Today Greek society has been ripped asunder by a humiliating national bankruptcy, brought on by a ruling class unable or unwilling to tell citizens that there was no money to pay for the bloated state budget that voters had come to expect and this, for decades.
Right up until the end when the Europeans pulled the plug, nothing really changed in Greece, the people and the government were unwilling or unable to comprehend or react to the mess they had gotten themselves into.
Like a deadbeat who runs up the credit card with no intention of repaying a dime, when the spree is finally over, the shock that there is nothing left and nothing coming in, is hard to accept.
And so today the Greeks are shell-shocked at the reality that there is no more money and that the solutions before them, either default or repayment means a generation or two of poverty.
For the Greek youth of the country, it is a situation particularly difficult to swallow, the realization that their parents borrowed money on their name, money which they are now unable to pay, leaving the next generation the legacy of servicing a crippling debt, one that they did not bargain for, nor received the benefit from.
Sadly in all this is the attitude of the Greek baby-boomers, the generation that bled the state dry and borrowed staggering amounts of money to finance their caprice.
For them, taking responsibility is difficult, as if none of this is their fault and as the situation unravels and the cruel reality of going broke sets in, scapegoats are sought.
Who is to blame?
The Germans, the banks, the politicians, the European Union, the Nazis, the Americans etc.etc., anyone but themselves, so deep is the addiction of entitlement and the disconnect between consumption and wealth creation.
Sadly for Quebec, Pauline Papadopolous is following directly in the footsteps of those failed Greek politicians and her supporters are of the same ilk as that Greek generation that cared only about their own pockets without a concern over the public debt they were ringing up.
Like the Greek politicians, Pauline fails to heed the reality that Marget Thatcher described so succinctly;
"The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."
A motivating factor for this post is the recent poll which showed that over 40% of Quebecers agree that tuition fees for university students shouldn't be raised, reflecting the same disconnect with reality as the Greeks, who failed to accept that somebody has to pay for what is consumed.
Is Quebec in the same situation as Greece?
Depending on one's political bent, the situation is described as completely dissimilar, or contrarily, very much the same.
One fact is indisputable, there's no doubt that Quebec is one of the heaviest indebted states in the world, whether a country or a province, and that it spends a lot more than it takes in.
I don't want to get into a discussion of whether Quebec is solvent or on the brink of disaster. Suffice to say that if Quebec doesn't change its over-spending ways, it will run into a Greek-style disaster, sooner or later.
Debating the time line is beside the point and deflects from the discussion.
To finance its orgy of entitlement Quebec has run up a monstrous debt and has used transfer payments from Ottawa to soften the impact of deficit spending.
As Quebec fast approaches its debt ceiling and Canadians review their willingness to ship eight billion dollars over to Quebec each year, something has to give.
As Pauline Papadopolous seeks political power she is descending into the politics of appeasement, the very same policy that has ruined Greece.
Say anything, promise anything and make common cause with those consuming elements of society that are looking for a backer to keep the spigot of entitlements wide open.
Her most recent promise to students to reverse fee increases proposed by the government is a grim reminder that she will sell out the province's future in order to get elected.
In a speech to the National assembly she said that in opposing the increased tuition fees, she is demonstrating solidarity with students and the middle class, unlike the Liberals and the CAQ, which she claims are demonstrating solidarity with Ottawa. YouTube{Fr}
Huh?
She actually made the connection between increased student fees and support for Ottawa, a moronic connection, not dissimilar to the federal minister Vic Toews statement that Canadians who don't support the Conservatives online snooping bill were siding with the child pornographers.
That contention was roundly ridiculed for its foolishness and for blatantly taking Canadians for fools.
Too bad that the same reaction was absent in Quebec vis-a-vis Madame Papadopolous' contention that increased fees are somehow connected to support for Ottawa.
And how did she sidestep the fee issue and the problem of underfunded universities?
By promising a 'summit' to discuss the problem after the election of the PQ.... How convenient..
In all of Madame Papadopolous' pronouncements, I have yet to hear her admit that Quebec's entitlements are excessive or unsupportable, in fact she and her party actually talk up expanding the role of government in Quebec society.
While every other political party in North America, in opposition or in power, admits that government largess must be curtailed, She and the PQ remain 'distinct' in believing that huge deficits and crippling debt are not a problem and that current spending can be supported, irrespective of provincial revenue.
I'm not saying that Jean Charest and his Liberal party are paragons of fiscal restraint, but listening and watching Pauline Papadopolous troll for votes by promising a worker's paradise where entitlements would not only be maintained but expanded, supported by the concept that it could all be paid for by increased taxes on business and the rich, coupled with more money shaken down from Ottawa, makes me cringe in fear.
Madame Papadopolous has all the right jargon, she talks about investing in education, investing in infrastructure, investing in daycare, when in reality she means spending more money than the province takes in.
Looking at the untalented hacks that is the Parti Quebecois, I am struck by the fear that if they ever take power and the likes of Pierre Curzi, Bernard Drainville, Jean-François Lisée and Louise Beaudoin actually get to implement their half-baked political nonsense, this province will sink rather quickly.
You'd think that in light of the recent debt crisis that has hit nation after nation, politicians would preach restraint to a public prepared to accept less and contribute more to defend the long-range financial viability of their society.
According to her, there is no problem as long as one doesn't discuss or admit to one and until then, as they say in French, it's 'Bar Ouvert'
Looking at the political support Pauline is rounding up, it's clear in which direction she and the PQ are going.
Recruiting the likes of Claudette Carbonneau, the recently retired head of Quebec's most powerful and allegedly-corrupt union, the CSN, to sit on her sovereignty commission as well as new candidates such as Diane De Courcy, the head of the oft-maligned Commission scolaire de Montreal, it underscores the sad reality that she is gearing up to implement the failed Greek policy of political appeasement.
Every separatist nutbar, union demagogue, language militant and 'entitleists' ( a term I just made up to describe those who believe it is their right to soak the government for all it's worth) will find a place in a potential PQ government, which will ultimately be so self-destructive that it will make the Haitian government look professional.
It's a scary situation, because on one side you have a Liberal party that is preaching some sort of fiscal restraint, increased fees and reduced services in an effort to move towards fiscal sustainability. It isn't enough, but at least it's a start.
On the other hand you have the PQ led by Madame Papadopolous telling the people the opposite, that money is no problem and entitlements will flow unabated with the election of her government.
Mr Charest is offering a plate of humble pie, Pauline Papadopolous a dish of ice cream.
And so the question remains, will Quebecers accept the necessity of restraint or follow the Greeks down the path of financial ruin?
