Lessons on offer in Greece
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People everywhere are celebrating the new Greek government, the country's first coalition in 60 years.
Since 1952, one single party or another has won each election, leading to a situation in which each successive government has tried to buy off the electorate to a greater degree than the previous one, and we all know where those efforts finally led the country: to financial ruin.
Many Americans have been making strong comparisons between the Greek and US economy, so maybe the Greeks – not for the first time in history, obviously – have given the US an example of a workable solution.
Thais might want to pay attention also. Neither ancient Greek democracy nor modern capitalist democracy was ever intended to produce two major mafia organisations in a single nation that call themselves political parties.
Guy Baker
Bangkok
