18:20:00.001+03:00

Greek students take to the streets to protest controversial education reforms, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Over 300 university and polytechnic departments now under occupation by Greek students

2011-09-02T18:16:00.002+03:00

Over 300 university and polytechnic departments now under occupation by Greek students, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Despite the fact that the Greek academic year has yet to begin, students in universities and polytehnics across the country are already gearing up to resist contoversial reform programme being introduced by minister for education, Anna Diamantopoulou.

According to student leaders over 300 department in institutions of higher education nationwide are now being occupied by students unhappy with changes designed to overhaul Greece's ailing universities and technical schools. For protesting students and academics the reforms are little more than than a cost cutting exercise being foisted upon Athens by its international creditors anxious to bring public spending down.

Amongst the most contested elements in the reform package is the abolition of the country's campus asylum laws whch mean that the police are only allowed to enter university/polytechnc proprty at the inviation of the dean. Such laws ahve long been a thorn in the side of the authorities as it means that institutions of higher education are essentially off limits to the police.

Today students took part in demonstrations nationwide, in the northern port city of Thessaloniki between two and three thousand students marched peacefully through the centre of the city.

The latest wave of protests in yet another headache for the ruling PASOK party whose austerity measures have been opposed by an ever widening section of Greek society and has seen groups as diverse as taxi drivers and doctors clashing with the authorities. With popular support at record low levels prime minister Giorgos Papandreou attempts to implement deeply unpopular economic measures demanded by the IMF and EU are in danger of failing completely.

Thessaloniki city council in tree attack

2011-09-01T14:19:00.001+03:00

TThessaloniki city council in tree attack, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

It's that time of year again. The 76th Annual Thessaloniki Trade Fair approaches once again and the local political hacks, in order to look good for their political masters in Athen look to spruce up the city.

Usually, this takes the form of expensive vanity projects within walking distance of the trade fair and the hotel in which the prime minister and the rest of the cabinet stay. A tradition that the current PM is unlikely to break given the problems with public order that are caused every time high raking government official appear in public.

This year in order to do something the local town council has decided to lop down a number of fine old trees in the part near the hotel and build a "sculpture park".

In a time of direst austerity, in a city where one in four is without work and many do not have the money even to pay their power bills such vandalism and extravagance is a public slap in the face and yet another reminder of how far the country's political leadership is out of touch with the average voter.

Greek fire fighting airplane dropping water on fire outside northern port city of Thessaloniki

2011-08-28T19:20:00.004+03:00

Greek fire fighting airplane dropping water on fire outside northern port city of Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Traditionally, August has always proved to the most dangerous month in Greece for forest fires. High temperatures, strong winds and difficult terrein have always proved a lethal combination for the nation's wooded areas.

This time it is the turn of the northern port of Thessaloniki to be the latest victim of forest fires which broke out this afternoon in the Seix Sou district, close to the city's zoo. The fire which is still raging burnt woods around several residential areas but so far there have been no reports of either burnt homes or casualties.

According to latest official reports the fire which is being fought on three different fronts is under partial control with several fire fighting aircraft taking part in the operation.

The Seix Sou areas was devastated in 1997 when a similar fire destroyed much of the pine woods surrouding Greece's second city.

www.demotix.com/news/804221/forest-fire-hits-greeces-seco...

For The political background to Greece's forest fire crisis

"Interagency coordination obstacles and a weakened forestry service continue to threaten Greece's ability to adequately protect its forests, wild lands, and meet climate change targets. Greece recently agreed to associate with the Copenhagen Accord through the EU (ref A), but by not addressing its growing wildfire problem, it leaves a significant gap in its climate change priorities.

Post has engaged many forest policy officials, pressing for a forest protection policy based on prevention rather than focusing on reactive measures. Greek officials have been thankful for U.S. support, primarily U.S. Forest Service (USFS) training through a $2.1 million USAID package that is set to run out in 2010. In recent meetings, Greek officials have been somewhat responsive to Post's engagement, stating their hope to establish legal forest boundaries and ramp up public prevention campaigns.

As the wildfire season approaches, Post continues to encourage responsible policy from the Government of Greece (GoG) to protect the country's natural environment, as part of the global effort to combat climate change."

wikileaks.org/cable/2010/02/10ATHENS99.html

No sitting on the fence in Greek PM, Giorgos Papandreou's New Greece

2011-08-15T12:19:00.008+03:00

It's 40 years since Easter Germany or to give the defunct state its full title, The German Democratic Republic (GDR) set about erecting a wall around the western sector of Berlin and so cutting off contact between the citizens of the capitalist West and socialist East. In it's way the wall or "Anti Fascist Protection Rampart" was an admission of failure on the part of the East Germans, a sign that they could not convince their own people to resist the siren call of the West with its democratic right, shiny consumer goods, fresh fruit and veg.

Likewise 40 years on another barrier was erected recently here in Greece, hastily thrown up, almost overnight it does not rival its German counterpart in either in size or durability but does, it its own way signal the end of a dream and is, like the Berlin Wall, also an admission of failure on behalf of a government that cannot trust its own people.

On the seafront of Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city, a 1km chain link fence has been erected around the luxurious 5 star Makedonia Palace hotel and though no official announcement has been made the purpose of the barrier is clear to anyone familiar with local politics. The hotel will, as it does every year play host to Greek prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou and most of the cabinet who decamp from the capital to attend the opening ceremony of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair.

The event, which marks the official start of the winter political season, involves the prime minister talking to the country in the nearest thing Greece has to a State of the Union address. It also marks an opportunity for trade unions and activists to flex their muscle in run up to the coming parliamentary session. Even in normal times the trade fair is a tense affair with both sides indulging in a show of strength and often with clashes between the more "warm blooded" participants and the police.

However, these are not normal times in Greece; the ecomony continues to shrink at an alarming rate and unemployment is soaring, especially here in the north. On the other hand the ruling PASOK party, which is barely able to muster 16% in opinion polls has nothing to placate disgruntled civil servents, trade unionist and voters general. The EU/ECB/IMF austerity measures have crushed consumption and put the Greek economy on life support. Worst of all, any hope that such cuts in public spending will help improve people's prospects in the short term have proven illusionary and as a result there is a ground swell of popular dissent which will probably find a new focus coming the prime minister's visit and hence the fence.

Like the Berlin Wall the fence also marks the end of a dream as it is concrete evidence of the growing divide between ruler and ruled in Greece and the end of an era for the ruling socialist party. When I first arrived in Greece at the end of the 1980's I was astounded by the popularity of the nation's political leaders, both on the left and right. In particular Andreas Papandreou, founder of PASOK and father of the present PM Giorgos Papandreou was still able to draw massive crowds numbering hundreds of thousands during election campaigns. Ironically, He often chose the Macedonia Palace hotel to give his speeches when in Thessaloniki as attendence was so massive that no other venue could acommodate everyone. For miles in either direction the seafront would be full of eager PASOK supporters following the speech via a long line of loudspeakers that stretched from the port to the old fun fair, a distance of no less than four miles.

But that era has long since disappeared, a victim of the rise in TV campaigning and a growing disillusionment with not just PASOK but the entire political scene in Greece. Instead of a sea of adoring fans Papandreou Junior is forced to erect fences which undoubtedly will be manned with thousands of riot police to defend himself against the very same people who once so ferevently supported his party.

Of course, you can only take a comparison so far, and the fence around the hotel, unlike the Berlin Wall will not be manned by soldiers with shot to kill orders and most of those fleeing Greece are going to escape poverty and not political oppression but there are enough similarities between the two to warrant a reappraisal of what exactly is the relationship between Greece's political elite and those it purports to represent.

Anti-government protests - Thessaloniki, Greece

2011-08-09T20:20:00.001+03:00

Anti-government protests - Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

European Union's future is in safe hands.

2011-08-08T15:27:00.000+03:00

Summer concert - Thessaloniki, Greece.

2011-08-06T13:09:00.002+03:00

Summer concert - Thessaloniki, Greece., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

A couple of weeks ago I went with my daughter and her friends to a free open air concert in the centre of Thessaloniki. The perfect antidote to the doom and gloom of recent months.

Greek economic crisis - The lighter side of debt, depression and downsizing

2011-07-27T14:52:00.001+03:00

Shot by shot capture of Greek riot police attacking a demonstrator - Athens 3.50pm 29 June 2011

2011-07-24T14:35:00.000+03:00

This was just one of the hundreds of acts of police violence commited by Greek riot squads during the 29th June, the vast majority of attacks were directed at peaceful protesters who'd gathered in Syntagma Square, central Athens to show their disagreement with the latest round of Government austerity measures which has brought the country to its knees economically.

Like serial hacker Richard Nixon before him, UK prime minister David Cameron is not a crook.

2011-07-21T19:09:00.001+03:00

Like serial hacker Richard Nixon before him, UK prime minister David Cameron is not a crook., a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Greek members of the Indignant protest movement spray swastika outside German consulate, Thessaloniki

2011-07-21T11:46:00.002+03:00

Greek members of the Indignant protest movement spray swastika outside German consulate, Thessaloniki, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Despite the onset of Summer Greek protests show no sign of dying down despite the witheringly high temperatures of a Mediterranean heatwave. In Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki members of the local anti-government "Indignant" movement this afternoon picketed the city's German consulate, shouting anti-German and anti EU slogans and spraying swasitikas on the pavement outside the main entrance.

Demands including the repayment of unpaid war reparation from Germany for the destruction caused by the Nazi occupation of Greece from 1941-1945. In addition German insistence of tough austerity measures has seen a massive upswing in anti-German feeling from across the political spectrum, a sentiment flamed by the repeated acusations that German corporations such as Siemens and HDW systematically bribed leading Greek politicians in order to win lucrative arms and security contracts

www.demotix.com/news/761635/greek-protesters-blockade-ger...

Welcome to Athens

2011-07-17T13:46:00.003+03:00

Welcome to Athens, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Dedicated to the Greek riot police who have done so much lately to promote Athens as a premier tourist destination.

Embedded with Greece's Los Indignados

2011-07-15T14:18:00.004+03:00

Occasionally, things happen that takes time to process or require distance to filter them through memory till they start to take on the contours of anything that can be explained in a meaningful way.

It has been over two weeks since I went to Athens to take part in the anti-government rally on the 29th June. Tagging along with a group of 400 "indignant" as the Greek protesters call themselves I found myself waiting at midnight outside the White Tower in the centre of Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki with a bunch of people who resembled less a group of serious demonstrators than over aged participants in a school trip. The joking and jostling for position, who sits next to whom, brought back memories of similiar journeys as a kid.

Arriving in Athens the next morning we wasted no time and no sooner had we clambered off the coaches than a banner was unfurled and people took to the road to march and shout out chants, announcing to all who cared to listen that the northern contingent was in town and looking to join their big city counterparts in Syntagma Square. The Square which faces the houses of parliament has, for much of modern Greek history been the focal point of clashes between disgruntled citizens and their rulers.

As soon as we entered the square than many of us were overwhelmed with tears, though this was less to do with any emotion than the residue of tear gas that had been used the previous day and which still coated much of the area. Luckily for us, one of the leaders knew exactly where we could equip ourselves with gas masks and goggles that later would prove so vital for anyone who wanted to stay in Syntagma.

In the crowd that was massed in front of the parliament the atmosphere was a strange mix of carnival and demo, on the one hand people were in a upbeat mood with some present dancing to music played by drummers yet the underlying feeling of tension and anger was apparent to anyone familiar with Greeks and Greek culture.

Another interesting point was the "ideological" composition of the rally, which seemed to embrace a wide, if not contradictory range of political opinions. In the centre where trouble would later start were the "patriots" as I termed them, who were convinced that the entire Greek debt crisis was the result of American born prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou's collusion with the Jewish banking nexus, with a measure of masonic conspiracy theory thrown in for good measure.

On the other hand every shade of left wing opinion including the anarchists also had their own blocks. In the middle, a mass of others who identified with none of the available political choices but were convinced that the austerity law being debated was a disaster for the country and wanted send a message to those inside parliament.

The real panic began at 1.30pm when news that the austerity vote had passed became known, leading to a group of about 100-200 next to the barriers outside parliament to rush the police. The charge was quickly stopped when riot police units started firing tear gas and the demonstrators quickly retreated. Taking this as a cue a group of about 50-100 youths started pelting police lines from nearby the Grand Bretagne hotel and and the police intervened effectively the violence would have probably been over within a few minutes.

However, riot police units then took the attack as an excuse to lauch a concerted assault on the rally from five different directions, using thousands of tear gas cannisters, flash grenades and other weapons. The result was a generalised onslaught on anyone still remaining in Syntagma who were all perceived by the police as rioters, even though the vast majority were protesting peacefully and had nowhere to flee to.

Assualts by the police continued inside Syntagma and throughout much of the centre of Athens for the rest of the day, with hundreds being hospitalised with breathing problems or the result of beatings by the police who in many situations acted more like football hooligans than the agents of law and order.

How to describe the horror of seeing a pack of 10 officers kick and beat a man in front of my eyes, or the anger generated when a protesters who talked back to a policeman was repeatedly punched in the face by a another cop. It was scenes like these that infuriated many present and created a much wider circle of people, many older men and women willing to throw stones and other objects at the police.

I repeatedly saw demonstators plead with riot squad units to stop attacks and who intervened to calm down fellow protesters but often their attempts to play peacemaker were thwarted by the police themselves who lashed out at anyone who approached them or grabbed people, seemingly at random.Each time this happend yet another wave of anger rippled through those nearby.

This pattern of violence and over reaction repeated itself through the day and lead me to the conclusion that the violence of the police was not simply a lack of self control but part of a plan by the authorities to empty the square and put down the Indignant movement at all costs. I doubt if anyone in government uttered those words but I'm pretty sure that the police leadership was left with no illusion about what their political masters wanted done about the situation.

Another infuriating aspect of the day's events was the foreign coverage of the rally which seemed to misunderstand the gravity of the situation, For most of the foreign press crews the story as yet another clash between Greek "anarchists" and the police so ignoring the wider implications of a massive police surpression of a mainly peaceful protest movement.

I'm not sure if this was simply journalistic laziness or the result an agenda that much of the mainstream media often bring to news stories.I remember arguing with some smug US TV anchorman next to me who was waffling on about how futile the protests were as if it was a tired theatrical show that has outstayed its welcome rather than the desperate fight by ordinary Greeks for a viable future. This unwillingness or inability to look beyond the dramatic images to get to a deeper truth has marked much ofthe reporting from Syntagma and the Greek crisis in general.

Later as the day wore on my nerves and stamina dwindled the constant threat of attack by the police or injury by flying objects from both sides plus the experience of being tear gassed took its toll and even the adenaline jolt of being in a highly charged conflict wasn't enough to keep me going . So I went to a cafe to send off pictures and comment to Demotix. yet even there the atmosphere was heavy with tear gas and I ended up sitting at a table in a mall wearing a mask while tapping out my story.

Towards midnight I carefully made my way back to Syntagma Square which now resembled a war zone with fires burning and the much of the surrounding area looking as if it had been used for target practice to get to the subway station to meet up with the other protesters from Thessaloniki who were going back by coach from Monestiraki.Even inside the station the regular thud of flash grenades going off near the entrance gave the impression that we were in an air raid.

Even though I have seen lots of upheaval in Greeece, including the violent uprising in December 2008 the level of violence I witnessed in Syntagma was of a new order of magnitude and it seemed that it was ushering in a violently different relationship between the Greek government and the people they are supposed to represent.

Is this UK media's Waterloo?

2011-07-13T14:40:00.001+03:00

With the News of the World phone hacking scandal knocking over its own set of dominoes, a real debate is kicking off in Britain over the state of the country's mainstream media and in particular the uncomfortably cozy nature of the way in which big business, journalists and politicians work together to decide upon what the rest of us get to consume as news.

In many respects the situation in Britain closely replicates the situation here in Greece as far as the media is concerned. In both countries media conglomerates are owned by the very rich who do not hesitate to use their position to set the political agenda in order to ensure their interests are either protected or extended. In this they are assisted by both journalists and politicians eager to curry favour with owners in return for the kind of publicity that will advance their careers.

As for the rest of us, we are just treated as rather silly children who must be seen but not heard, occasionally a few of us are asked our opinion on the issues of the day but this is little more than window dressing, and is no way is allowed to interfere with the media's real job which is promoting the views of the wealthy and powerful.

I suppose those living in Greece should be thankful that the local media corporations are less practiced in the dark arts of spin than their UK counterparts and so their efforts often fail to convince, either that or Greeks, long accustomed to the constant media drone of state and non state propaganda are less credulous than UK consumers and so more cyncial about whatever claim or counter claim the media chooses to make.

Following the flame out at News International it is time once again to look at the simmering conlict between old and new media or perhaps more accurately between corporate embedded media and those operating outside the hermetically sealed world of political reporting. For too long those of using the new, powerful tools offered by the internet have taken traditional journalism's claims about superior accuracy and professionalism for granted.

What is emerging now in the wake of News of the World/ Times debacle is cold, hard truth is that much of commercial journalism is deeply corrupt and has no real claim to being better than the work done by bloggers and the like. When the slick presentaion is removed what really distinguishes media players from their independent counterparts? It certainly isn't integrity if the stories coming out of Wapping are to be believed.