Greeks seeking to prosecute their government at The Hague

[Observer]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17811153

It is rare for citizens to try to take their government to court, and even more so for a Western European government to be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

It is alleged that the austerity measures introduced by Greece's government constitute peacetime genocide and crimes against humanity.

[plasman]

If we had the balls in the uk we would do the same !! the greeks have been used as a kicking post ! this problem has no solution just years of pain and hardship if we lie down and take it .................

[bertiebert]

lol the BBC must have missed .. Ireland..
Ben Gilroy, Irish government served summons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=086U_Kb01Os

and Iceland..Iceland's ex-PM guilty on one bank collapse charge
First government leader to face criminal prosecution over global banking crisis

http://www.cbc.ca/m/rich/business/story ... lapse.html

[Observer]

Merkel seems to be the last one left believing that austerity is the answer - but not for her, of course, or Germany.

Getting the turkeys to vote for Christmas was only going to work for as long as the turkeys didn't work out that they were the only ones getting stuffed.

I don't see the austerity involved in pumping public funds into already over-bloated incompetently run private enterprises, usually located in off-shore tax havens.

Thank heavens we never joined the Euro otherwise we'd be eating scraps from litter bins like the Greeks.

The Greeks have been treated abominably, by Europe and worst of all by their own corrupt politicians.

[jones422]

If we had the balls in the uk we would do the same !! the greeks have been used as a kicking post ! this problem has no solution just years of pain and hardship if we lie down and take it .................

The Government are our elected representatives, who have chosen to represent the corporate interest. Unfortunately most people in this country think the solution is to vote out one party and vote in another. The options they should be looking to are; the corporations, who do so well out of the deal, pay the governments salary themselves, we tell them all to piss off and start again with people we trust or we simply govern ourselves.

Stop protesting and act!

[Observer]

Simply - are Labour and/or Conservative fit for purpose ?

To be honest I can't tell the difference.

[plasman]

If we had the balls in the uk we would do the same !! the greeks have been used as a kicking post ! this problem has no solution just years of pain and hardship if we lie down and take it .................

The Government are our elected representatives, who have chosen to represent the corporate interest. Unfortunately most people in this country think the solution is to vote out one party and vote in another. The options they should be looking to are; the corporations, who do so well out of the deal, pay the governments salary themselves, we tell them all to piss off and start again with people we trust or we simply govern ourselves.

Stop protesting and act!

Do you know me personally !! i,m doing whatever I can on a daily basis as to stop the plundering of wealth from my soverign country the UK !!! apart from this site I have many Irons in the fire as to exposing the corrupt ,mps bankers etc !! I can personally say im contributing my time personally to help others !! to me im making a decloration each day with what I do !! as I said you do not know me !! go and annoy someone else and stop pre judging people you dont know !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[feenix]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17811153

It is rare for citizens to try to take their government to court, and even more so for a Western European government to be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

It is alleged that the austerity measures introduced by Greece's government constitute peacetime genocide and crimes against humanity.

How? they are all busted ah yes no problem we will foot the bill

[jones422]

life is too short to assume everything is about you plasman. I'm making a general comment!

Play nice!

[Observer]

Though it may appear a pointless and futile exercise it really is quite smart.

The EU likes to portray itself as the world centre of justice, freedom and ethics. A sort of Mt Olympus of world morality entitled to arbitrate on the evils of the rest of the corrupt and heathen world.

Of course, it would prefer not to have its own actions and morality challenged and this case represents part of Europe slapping the EU in the face and forcing them to take a reality check. If they dismiss the case they show themselves to be no more capable of dispensing justice than the Government of North Korea or Gadaffi. They are merely the mouthpiece of government set up to excuse the actions they condemn in others.

There is a stage at which imposing austerity on a country does become punitive and contrary to human rights and morally repugnant. It's already reached a stage where governments are starting to take away legal rights and using questionable tactics against citizens. Whatever else it does, it reminds EU governments that they are under scrutiny too and will be held responsible for their actions, particularly if what they do is driven by underlying fraud and corruption.

Good luck to them.