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Greece Deserves Better

The news that British PM David Cameron has fought in Brussels to severely limit Britain's financial exposure to EU funding for the Greek bailout is not good.  It is evidence of an historic betrayal.  Since at least the time of Byron, Britain has understood the importance of Greece, as classical ideal, and as reality.  Millions of British people travel to Greece every year, for holidays in the sun, welcomed by great hospitality, food, natural beauty, and ancient history of extraordinary worth.  Modern Greece is not Athens in its golden age.  But we owe the idea of Greece a debt worth far more than billions.  We owe them our civilisation.  It therefore seems sad and petty and ignoble to refuse to come to their rescue, when they need us most.

Comments

Well said, Todd--"sad and petty and ignoble"--which reminds me that successive British governments have steadfastly refused to give us back the Parthenon Marbles that infamous crook Lord Elgin swiped from the Parthenon under the flimsy pretense that he was protecting them from ruin!

Thanks for reminding us that there are still many Brits who are Philhellenes--like that other lord who died in (and for) Greece, George Gordon.
Anonymous said…
With slanderous comments like the one above why should Britain go on tipping endless funds into a bottomless pit on the flimsy pretense that this could somehow protect this hopelessly corrupt modern Greek state from inevitable financial ruin!?

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