During the visit to Athens last May by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Greek Communist Party (KKE) deputy Liana Kanelli made televised remarks criticizing the country’s journalists. Virtually all prominent Greek reporters secured an interview with the visiting US politician but no one…

In Greece the health and social welfare system has multiple failings. It funds its own bureaucracy excessively and underfunds the needs of sick citizens. It is illogically and inefficiently organized: I cannot imagine that there is any other country where fundamental medical care is provided by…

In an interview with Skai Radio on Monday, Deputy Health Minister Giorgos Constantopoulos raged against «social hypocrisy.» Where were all those who now blame the government for a non-existent welfare policy when a 57-year-old man was murdered by his 19-year-old son in Nikaia, he exclaimed? Why…

The recently published UNICEF report about the well-being of children across the world highlights some pretty self-evident truths. For example, in countries with a high level of social cohesion, a strong welfare state and a prevailing sense of freedom tempered by social responsibility, children live happier lives.

Until now, we had been fighting for the separation of the Orthodox Church from the state. In the future, it looks as if we are going to be fighting for the opposite. At least, this is the only conclusion one can draw from the debate about the cremation of the dead that has followed a decision by…

Eventually the whispers and the speculation became a reality. Following Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis’s declaration that «elections will be held when appropriate,» the only thing that remains to be clarified is when exactly this is to be, in May or in the fall? Opinion polls will no doubt help…

Never before has the human race had it so good and have people had more goods at their disposal.

The results of an opinion poll published in last Sunday’s Kathimerini reveal some very important messages which are quite clear and indisputable. For example, an overwhelming majority of the Greek public (99 percent) believes that destroying public property and going on destructive rampages are…

The logic of those who claim that rioters and vandals are defending the Constitution is somewhat confusing.

It is truly naive to question whether surveillance cameras in public places are a violation of citizens’ private life. Public spaces should be public in all regards.

The Americans have a saying: «If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.» It would be useful if we were to apply this to the Greek state, which has hardly proved itself to be a paragon of efficiency. One of the few state services which was actually successful was the Greek police’s anti-terrorism unit,…

On Tuesday, a large group of university professors and research staff gathered outside Parliament, demanding a revision to Article 16 of the Constitution that would allow the establishment of private universities.

In Greece there is the rule of law. This means that, ostensibly, laws are enforced and violations invite punishment. But all this is theoretical. Apart from the problems linked to the dispensation of justice, in some areas law enforcement is actually seen as a deviation from democracy. The laws…

If we are to believe the opinion polls, consumers complain about high prices. If we are to believe TV, the problem of high prices is caused by some unnamed interests that make profits by keeping prices artificially high. If we are to believe the Development Ministry, free competition will take care of the problem.

The law of supply and demand applies in all countries around the world. There is no debate about whether it is just or unjust, just as there is no debate about the fairness of the law of gravity. People regard it as self-evident and fundamentally simple: The more the price of a product increases, the less demand there is for it, and vice versa.

Unfortunately, it looks as if the debate about the privatization of state telecommunications operator OTE will go the way of the review of Article 16 of the Constitution, which foresees the creation of private universities. The public debate about OTE has become trapped in all-too-familiar…

If the proportion of poor people in the world had doubled over the past 20 years, this would be cause for much handwringing and concern. Foreign-educated professors and left-wingers would write passionate articles against global neoliberalism which makes “the rich richer and the poor poorer.”

Do we really know what is going on at our ports? If we believe what various representatives of our production sectors have been saying, then we should be very worried indeed. This is not only because of the 15-20 percent price hikes on goods that the current situation is likely to provoke by…

We were justifiably cheered by Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Turkey and his acknowledgement of the ecumenical nature of the Istanbul-based Orthodox Patriarchate. But we should not forget that these gestures are nothing more than a means for the pope to achieve an ambition he had when still…

One conclusion can be drawn from the survey, cited on this page, by GSEE’s Labor Institute: The more jobs are protected, the higher the unemployment rate will rise. In Greece, the privileges of specific professional groups are protected at all cost. As a result, the country has the highest…