Sunday 27 February 2011

Can't pay....

...won't pay.

I wonder when this idea will migrate from Greece to Ireland. From the Associated Press.

They blockade highway toll booths to give drivers free passage. They cover subway ticket machines with plastic bags so commuters can't pay. Even doctors are joining in, preventing patients from paying fees at state hospitals.

Some call it civil disobedience. Others a freeloading spirit. Either way, Greece's "I Won't Pay" movement has sparked heated debate in a nation reeling from a debt crisis that's forced the government to take drastic austerity measures - including higher taxes, wage and pension cuts, and price spikes in public services.

What started as a small pressure group of residents outside Athens angered by higher highway tolls has grown into a movement affecting ever more sectors of society - one that many say is being hijacked by left-wing parties keen to ride popular discontent.

2 comments:

Mark Wadsworth said...

"hijacked by left-wing parties keen to ride popular discontent."

To be fair, if everybody was well nourished, fully employed and happy, no extremist parties would exist.

Nick Drew said...

when migrate from Greece to Ireland ?

almost immediately, I'd say - and on a national scale !