The Corona Blog

I'm not sleeping. Or rather I'm not sleeping enough. Every night this week I've woken up around 4 or 5 o'clock and been unable to get back to sleep. However, unlike this is no '4 AM of the soul' kind of insomnia, driven by existential questions about what will happen to me in the future. No, this is far more concrete and far scarier. The Corona virus outbreak has been in Greece for weeks now and the news just keeps on getting grimmer and grimmer with restrictions on movement becoming ever tighter. There's even talk of a possible curfew over the weekend, though what this depends on seems unclear.

Officially the number of COVID-19 cases in Greece seems to be rising slowly, with just 30 or 40 new ones per day. The number of deaths is currently six, in both cases the figures are far lower than in many other places, yet it is very hard to get accurate, independent information. The current Greek government, like so many before it, always attempts to bury or ignore bad news. The fact that so much of the local mainstream media is willing to support the ruling conservatives New Democracy party, just adds to their ability to present whatever message they see fit.

During the recent tensions on the Greek-Turkish border, example of extreme abuse of migrants and refugees by Greek security forces only came to light due to the work of foreign news crews. Even then, the government and their many supporters in domestic media were happy to decry all such incidents as 'fake news' without feeling the need to provide any kind of evidence to support their claims. I'm worried that  this same pattern will be repeated, either in the name of national security or for less honourable reasons of party self-interest.

Whatever the true picture is, the good news is that ordinary Greeks are taking the official instructions about self-isolation, social distancing and other preventive measures in deadly earnest. The streets are not empty yet, but the number of those out and about is far, far lower than before. The thing is we are having a gloriously mild spring and the weather seems perfect for going out and relaxing at a cafe or in park. Not that this is possible as all the cafes, bars, restaurants have been closed down for anything other than take away.

This morning, once again unable to sleep beyond 5 AM, I decided to stock up once again just in case the talks of a weekend curfew proves to true. The local supermarket security guard was carefully controlling the flow of people entering and there were gloves for customers who wanted them. The shelves are still full and there are few shortages, with the one exception of yeast. It turns out Greece is once again turning into a nation of home bakers, a folk reaction, perhaps, to previous crises and disaster the nation has been through in living memory.

I remember when I first came to Greece, my then girlfriend, Athena had invited me to her place and I still remember vividly standing in her kitchen as she explained in an somewhat embarrassed way why all the cupboard space was full of bags of sugar, sacks of flour and large 5 litre metal containers with olive oil called 'teneke'. This was something her mother always insisted on having in the home, a relic of the difficult times she had lived as a young child during the German occupation of Greece in WWII. Then, a collapse in food production and distribution to the cities caused widespread famine which killed tens of thousands. Even so many years later, after most Greeks had achieved the kind of material comfort and prosperity undreamt  of by previous generations, the memories of those difficult times still haunted Athena's mother and many other members of her generation.

And not just her. The sudden spike in prices for things like surgical masks and hand gel was termed 'black marketing' by many and the urge by some, especially those who have the wealth and power to exploit a crisis reappeared. TV stations, owned by some of the richest
men in Greece were full of their own ads for 25 euro packs of masks. A week ago those same six masks would have cost just a few euros from any pharmacy. The fact that these very same TV stations are the ones who are so happy to support the government and act as PR agents just add to my anxiety.

The funny thing is that I stopped blogging regularly here just as another crisis was starting in 2015. Then I ended up heading a refugee solidarity group that worked in the camps on Greece's northern border for six months and I saw just how bad things can get when things fall apart. 

Greece wakes up to a different world.

By all rights the world, at least that corner of the world that is forever Greece should be in tatters, the the entire nation in ruins, or at last teetering on the edge of the abyss. Sorry for the hyperbole but that's what happens when you follow too much of the media coverage of Syriza's unprecedented election victory on Sunday. For those unfamiliar with modern Greek politics for the first time since the mid 70's neither the conservative New Democracy or the nominally centre-left Pasok party will be in government. It is as if USA had just elected a president who was neither Republican or Democrat or that the UK was now governed by the Green Party.

The electoral self-immolation of Pasok along with growing disenchantment with its right wing coalition government partner New Democracy drove away voters who in other eras would never have countenanced voting for a party as avowedly left-wing as Syriza. In doing so they have changed the political landscape more radically than at an other time since the fall of the military junta what ruled Greece till it was toppled in 1974.

Voters, sick of austerity and the endless succession of promises of recovery being just around the corner made by a political elite widely seen as out of touch abandoned the dominant parties to vote for Alexis Tsipras's Radical Left Alliance. Even the weeks of scare mongering by the government and its allies in the media proved insufficient to convince voters to give prime minister Antonis Samaras the mandate he needed to stay in power.The daily predictions by Greek and EU officials of a Grexit, bank runs and even the possibility of a collapse in the economy so dire that ordinary people would not be able to buy even basics such as toilet paper failed to win back lost ground.



However, this  switch in allegiances had less to do with a general surge in sympathy for radical leftist ideas than with a groundswell of disgust with the politics of business as usual which have left many Greeks jobless, poorer and without hope for the future. The siren call of stability which the PM promoted so hard during the short but divisive campaign cut little ice with those who desperately need to see real change and not just endless talk of improvement in the the nation's 10 year bond yield or its standing with credit rating agencies such as Standard and Poors.

Since the the announcement of Syriza's victory on Sunday evening, the political developments have been coming thick and fast. Lacking the 151 seats needed to form a government on its own Greece's new prime minister, Alexis Tsipras brokered a deal with the right-wing Independent Greeks party to form a coalition. The announcement, which was made at midday Monday suggests that neither side was surprised by the offer and that the groundwork had been laid in advance, so catching off guard the other opposition parties who had assumed that the search for a partner would be a long and convoluted process, or even the prelude to another round of elections.

The choice of Independent Greeks has surprised many observers, especially those abroad who find it hard to comprehend a partnership between a radical socialist party and a conservative nationalist one, Yet for Syriza this constitutes the least worst choice given the options available. The most obvious candidate for coalition partner would have been the Greek Communist Party (KKE) but anyone even vaguely aware of Greek politics would have known that such an alliance would have been impossible as KKE would never compromise on its own leftist principles which include leaving the European Union, the Eurozone and NATO.



Others may have considered a partnership with PASOK (well, the S does stand for Socialist) would have been a better fit, but once again the party's role in imposing austerity plus its identification with the country's corrupt political elite would have proven unacceptable to Syriza rank and file, not to mention the fact that it would have instantly damned Tsipras in the eyes of voters seeking change.

The other likely partner for many analysts would have been the recently formed Potami (River) party headed by ex -TV presenter Stavros Theodorakis who's attempt to carve  out a centre - left niche for themselves in the Greek political landscape made them a good match for Syriza, at least on paper. However, this was never really on the cards for a number of reasons. Theodorakis, whose party's funding and basic policies still remain a mystery is widely seen by the Left as a stalking horse for Greece's oligarchs, a front for the vested interests that have been forced to abandon the traditional parties of power. To give Theodorakis the political equivalent of a "kill switch" would have not been acceptable.

So, in the end Independent Greeks who are often painted as a collection of right wing conspiracy theorists and borderline racists (imagine UKIP a la Grecque) made the cut, a decision that has already been condemned by many on the Left, both inside and outside Greece (for an account of why this is so, I recommend this blog post). However, the party led by Panos Kammenos repeatedly made clear its opposition to Troika imposed austerity measures and its participation will perhaps assuage more conservative Greeks that issues such as defence and policing will not be solely decided by a bunch of "wild radicals". It's also an admission that much of Syriza's support is not from those who traditionally identify themselves as left wing, let alone radical socialists.

Above all, such an alliance allows Syriza to implement policies which will be popular with voters and build up a more solid base ahead of any confrontation with Greece's creditors who seem unwilling to back down on the issue of debt renegotiation.

What has been lost

I have been very quiet recently, at least as far as this blog is concerned. While I still tweet quite a lot about what is happening in Greece, over the last month or so I have lost the desire to go out on the streets and cover what has been happening in the city. Perhaps the fact that the end of the academic year is approaching and everyone is feeling worn out is to blame, or maybe the endless stream of bad news I hear from those around me is getting to me.

More friends are leaving the country to escape the crisis, others are struggling on but the cost is enormous both financially and in terms of dignity. It's hard to be sanguine when so many people you know are fighting to just retain their self respect in the face of grinding poverty which seems to have no end.

On the other hand the international press, or at least The Economist, FT, CNN and even the Guardian have decided that no matter what your eyes tell you every time you go out the worst of the crisis in Greece is over. Business confidence is up, the government's privatisation plan is finally going ahead, and the banking sector is stabilising. All of which is fine as long as your main interests are in finance and not out there in the "Real Economy"with the rest of us schmucks.

Despite the euphoria in the mainstream media the economy is still collapsing,unemployment hasn't stopped rising, let alone dropped, the suicide rate is the highest in 50 years, 200% increase in new AIDS cases reported and just to add yet more joy to everyday life a new drug, Sisa or Shisha is doing a roaring trade in Athens.

There are some bright spots, since Greece is not a war zone and despite the deepest wishes of many a  journalist on the Death and Debt tour of Southern Europe, there are not dead bodies piling up in the streets. It's not that kind of disaster. Some of those I know have moved abroad to much better paid positions where their skills will be properly utilised, and hopefully some day in the near future they will be able to come back to Greece and share what they have learnt.

Yet even in these cases there is a price to pay, relationships are forced to bear the weight of a such a move and even the most privileged of emigrants have to deal with stress and dislocation caused by moving to a new country. While many may dream of living the American Dream, few believe that their ideal future is set in some provincial town or village in Northern Europe.

For those left behind, phrases like "light at the end of the tunnel" or "The worst is over" seems like a bad joke. In the this part of Greece, the official unemployment figures for young people are 72%, which in practical terms means that virtually no one is in full - time employment.

For older people who lose their jobs the prospects are little better. The few jobs that are on offer are nearly all low skill ones in the service industry where 15-20 euros for 10 hour day is considered acceptable. Of course, these jobs come without  any form of social security contributions, health plan, or hope of a pension Nor do the wages offered cover the cost of living as the latest OECD survey on Greek cost of living shows prices for basic consumer goods have dropped only slightly below those found in Germany where a full-time  salary of 300-400E a month is unheard of.

However, summer is here, the weather is improving and people are out in the streets and cafes, celebrating the end of a difficult winter and for the casual observer, everything seems fine. To find out what has been lost you have to talk to people, crack their outward reserve and get them to trust you enough to reveal stories they may feel deeply ashamed of. That takes time and as we've seen from much of  the foreign media's coverage of the crisis in Greece, often considered  not worth the effort. Much easier to talk to political heads, regurgitate official figures and hang out at the bar of your hotel.

For those who spent a life struggling to improve themselves and provide for their family's future, debt, unemployment and loss of purpose in their lives is deeply felt. The stigma of poverty that haunted Greek society, especially in the difficult post war years is still part of many people psychological make up and so a return to levels of poverty not seen in decades is a bitter blow.

SYRIZA leader, Alexis Tsipras sets his eyes on the prize

Alexis Tsipras addressing campaign rally in Thessaloniki, Greece, a photo by Teacher Dude's BBQ on Flickr.

Last night I attended SYRIZA's last campaign rally here in Thessaloniki and for the second time in a month I saw their leader, Alexis Tsipras address the party faithful in the central Aristotelous Square. However, the difference between Tsipras last appearance here and this one shows just how much Greece's political scene has changed in the previous four weeks. Then, SYRIZA was seen at best, the third largest party with opinion polls putting their vote as low as 7 or 8% (In the May election their share of the vote reached nearly 17%), but now it seems the they are poised to become the largest party with anything up to 31.5% of the vote if some polls are to believed.


In the meantime the party and its leader has become the centre of unprecedented media attention, both at home and abroad, and most of it has been highly critical,as SYRIZA threatens to upset the austerity program crafted in Brussels, Washington and Berlin by the EU,ECB and IMF. The possibility of a radical leftist party taking power in an EU nation has driven some sections of the media into a veritable frenzy of hyperbole and fear mongering, culminating in the German edition of the Financial Times calling upon Greeks to resist demagogues (With the title written in Greek as well just to make sure the message would not go amiss).

The result has been a field day for anti-austerity parties who used the article to rally support for their policies. Even New Democracy leader, Antonis Samaras was forced to take issue with the article as a gross intervention in Greek internal affairs. Another factor which has benefited SYRIZA is the continued disintegration of the centre left PASOK party who were, until recently their main political rival. Under the inept leadership of Evangelos Venizelos, they look set to lose even more votes than their disastrous 13% showing in May (down from 43% in 2009). Video of Venizelos having a very public meltdown on live TV after being asked by a member of the audience about corruption just added to the impression that PASOK has lost touch with its traditional base.



The change in fortunes for SYRIZA was reflected in Tsipras's speech which was bold and clearly aimed at reaching out to those who until recently would never have even considered voting for them. Instead of shying away from media attacks, Tsipras tackled them head on, accusing both PASOK and New Democracy of offering Greek people nothing but fear.

Not usually an electrifying public speaker, this time the leader of SYRIZA upped his game and gave a performance reminiscent of the kind of firebrand speeches that used to be part and parcel of Greek electioneering. A far remove from the bloodless style of public delivery preferred by previous prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou who was widely derided for his wooden public addresses.

At time of writing "secret polls" which I cannot blog about (due to a law that forbids their publication for two weeks prior to elections) favour New Democracy, as do Greek and UK bookies. However, if their accuracy is anything like the previous examples such predictions mean little.

By the end of Sunday, whoever wins one thing will be sure, that the trials that Greece has faced over the last three years will not have disappeared. Should SYRIZA come first they will have to form a government and then deal with a Europe determined not to budge over the terms of further cash injections.

On the other hand if New Democracy comes first they will have to cobble together a coalition from disparate parties all of whom will have to foist upon their voters yet more public spending cuts and tax hikes. How long such a fragile alliance will last in such hostile economic conditions is open to debate and probably mean elections once again before the year is up.

What's next for Greece?

Greece's latest round of elections has been, paradoxically, its most important in decades and its most low key. In contrast to previous votes, there has been a a conspicuous lack of campaigning on the part of most parties. Few public rallies, little canvassing and even less leafleting. This is, in part due to lack of funds and partly due to the fact that PASOK and New Democracy, the two parties that dominated Greece's political scene for four decades are just a shadow of their former selves, victims of their support for pro-austerity measures over the last three years.

Instead the most likely winner of Sunday's elections will be SYRIZA (Radical Left Coalition) who will most likely see their share of the vote exceed 30%. This is nothing short of a revolution in Greek politics as until recently the party (or rather a coalition of a diverse band of smaller leftist groupings) was seen as a marginal player, rarely polling more than 5%. Similarly, on the right, Independent Greeks, a newly minted right of centre party created by New Democracy defector Panos Kammenos has also risen from nowhere to become a major factor in the domestic political scene. Despite their ideological differences, both have benefited from their unwavering opposition to the austerity packages foisted upon Greece by its EU, ECB and IMF creditors.

However, with the chance of SYRIZA coming first in the polls and therefore winning the extra 50 seats guaranteed by the constitution, the media war against the party both at home and abroad has ratcheted up, with daily stories attacking its leader Alexis Tsipras for putting Greece in mortal danger. For most of last week the mainstream media in Greece, which is with few exception extremely hostile in its reporting of SYRIZA, accused Tsipras of having links with terrorists, using as evidence a Youtube video by former SYRIZA candidate, Ifikratis Amiras calling upon Greeks to take part in an armed struggle. The fact that Amiras no longer has any formal links with the party did not stop the media taking the story through several news cycles. Even eccentric Slovenian philosopher, Slajov Zizek who shared a panel with Tsipras recently in Athens was accused of promoting extremism amongst SYRIZA ranks during a news report by the state run NET TV channel who stopped just short of accusing him outright of being him a terrorist.

On the other hand the fact that leading New Democracy supporter, Panagiotis Psomiadis called the neo-nazi Golden Dawn, " a brother party" and suggested that parties develop closer ties in a radio broadcast in Thrace this week  went unremarked in the media. Nor did the fact that party leader, Antonis Samaras was promoting a deeply divisive anti-immigrant program designed to wean voters from the far right by taking on board many of their policies

Of course, dirty tricks, spin and flagrant misrepresentations of the truth are part and parcel of Greek electioneering which may be one of the reasons that despite this barrage voters remain unconvinced that the world will end on Sunday if SYRIZA comes first. After two years of the media telling them that the sky is about to fall down ,many have either stopped paying attention or welcome an alternative to the slow, painfully drawn out process of social collapse that has gripped the nation.

So what happens next?


Although Greek law forbids the publication of polls in the two weeks leading up to elections the last ones published showed that new Democracy and SYRIZA were neck and necks, with one exception. a GPO poll commissioned by the conservative daily, Kathimerini  which put SYRIZA well ahead at 31.5% and this is what I believe the will get (For an excellent blog post on how many Greek polling companies played fast and loose with last elections predictions see here). My hunch is based on the consistent under - reporting of SYRIZA support (about 6-7%) and the conviction that the currently media onslaught shows that the Greek establishment is fighting to limit damage caused by a SYRIZA victory.

So let's put my money where my mouth is.

Syriza willl get about 30%, New Democracy, 25% and PASOK 10%. I think that the recent attack by Golden Dawn MP on fellow politicians during a live TV show will affect their share but they will still get enough votes to pass the 3% threshold which guarantees them seats in parliament. As for the other parties I believe that their share will stay more of less the same as the previous elections.

However, being the largest party will not automatically mean that SYRIZA will be in a position to form a government, since the Greek Communist party have ruled out any form of coalition that means Tsipras will have to approach either The Democratic Left party who are lukewarm about co-operation or perhaps disgruntled PASOK MPs, which will not play well internally as many are already portraying SYRIZA as a new PASOK in sheep's clothing.

On the other hand, political gossip has it that the remains of the old regime have already accepted that SYRIZA will come first but believe the PASOK, New Democracy and a third party will be able to keep them out of power by forming their own administration in the name of national salvation. How much legitimacy such a move would have and how long such fragile alliance will last is anyone's guess.


Supposing Tsipras does form a government then the real battle will begin and all the ugly scenarios that the international press has so gleefully propagated may turn out to be true. The EU has absolutely no interest in allowing a successful rejection of its economic program and will do everything in its power to force Athens into a compromise. Most likely this will take the form of shutting off all further financial aid which will quickly cause chaos in Greece's weakened economy as wages, pensions and benefits will not be paid. In addition the health system will grind to a halt as hospitals run out of supplies (though that particular problem has been around for over six months).

Without money Greece will also no longer be able to import staples such as oil and that will lead to panic buying, queues and the kind of scenes usually associated with times of war. Faced with this, Athens will either have to knuckle under or, as it seems the Germans are hoping, exit the Euro and re-adopt the drachma.

On the other hand the sight of Berlin and Brussels wrecking havoc with a fellow EU member will have immense ramifications for the image of European Union across the continent and will lead to searching questions about what exactly European unity means. The political costs for Brussels may be far greater than they could possibly imagine in the long run. In the short run the markets may also respond to Greece's economic demise, not as a one-off acts but the taste of things to come as other southern EU countries such as Spain slip deeper and deeper into recession and stop reaching their austerity imposed targets. In such a case the outflow of capital from the Eurozone may prove unstoppable.

Apple reseller's law suit threatens internet freedom in Greece

As I write this Greek users of Twitter are flooding the micro - blogging service with comments and complaints about the Apple reseller in Greece, Systemgraph. According to the newspaper Protothema, a Greek internet user is being sued for 200,000 euros by the company following complaints  he made online about how his attempts to get his imac repaired went awry.

In his post blogger Arkoudos wrote that Dimitris Papadimitriadis, a 35 year old doctor, took his computer to be repaired by the authorised service provider, Systemgraph when he saw that shadowy areas on the screen. The company identified and claimed to have repaired the issue, however, when Papadimitriadis realised that the problem had not been fixed he returned his machine once more and then his troubles began in earnest.

On the other hand Systemgraph stated in their defence that the customer had been "rude and aggressive" and that the company had offered to repair the screen once more and was under no legal obligation to replace the machine (that being the responsibility of the store that had sold the computer). According to their statement on the AV Club forum the law suit was in response to an "organised attempt to slander and insult" the company via social media sites, blogs and forums.

This case in disturbing on two levels. Most importantly is the idea that any unwanted or disagreeble comment made on the internet can be punished with massive fines or the threat of legal action. As Papadimitriadis puts it on Twitter, "If the blogger/consumer loses (the case), then all we will be able to write in our own name will be recipes".

The Greek state been wary of internet and especially the blogosphere since its inception. In 2006 Antonis Tsiropoulos, site adminstrator for the Blogme aggregation service was arrested for hosting negative comments concerning a prominent TV personality and ultra - nationalist. In a similar vein the conservative New Democracy government attempted to introduce legislation that would strip Greek internet users of the right to blog anonymously in 2009.

Also what the case highlights is just how weak consumer protection is in Greece and that buying any big ticket item involves a risk which most other European consumers do not have to factor in. Even when the guarantee is valid some companies are loathed to accept the costs involved with repairing or replacing faulty goods. Of course, the consumer can insist on their rights as Papadimitriadis said he did when he took his case to the consumer ombudsman but this can be a long and often futile affair and even if the courts find in favour of the customer businesses can just chose to ignore the decision.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the case are the uproar which is currently being generated on the internet via Twitter and blogs shows that consumers do have the power retailers think carefully about how they are preceived online and remind them of the power of negative word of mouth.

News from the front

I haven't posted for the last few days not because things have been quiet but rather that there has been so much happening that I haven't had time to keep the blog up to date. Today, for example a bomb went off inside the central court building in Thessaloniki at midday. I heard about this by chance when the woman sitting next to me in a cafe got news of the event from a friend on her mobile phone. I happened to be in the middle of a major computer meltdown caused by some virus and so lost valuable minutes before I could reach the courts which by then had beeen closed off. Still, where's there a will, there a way in, so I managed to bypass the security cordon and get quite close.

According to eye witnesses I spoke to the bomb went off while people were still inside the building despite a warning phoned into the Athens based Eleutherotypia newspaper,. I think some people thought the whole thing was some kind of practical joke, not an unreasonable assumption given the fact that such phoned in threats are common here in Greece and almost always prove to be a hoax.

However, the fact that those who planted the bomb were able to breach security in a building that is literally crawling with police officers during working hours is not going to look good, especially coming just hours after the bomb attack on the Kordyllios maximum security prison in Athens (For previous security breaches click here).

During the week there were also a number of demonstrations and marches against the government's changes to the national pension scheme, most of which were throughly ignored by the mainstream Greek media who are quite happy to be the government's electronic cheerleaders, repeatedly parroting whatever is today's media line.

Much has been made of the fact that many very rich doctors with private practices in the upscale Kolonaki neighbourhood of Athens will be charged with tax evasion. This has been a staple diet of the TV news for the last few days, I suppose in the hope that by soaking the rich, at least symbolically then people will somehow accept the austerity package being foisted upon them. I doubt that even those who write this believe it will succeed but they faithfully carry out the orders of their "betters", no matter how absurd or untrue (for more on how the Greek media works check out this post).

There is still a real sense of anger over what is happening and despite what the Vima newspaper opinion polls might purport to show there is no popular mandate for the massive eonomic changes being made. Whilst no one is happy with the present situation the cuts in incomes in conjunction with price hikes on everything from petrol to electricity bills has infuriated most Greeks I know and is the constant source of complaint in radio talk in shows and cafe conversations. Where Vima managed to find 55% support for the PASOK government's handling of the crisis is beyond me especially as other polls by internet news serviceTVXS.gr and the centre right Kathimerini newspaper show exactly the opposite.

Soon, however, we'll have student elections in Greece universities and other highter education institutes and these are often seen as an indicator of the general state of the country's political parties support. It'll be interesting to see how PASOK and New Democracy fare given their support in parliament for the EU-IMF rescue deal.

Also the scale of the general strike and protests planned for May 20th should show how much prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou has managed to convince ordinary Greeks to take their medicine.

Yesterday's conference on blogging and journalism - Thessaloniki, Greece

Today's conference on blogging and journalism - Thessaloniki, Greece, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

At the conference on blogging and journalism here at the Olympion cinema – first presentation was research on how Greek internet users view blogs in general and a source of news in particular. It seems that those on the internet (70+%) visit blogs regularly and many of them just under ¾ a reasonably accurate source of news.

Looks like the idea of anonymity will be discussed again, the idea that putting your name on a story is automatically better than remaining anonymous, the argument being that newspapers and other media are constantly faced by the threat of being sued for writing something that maybe be considered untrue.

However, there has been a number of cases in which newspapers and TV stations have quite happily spashed the images and names the six people arrested, allegedly involved in recent terrorist attacks. Defying the country's established codes of ethics the names and pictures of the detainees have been shown repeatedly on the country's TV screens and newspapers. Reporters have even dispensed with words such as “alleged” and “suspects” and simply referred to them as “terrorists”. Without trial, in some cases without even being charged the major TV channels had already decided that those detained were indeed guilty.

The overage has been so one sided that according to the Active media blog many journalist are demanding the Greek Press Council condemn these practices.

The mainstream media has simply broadcast, without any form of critical analysis the police's official reports or leaks concerning the case. In the UK or USA such coverage would be deemed enough to cause a mistrial as any kind of competent trial lawyer would argue that his/her clients would not receive a fair trial.

Thomas is speaking in defence of blogs, his main argument is that while many blog are indeed full of inaccuracies and groundless rumours the mainstream media is rife with such “news items”. If their beef with blogs is their level of professionalism and attention to details they are skating on thin ice. One only has to recall the case of the “visit” of Turkish PM to Greece last year. Despite the fact that the visit was called off on a Friday the Sunday newspapers Vima, Ethnos etc covered the event in great detail in their Sunday editions complete with pictures, quotes and analysis.

On the other hand we have Wikileaks, which Thomas is talking about now, as an example of how anonymity is sometimes necessary to cover stories governments and large, powerful organisations want to keep secret.

According to Thomas the most important thing is credibility in that just because a story or accusation appears on a blog means nothing unless that site has established itself as a credible source. He also argues in many respect TV news has lost ground in that it has ceased to be a trustworthy news source, at least according to the survey with just 1% of internet users considering TV the most reliable medium.

Once again none in the audience, myself excepted, seemed to be utlising any form of technology invented after the ball point pen. Instead they all just scribbled down notes on paper and seemed to havea particular weakness for any kind of stat.

Update

I enjoyd the debate even f I didn't agree with much of what was said, though saying that the criticism made by the panel were well thought out and not just knee - jerk reactions to change. Unfortunately, I can not say the same of the Q&A session which followed. The questions pitched ranged from the inane to the incoherent. It seemed many of those budding journalists present had a hard time putting together a coherent utterence, god knows how they're going to cope with whole paragraphs.

Bloggers who write anonymously were even compared with masked hoodies who attack and firebomb banks in that they wished to hide their identity, which gives a pretty good idea of how low the intellectual content of much of the audience's contribution. It was a shame as there are plenty of serious issues concerning the changing role of the media and The People Formerly Known as the Audience.

It's a brave new world forming on the internet but anyone who believes that the sins and faults of the past will magically disappear with the advent of mass participation in the creation of the news is likely to be disappointed.

2009 - looking back

I thought that in keeping with tradition I'd look back over the last twelve months, choosing one image for each month. Not that life fits into such neatly packaged units of time but as an organisational principle it's a somewhat better than a "top ten". Like many here in Greece 2009 has been a tough year on many levels. For me personally, it has seen tragedy and loss of people close to me and a growing realisation that I, too am not immune to the passage of time and all that entails.

January



This was a terrible time, full of anger, guilt and regret. My mother had been diagnosed with cancer a few weeks beforehand and died just one day before I could get back to England to see her. As you can imagine this was an awful shock and something I am still struggling to come to terms with. The fact that this happened during one of the most turbulent periods in my life and modern Greek history just added to the emotional weight of my memories.

Riots, demonstrations and almost daily clashes between protesters and the police which I covered as much as I could for various citizen journalism sites.

February



The month proved to be a lot less eventful than the previous ones and despite strikes and protests seemed much calmer allowing people to enjoy traditional celebrations such as Tsiknopempti - the start of Greek Orthodox Lent - with barbeques and fancy dress parties. Though even then there were echos of the previous upheavals with riot police deployed against boisterous teens in the centre of Thessaloniki (see video here).

On a lighter note various news stories both here in Greece and abroad allowed to to sharpen my satirical talons. The escape of Vasilis Paleokostas and Alket Razai from the maximum security Korydallo prison Athens by helicopter for the second time produced response that mixed cynical humour and disbelief. (click here for my take on this). Also Ryanair's decision to consider introducing pay toilets on their flights gave everyone a rich source of possible jokes

March



More of the same; government scandals, police brutality, riots and bomb attacks in Athens. The ruling New Democracy party and prime minister Karamanlis barely had to time to talk down one politically catastrophic gaffe before another popped up freshly minted in the news. As well as reading about such events I also wrote about them for citizen journalism sites such as Nowpublic.

I also attended the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival and followed debates about about the differences between New Media and more traditional forms. All I can say is that most of the mainstream media here in Greece are polishing the brasswork on the Titanic. "Iceberg,what iceberg?" seems to be their motto.

Already they are being badly hit by the downturn in the economy and fall in advertising revenue. Their reply so far has been to cut costs and reduce the quality of what is, to a large extent aready a pretty poor product. Wooden language, worn out formulas and a phobic fear of change is not going save them and few will mourn their demise.

April



For me the major event of the month was the G20 meeting in London and the killing of Ian Tomlinson by a British police officer. Even though I was at the other end of Europe the internet allowed me to follow this story in a way that would have been unthinkable, even a decade ago. Sites such as Twitter, blogs, even streaming video allowed those there to get out their story, unfiltered by the mainstream media, who seemed happy to unquestioningly lap up what the authorities had to say. So, as the saying goes,I became the media rather than just ranting about it with posts on my blog and stories elsewhere.

Thankfully, the circumstances surrounding Ian Tomlinson's tragic death following an unprovoked attack came to light despite a concerted effort by the London Metropolitan Police surpress the story. The video taken by onlookers published on the Guardian website along with several eyewitness accounts forced the authorities to backtrack in the face of evidence which called into question their version of events.

May



As the passed by I became more and more interested in the satirical possibilities offered by altering pictures and adding my own twist. After much hair pulling and not-infrequent pleading to the gods of computer coding I managed to become more proficient with GIMP (an open source version of Photoshop). My first target was the UK MP's expenses scandal which was breaking. Tales of politicians claiming the cost of everything from moat cleaning, to 42 inch plasma screens as legitimate expenses provided enough raw materials to keep an army of satirist in work for a lifetime. Click here for more examples.

With European parliamentary elections looming there was also ample chance to satirise targets closer to home, namely the two most important parties here in Greece, New Democracy and PASOK who were both embroiled in Siemens Athens Olympics games security contract scandal.

June



Although most of my lessons were finishing for summer there was plenty of other things happening to keep my busy. Election campaigning for the European elections, street parades, anti - racism festival and a semi-naked bike ride amongst other things meant that there was plenty to photograph and report about in Thessaloniki.

July



July saw my first wedding as a photographer and to say I was nervous is an understatement. Still. I managed to get the job done without being sued or maimed.

I decided to continue improving my photoshopping (sounds better than GIMPing) skills to make fun of targets such as the BNP and use my access to citizen journalism sites in order to expose the terrible conditions and abuses of immigrants here in Greece. Although there had been some international media coverage of what was happening, much of it lacked local knowledge or looked at the wider political context in which such ill-treatment was taking place.

Still, the month was not without excitement as I reminded myself when being hunted by police using motorbikes as they were chasing down protesters following a trial in the centre. The exact same tactics as are being used in Iran now. Draw your own conclusion.

August



Usually a month were most people leave the cities and head for the beaches, yet for reasons too dull to discuss at length I was stuck here in Thessaloniki. However,l not wanting to do nothing I, and friends Eleni and Orhan started a project to photograph 1000 people in the city. We still haven't finished it yet but that's just a matter of time.

Also I continued writing about the kind of stories that the mainstream media don't bother with such as police injustics, ill - treatment of immigrants and just about anything that doesn't involve party politics, sport or celebrities.

September



Once again party politics took centre stage as the country went to the polls for the second time in six months, this time to vote in a new national government. In contrast with previous election campaigns this one was very low key as the ruling New Democracy party went through the motions of contesting the vote, knowing full well that it had managed to severely damage the credibility of the country by massively under reporting public debt load.

At the beginning of 2009 Kostas Karamanlis's conservative administration stated that public borrowing would be less than 4% of GNP. In the end the figure was over 14% yet another concrete demonstration of their inability to do much other than put up a slick PR front.

The campaign, however, did provide a chance to take more pictures and see the leaders of all the major political parties in the flesh. Once again a smile and a confident air proved more effective than any form accreditation.

October



Elections came and with them the crushing defeat of New Democracy by the left wing PASOK party led by Giorgos Papandreou, son and grandson of previous prime ministers. The conservatives's scandal ridden second term lasted just two years before voters finally showed that they were no longer willing to put up with graft, ineptitude and influence peddling.

On a more painful note a very good friend of mine died after struggling with liver disease and I will always miss his humour and friendship.

November



Thessaloniki's Film Festival brought a much needed touch of glamour to the city and I enjoyed the experience of going to parties and openings. On the other hand the ongoing clashes between the police and the city's youth once gain came to the fore during the annual 17th November demonstrations, though this time the authorities decided to implement their new "get tough" policy with liberal use of tear gas, mass arrests and motorbike riding officers all employed to deal with the slightest hint of violence on the streets.

December



2009 decided to go out with a bang and not a whimper. Riots in Greece, turmoil in Copenhagen, aid covoys to Gaza and mad bomber taking hostages in a local school were just some of the events that caught my attention. A busy end to a busy year.

Like, many I am worried about what 2010 has in store for us. The economic crisis has started to hit hard and many are struggling to make ends meet even while prices keep on shooting up and jobs, even badly paid, insecure ones become harder and harder to find. The sight of old people begging or rooting through garbage bins is no longer rare or shocking. The streets ofthe city are littered with empty shops and For Sale signs, further indication that there is less and less money around. Whilst cafes and bars in the richer areas may still be full of people enjoying over priced coffee these are becoming the exception rather than the rule.

On a brighter note and despite the fact that the year started with a tragedy it ended with some great news when I learnt that my brother and his wife are expecting twins.

Greek riots 2008 - Using social media to tell a different story

Yesterday I gave a talk, along with Asteris Masouras on social media and activism for students of the school of journalism at the Aristotelion university of Thessaloniki. The presentation was part of the course, Blogs and the New Media: legal matters and ethics organised by professor Elsa Delagianni. It was a nerve wrecking experience speaking in front of an audience in Greek and I'm sure that I garbled my grammar on more than one occasion. Still, both my and Asteris's presentations on the uses of blogs, Twitter, Delicious and the like were well received.

As promised here is the slide show presentation I used along with a brief summary of my talk in English and a list of the sites mentioned. I will also post the video of the event as soon as it becomes available.

Griots Presentation

View more OpenOffice presentations from teacherdude.

Greek riots 2008 - Using social media to tell a different story

The presentation is divided into three sections:

Finding out what was happening

The internet provided me with invaluable tools to find out about events during the riots and protests that followed the death of 15 year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on 6th December 2008. The killing of the teenager by a police officer sparked off a wave of violent responses that last nearly a month.

By using Twitter, blogs, Indymedia Athens, Technorati and Google's Blog Search I was able to find information on what was happening both here in Thessaloniki and across the country. In the beginning these were virtually the only sources of reliable information available as the mainstream media were at a loss to explain what was happening and limited their coverage to long distance shots of burning streets and interviews with self - proclaimed experts who had no direct connection with the events happening in Athens and other cities.

Getting your story out

For most December I went out onto the streets to cover the marches, demonstrations and riots that were taking place daily in Thessaloniki and then going home to publish the pictures I had taken and write article to explain the story behind the images. I used participatory journalism sites sites such as CNN's Ireport, Nowpublic and Guardian weekly to submit stories and also wrote on my blog, put photos on Flickr and added video to Youtube.



As a result within days I was giving interviews to CNN, BBC, Sky news as well as French and Egyptian news outlets. The paradox was that foreign media services half a world away were better informed about what was happening here than their Greek counterparts who literally were just a kilometre or two away from what was happening.

The difference being that reporters in Paris, London and New York had taken advantage of the opportunities that social media sites such as Twitter and blogs offer in getting out a story and decided to interview those directly involved. By contrast Greek TV stations limited themselves to endless footage of burning cars and "analysis" by politicians who were at a loss to understand what was going on and just used that opportunity to peddle their own conspiracy theories. I don't think I saw an interview with anyone under 40 till nearly two weeks after the riots had kicked off.

A personal impressions of what happened

At one point I wrote in my blog that I felt like I had lived six months worth of experiences in six days. The more I look back at my blog entries from that period the more I believe that. December proved to be one of the pivotal moments in my life, a period of intense excitement, mixed in with large does of fear and exhaustion. The routine of going out and photographing, the often violent protests, researching and writing articles as well as trying to fit in my day job as a teacher meant that by the day Christmas came I was on the verge of burning out.

On the other hand I felt I had embarked on a hyper intensive journalism course in which months of tuition were compressed into a matter of days. In addition the huge gulf between what I witnessed and what the mainstream media reported confirmed many of the suspicions I had felt before about the role of TV in creating a consensus about how stories are defined.

I felt that I was in a position to explain the background to what was happening to a non - Greek audience. That what we were seeing was not simply a bunch of hooligans out to cause mayhem just for the hell of it. I wanted to bring to light wider set of causes such as police brutality, political scandals, unemployment and lack of faith in the present system which were fuelling the protests.

For more on using social media in general and the influence it had on the Greek riots check out these links:

A beginner's guide to citizen journalism

Social media - How to get started

Social media and the Greek uprising

Handbook for bloggers and cyber-dissidents

"Blogs get people excited. Or else they disturb and worry them. Some people distrust them. Others see them as the vanguard of a new information revolution. Because they allow and encourage ordinary people to speak up, they’re tremendous tools of freedom of expression.

Bloggers are often the only real journalists in countries where the mainstream media is censored or under pressure. Only they provide independent news, at the risk of displeasing the government and sometimes courting arrest.

Reporters Without Borders has produced this handbook to help them, with handy tips and technical advice on how to to remain anonymous and to get round censorship, by choosing the most suitable method for each situation. It also explains how to set up and make the most of a blog, to publicise it (getting it picked up efficiently by search-engines) and to establish its credibility through observing basic ethical and journalistic principles."

From the Reporters Without Borders site. To download the handbook in the form of a PDF file click here. If you want to set up your own blog using their blogging platform click here.

Social media - How to get started.

An introduction

Citizen reporter, blogger, independent volunteer journalist. You know that you’re at the start of a major change in the way things work when the new phenomenon spawns a whole raft of names. Although the buzz over the Internet and especially the whole web 2.0 phase has died down the fact that the technology has ceased to be cutting edge or even unusual means that the really interesting changes in the way people use it are probably happening as we speak.

One of the most visible signs of this is the changing role of the public in the way news is created and disseminated. Wider access to the Internet, dropping prices in digital cameras and the emergence of a range of ways of putting material on the net easily is transforming the way people interact with the media.

Of course, this is not a new idea as as long as the media has been round there have been those who have sought to get their story out to a wider audience without recourse to traditional channels. The difference today is the entry level and the potential number of people who can be reached.

Up till recently media meant heavy investment in equipment, be it the printing press or the TV studio. In addition there was also a similar need for highly trained technicians to use the tools involved. As a result those capable of bearing this financial burden was limited to a lucky few.

All that is changing the cost of putting out a story has effectively dropped to zero. Even the possession of a computer is no longer a pre-requisite as access to the Internet either through Internet cafes or say, public libraries means that nearly everyone can compete on even terms.

What equipment do I need?

At the most basic level nothing more sophisticated than a notepad, pen and cell phone with a camera.

If you have the resources then I would recommend a video camera, a DSLR and a light Wi-Fi equipped sub - notebook. Looking at the prices here in Greece all this would cost you around about 700 euros.

Remember spending a whole bunch of money is not going to help you get your story out. The perfect image, a wickedly edited video clip or state of the art laptop is not what citizen journalism is all about nor can it replace your single, most important advantage - local knowledge.

What sites should I join?

There are a number of news sites that allow people to upload stories to the Internet. This is just a selection of the more popular ones rather than a definitive list. Look out for similar sites in your own area and/or language.

Indymedia (there are branches all over the world, so look for your local one)

Nowpublic.com

ireport (part of CNN)

Globalvoicesonline

Also many news sites such as the BBC allow people to upload pictures and ask for written contributions form people affected by news stories. this is often a good way to get in contact with the mainstream media.

Video

If you want to upload video then opening up an account with Youtube and Google Video is a must. Just remember that Youtube’s free account limits videos to just 10 minutes, however, longer videos can be sent to Google Video.

By posting video on these sites you make it a lot easier for people to post them on their own sites. Instead of having to upload videos to each site you contribute to you can do it just once and then embed them wherever you like.

Photographs

Both Flickr and Photobucket allow you to upload pictures onto the net, to form groups and find the latest pictures taken by people involved in breaking news stories around the world.

Blogs

Having your own site on the Internet is a great way of increasing your credibility and offers another way for you communicate your stories to a wider audience. In addition the act of keeping a blog updated is a great way of learning writing and presentation skills.

Remember also that the personal nature of blogging means that you can express more personal views or yourself in a more impassioned way.

Here are some of the most popular blog providers;

Blogspot

Wordpress

Livejournal

These are great ways to get in contact with others;

Facebook

Myspace

Hi5

What do I report about?

This is perhaps the most difficult hurdle to overcome as it requires more than learning a few technical skills and there is no simple answer as everyone is motivated by different things.

However, it is a good idea to start with what you know best, i.e your neighbourhood, profession, social networks you belong to etc.

Alternatively, you could start commenting on what you are most passionate about no matter where it takes place. On the Internet we are free to roam anywhere and learn from many different sources.

Where do I find out about news stories that are not covered in the mainstream media?

As well as our networks of friends and family there also other places on the Internet to find out what is happening in our local area. Look up your town, region in Technorati or Google blog search for the latest developments in the blogosphere. In addition check out what is happening via Twitter search. Twitter is a great source for finding out what is happening now.

Also if there a Indymedia site for your area, check out the latest events and activities.

The most important thing though is to be there. When legendary street photographer Weegee was asked the secret of his success, he replied, “F8 (referring to the camera setting) and be there”. Being on the spot is often the most important thing you can do. All the rest is detail.

How to start writing?

The first thing to remember is that writing is not necessary. A video with you speaking to camera is just as effective as an article and so allows those who do not feel comfortable with the written word to produce insightful reports which can be shared with others. However, some thoughts scribbled down and a couple of practice run throughs will make your ideas a lot easier to follow.

If you do wish to write your stories don’t let the fact that you have not had training in J-school put you off. The style used in newspapers etc. can be picked up quickly if you want to practice. Blogging is a great way of doing so without having to get everything right straight away.

Remember that writing something is infinitely preferable to nothing and people will forgive any imperfections.

On the other hand if you want to be credible then there are some journalism skills that you absolutely have to respect. Accuracy, checking sources and honesty are essential no matter who you are and where you write if you want to be taken seriously. It is not enough to be passionate if you want to reach a wider audiences. Simply repeating or accepting sources simply because you agree with their opinion or point of view will not get you taken seriously.

Double check as far as possible claims you see made in blogs, Twitter etc, go to the original sources, official accounts etc when you can. Do not blindly accept one person’s version of events no matter much you agree with them. If this is not possible then make it clear than the readers know that this story may not be 100% accurate.

Distinguish between opinion and fact. Too often people present their ideas on a story as fact and seem to assume that others will share their view. On the Internet this simply is not true as most of those reading will be neutral and so your impassioned accounts may come over as a rant. A dispassionate tone is more likely to get you the kind of coverage you want.

Of course, if you wish to post to your personal blog and not a news site then you have more flexibility in the way you approach a story.

How to catch people’s eye?

Content is the most important thing. You should aim to make your stuff as interesting as possible. This can be done by using a mix of different media; video and pictures accompanied by text is the ideal combination.

Link to people. If you blog then link to sites that the think other should read, ask them to reciprocate. If you mention other sources in your posts make sure you link to them. This also means that you ranking on Google’s search pages will increase.

Tag everything. Tags are the key words that help others find your stories so whenever you add text, pictures or video make sure you add tags that let others know what is being talked about.

Use RSS. Most sites now allow you to use RSS automatically, it means that people can follow your blogs, Flickr page etc far more easily.

Post widely. If you have a story to tell then post it on as many different sites as possible. Don’t just leave it languishing on your blog. Also join blogging aggregating sites such as Technorati, Icerocket and Del.icio.us. These allow others to find you more easily.

Post regularly. People will quickly stop turning up if you post infrequently and your ranking in Google’s search engine will suffer accordingly. Once a week if you can.

Be credible. If you prove to be a reliable source people will search you out to find out the latest updates on a story.

Be sociable. Join groups on the Internet which share your views and interests. They will help get your message out as well.

2008 in pictures

I thought I'd continue with an idea I had last December - my year in photographs, one for each month. It's a way of looking back over 2008 and taking stock of what has been happening in my life.

January

I had an hour to kill between lessons and for some reason I decided to see where the Fates would take me and I came across a huge warehouse complex that had been abandoned even before it had been finished. Trudging through the mud and dumped rubbish I took a lot of very boring pictures then noticing the time decided I had better make tracks if I wanted to be in school on time.

Just as was about to leave I saw this woman walking in my direction. I don't know why but something in me said that there was a good picture in this so I kept my camera turned on and went to my Vespa. Sure enough, she approached me and asked me to give her two Euros to buy heating oil.

February

A wave of 24 hour general strikes hit the country as many people decided that plans to change the present pension scheme were unacceptable. Amidst more scandals the Greek government tried desperately to persuade people that such an overhaul was necessary.

March

The strikes and protests continued into March and at the other end of the political spectrum there were ultra - nationalist gatherings that were attended by high ranking members of the church and politicians in search of an issue to get them back into the media spotlight. A frightening mix of V for Vendetta and Nuremburg rally.

The Olympic flame also came to town on its way to China, protected, it seemed by everyone with a badge and a club the local authorities could find. The month also saw me take up citizen journalism as I started to contribute to NowPublic.com, in doing so I was learning a whole new raft of skills concerning how to research and write news articles. Skills that would stand me in good stead later on in the year.

April

April meant Easter, holidays, lamb to excess and relaxation after a very long term lasting 17 weeks. In addition I had the chance to go to exhibitions such as the one by Duane Michals, the American photographer whose retrospective was on show in the museum of photography here in Thessaloniki.

May

More strikes, more scandals, the government fighting for its political life. May brought more of the same. I also wrote about and photographed members of G700 generation who would play such a decisive role in the protests in December.

June

This was taken during a demonstration by local ecological groups to raise awareness of the problems caused by excessive car use in the city. The original idea was for the participants to ride their bicycles naked through the centre. However, the local authorities nixed that idea and the police said that anyone not wearing clothes would be arrested for indecent exposure.

So as to comply with these demands the cyclist compromised and wore beachwear and body paint so that less flesh was on display than your average Saturday at the seaside. Despite this the police still insisted on confronting the 100 or so peaceful protesters with the kind of tactics and manpower usually associated with football riots. After clashes and arrests the people were allowed to continue.

July

Leaving one of the hottest summers on record I went to England to enjoy one of the wettest. It was a time to relax and see my family again. Lydia had a chance to see my side of the family and taste the delights of English cuisine!!!!

August

Instead of demos, marches and clashes, I photographed festivals, concerts and street life. In the beginning I was more apprehensive about doing this but I quickly overcame my inhibitions. Later on I also managed to see other sides to life in England which are not so obvious to the casual visitor. Poverty, drug use, violence and the like were also there, if you cared to look just a little deeper.

September

Back to the heat in every sense of the word. The temperatures remained high and s the annual trade fair approached the city became the centre of political and media attention.As a result there were marches, strikes and clashes with the police. I managed also to write about the Vatopedi graft scandal and get pictures of many of the major players in Greek political life as they pressed flesh and kissed babies.

October

October proved to be a busy month with lots to write about and photograph. Hundred of high schools under occupation, mass protests, conference on blogging and media, more - run ins with the cops over the right to take photographs meant I was rushed off my feet.

November

The city had its shot of glamour as the film festival opened and movie types from all over the world came to ply their wares. I managed to wangle my way into many of the gigs even though I couldn't get an official invite. Never mind its more fun that way.

December

December proved to be one of the most intense periods of my life on so many levels. The riots and protests that followed the death of 15 year old Alexis Grigoropoulos sparked off a maelstrom of anger that lasted for weeks. I tried to follow the events here in Thessaloniki in order to explain what was happening to the outside world. As a result I found myself being interviewed by CNN, BBC, Sky News and a host of other new outlets from all over the world.


Looking back now over the year it seems that the events of the last few weeks were not so unexpected after all. Although the intensity and duration of the protests took everyone by surprise the roots of the problem were obvious to anyone who was willing to look. Frustration with the hopeless job market, rising prices, disgust with corruption and incompetence in the political system, a sense of injustice generated by endless cases of police violence meant the causes of the revolts have been there in plain sight for a long time.

Unfortunately, none of those ills are about to change soon. Those with their hands on the leverages of political and economic power are not about to give up their privileges any time soon. Nor, given the growing economic crisis will they be in a position to buy off protest in the form of sham jobs in the civil service.