Η «Ουτοπία»

Η «Ουτοπία του ΣΥ-μερα»

Το πρόβλημα, σήμερα, με την Ουτοπική προσέγγιση της ριζοσπαστικής αριστεράς και των συνιστωσών, ότι δηλαδή υπάρχει ένα άλλο σύστημα που δεν θα βασίζεται στο κέρδος αλλά στην αταξική κοινωνία, είναι ότι και στο παρελθόν η προσέγγιση αυτή απέτυχε οικτρά. Είτε στην εφαρμογή της είτε εκ του αποτελέσματος οδήγησε σε απερίγραπτο πόνο και απελπισία εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους στον πλανήτη.

Είναι όμως ταυτόχρονα αλήθεια ότι ένα από τα μεγαλύτερα εμπόδια για τον εκσυγχρονισμό της Ελλάδας, και βασική αιτία της χρεοκοπίας μας, είναι οι ολιγαρχίες: Οικονομικές, συντεχνιακές και πολιτικές. Όμως η κατάργησή τους δεν μπορεί να περνάει μέσα από την αντικατάστασή τους από άλλες «κομματικές» τύπου υπαρκτού σοσιαλισμού, κάτι το οποίο κρίνεται απαραίτητο για την συνέχιση της λειτουργίας του κράτους, έστω και προσωρινά (ή μόνιμα κατά τον Στάλιν και τον Μάο). Έτσι, την δύναμη του χρήματος –βασικό χαρακτηριστικό των ολιγαρχιών- θα την αντικαταστήσει η επιρροή του πολιτικού γραφείου και της κομματικής ιεραρχίας η οποία θα νέμεται την εξουσία.

Στις φιλελεύθερες κοινωνίες της ελεύθερης αγοράς, όλοι έχουν πρόσβαση στην δυνατότητα απόκτησης πλούτου (ευμάρεια) και στις πιο ανεπτυγμένες από αυτές υπάρχουν και επαρκείς ασφαλιστικές δικλείδες ώστε να μην δημιουργείται υπερσυγκέντρωση ή τουλάχιστον να μην περιορίζεται η πρόσβαση στις ίσες ευκαιρίες. Παράλληλα στην Ευρώπη της Σοσιαλδημοκρατίας γίνεται και κάποια αναδιανομή του πλούτου μέσω του κοινωνικού κράτους. Στις λιγότερο ανεπτυγμένες χώρες, όπως η Ελλάδα, το παιχνίδι χάνεται συνήθως στις ασφαλιστικές δικλείδες αλλά και στην ανισότητα πρόσβασης στις «ίσες ευκαιρίες». Εδώ, υπάρχει αυτό το ιδιώνυμο «μετά-σοβιετικό» μοντέλο όπου οικονομικές και συντεχνιακές ολιγαρχίες και οι πολιτικοί τους σύντροφοι συμπεριφέρονται στους άλλους όπως ο Στάλιν στους αντιπάλους του. Τους εξοντώνουν με την γραφειοκρατία, την ανομία και την αναλγησία του ψευδό-φιλελευθερισμού που αντί να ανοίγει ευκαιρίες τις κλείνει.

Όμως στις ελεύθερες αγορές η δυνατότητα απόκτησης πλούτου έχει και μια άλλη σημαντική διάσταση, αυτή της αξιοκρατίας και αντικειμενικότητας. Ο καλύτερος ξεχωρίζει και ο ικανός επίσης. Ταυτόχρονα ο καθένας μπορεί να αγωνιστεί για να βελτιώσει την θέση του. Οι παλιότεροι το έλεγαν άμιλλα (ευγενής ή όχι αλλά πάντως άμιλλα:  συναγωνισμός για τα πρωτεία).   

Εάν όμως δεν είναι αξιοκρατικό-αντικειμενικό το σύστημα αλλά υποκειμενικό, όπως η Ουτοπική προσέγγιση του «ΣΥ-μερα», τότε η δύναμη περνάει αυτούσια στα χέρια των λίγων εκλεκτών και ιδανικά φωτισμένων ηγετών της νέας τάξης (ή επανάστασης). Και μέσω αυτών καταλήγει στα χέρια των λιγότερο φωτεινών "ταξικών" συντρόφων τους που την διαχειρίζονται εξίσου υποκειμενικά όπως και την απέκτησαν. Άρα κάθε μορφή ισότητας ή αξιοκρατίας καταλύεται. (το έχουμε δει το έργο αυτό με την επέλαση των πρασινοφρουρών) 

Επίσης υπάρχει το πρόβλημα της ασυμβατότητας της Ουτοπικής προσέγγισης με τον υπόλοιπο κόσμο, την παγκόσμια αλλά και κυρίως την Ελληνική οικονομική συγκυρία. Έτσι επιλέγοντάς την θα οδηγούμασταν στο περιθώριο. Ο απομονωτισμός και η εσωστρέφεια μιας τέτοιας «Ουτοπίας» είναι ένα από τα βασικά αίτια της αποτυχίας κάθε τέτοιου εγχειρήματος στο παρελθόν. Πόσο μάλλον σε συνθήκες χρεοκοπίας. Δεν θα άντεχε ούτε μια μέρα.

Ακόμα και στην Κίνα, το πείραμα οδηγεί πλέον σε μια νέα πραγματικότητα. Και αυτή ακόμα δεν είναι απαλλαγμένη ούτε από τις παθογένειες του παλιού ούτε και από τις αδυναμίες του καινούργιου. 

Σε κάθε περίπτωση, δεν είναι το σύστημα λάθος αλλά ο τρόπος που το λειτουργούμε. Για να πάμε μπροστά, χρειάζεται περισσότερη ελευθερία και λιγότερος παρεμβατισμός. Χρειάζεται προπαντός «άμιλλα», κατά προτίμηση «ευγενής».

_________________________________________________________________

Ο ΤΟΙΧΟΣ ΕΛΕΓΕ:

-    Η Ουτοπία είναι αυτό που όταν κάνεις ένα βήμα προς το μέρος του απομακρύνεται δύο, όταν κάνεις δύο βήματα απομακρύνεται τέσσερα, όταν κάνεις τρία απομακρύνεται έξι ....

-    και τότε σε τι χρησιμεύει η Ουτοπία;

-    Σε κάνει να προχωράς ...

History is the fabric of our existence

King George I of Greece and Tsar
Ferdinand of Bulgaria at Thessaloniki,
December 1912.

This post emerged as a reaction to the historical content of this week's "Picture of the Week", namely (1912-1913) Balkan Wars. I felt I had to explain why I used a historical picture from such an ambiguous and politically sensitive period for Greece, its Balkan neighbours and Europe at large. For Greece this period marks the beginning of the end (later in 1922) of its adolescence. For the Balkans it has been an era of redrawing the map as religious and ethnic minorities and majorities class for space and influence and eventual breakaway from a dying Ottoman Empire and an emerging "New Turks" Turkey. For Europe, The Treaty of London, 1913 is possibly the last act of the Great Powers before the events that led to WWI that led to WWII that led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951 that has evolved into the EEC, the EC and finally the EU. The ECSC was an international community based on supranationalism and international law, designed to help the economy of Europe and prevent future war by integrating its members.

History provides us with a collective memory; it gives us a sense of connection to place, time and community. And that sensibility is being lost. The destruction of the past and of the social mechanisms that link one's contemporary experience to that of earlier generations, is one of the most characteristic and worrying phenomena of the late 20th century. Most young people at the century's end grow up in a sort of permanent present lacking any organic relation to the public past of the times they live in. This is true for Greece as it is true for all Europe, more or less.

History is not an elective course, one for memorizing names and dates. History is the fabric of our existence. Without it, we are nothing more than children. Cicero: "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?"

History is not a weapon but it has been used as such. Also dangerous, if not more so, is to falsify history for propaganda reasons; the artificial creation of a non-existing collective memory. This kind of propaganda creates zealots and "zealotry". This has been exercised many times in the not so distant past with notable examples the Nazis and the Soviets but also by many other self proclaimed ethnic groups that soil their zealotry on an artificially constructed history.

None the less, the lack of proper teaching of European and national history is even more critical now. As more and more the memories of the generations of War disappear into oblivience, we witness the return of separatism, nationalism and fascism. Soon -if not already- the younger generations will not be able to understand why Europe should have a Union. What led to this. Why should the "northern voters" pay with their surpluses for the deficits of the "reckless south". Soon the consequences of the loss of our collective memory will lead us to another War. This seems inevitable but is not unavoidable.

Sober Analysis

The analysis in the following paragraphs is a clear example of soberness in contrast to the obsessive irrationality and/or superstition prevailing in the Greek political scene. This was taken from 'Fidelity Analyst Survey for 2013' publication without permission*.

Deleveraging and it's consequences will be felt for a long time

}The period from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s, now often described as the ‘Great Moderation’, was one when a number of disparate factors (such as demographics, monetary policy and deregulation) combined to create a positive environment that facilitated rising asset prices, coupled with generally lower macroeconomic volatility. The same backdrop also led to an unprecedented increase in private sector debt in the developed world. The collapse of the US subprime mortgage market was just the first chapter of a much broader global debt crisis that affected individuals, financial institutions and, ultimately, governments.~

}From an individual’s perspective, excess debt can usually be reduced by belt tightening. From a national perspective, the belt tightening option, via cuts in public sector jobs for example is widely known as ‘austerity’. However, this approach has attracted criticism from those who argue it is counterproductive because of its negative impact on economic growth which results in lower tax receipts and potentially deflationary effects (something that effectively increases the real value of debt).~

And it continues elsewhere:

}Many European countries will likely endure sustained periods of low economic growth despite low interest rates. This is because with high national debt to GDP, many governments need to go through a deleveraging process that is structural rather than cyclical in nature. This constrains their ability to spend on upgrading their infrastructure, whether it is physical (such as rails, roads, or power grids) or social (such as education and healthcare). Our analysts expect consumption in Europe to suffer from low economic growth and household deleveraging.~

*These }...~ paragraphs appear as they were in the report. Data charts are from other sources.

Happy New Year

2013!

December 21st has come and past. We are still here. And now what shall become of us without any prophesies? Those, end-of-the-world, prophesies were some kind of solution, to paraphrase K.P.Kavafis’ great poem “Waiting for the Barbarians” (Kavafis, 1863-1933).

Well, we are now left with our renewed new year resolutions. 2013 definitely has to be the time of miracles (and not of monsters – Antonio Gramsci). It has to if we are to stand here next year too! So bye bye “Greek default”, so long “fiscal cliff” and farewell Eurozone break-up. I wish for this year to bring a recovery of hope, a prosperous resurrection of economic activity and an end to the austerity-medicine prescribed. I can still hope, can’t I?

In the meanwhile, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Merry Christmas 2012!

The problem with fantasia (Deus ex machina)

In Disney’s masterpiece Fantasia, Mickey Mouse, the Sorcerer's Apprentice is tired of fetching water by pail. When the sorcerer departs from his workshop, he seizes the opportunity and enchants a broom to do the work for him using magic in which he is not yet fully trained. He gets mesmerized by his newfound powers but soon the floor is awash with water. The apprentice realizes that he cannot stop the broom because he does not know how.

Not knowing how to control the enchanted broom, the apprentice cuts it in pieces with an axe. However, instead of stopping it, each of the pieces becomes a new broom and takes up a pail and continues fetching water, now at twice the speed. When all seems lost, the sorcerer returns and in a “biblical” fashion he quickly breaks the spell and saves the day.

The story is based on Goethe’s poem “Der Zauberlehrling”, written in 1797. It is a very graphical representation of a situation where someone overwhelmed by his problems summons the help of others –allies in politics- that he cannot control. Soon he realizes that he ends up with a far worse mess than the one he was trying to resolve in the beginning. Sounds familiar? Probably yes!

But there is another lesson to be learned. That is “don’t mess with things you don’t fully understand”. For example; it is very self assuring to think that a magical solution exists for Greece’s troubles.

“We first curtail the remaining public debt; then we erase all the conditions (MOU’s) and relevant legislation and because we are young and innocent we will renegotiate our magic with the universe from scratch. And if that was not enough, because we want it the universe will conspire to make it happen.”

But this doesn’t happen, even in fairytales and poems; why will it happen in real life?

And now a real life question: assuming you are wrong and the universe doesn’t conspire to make it happen. What happens next? Is there an old sorcerer to save the day? Is there a “Deus ex machina” to save us all? Not really unless you are Euripides or Goethe or a Mickey Mouse apprentice.

Thanks Giving

In contrast to our Continues Daily Complaining … I suggest we adopt the Thanks Giving custom and be thankful, for once, for what we have, instead of nagging for what we don’t or for what we should (not even could) have. Even more when we are being deprived some of what we used to have (like these days).

But I guess we feel like the Native Americans (those we call “Indians”) that stage a protest on the occasion of the “American Indian Heritage Day”. Like them that lost their world when the ex. European pilgrims and settlers took over their lands, we probably feel the same.

Since 1821, those same “pilgrims” from the East and the West (Great Powers) come to our land and took it over from the natives, the indigenous peoples of “Ynanistan”. And if that was not enough, they gave it to the Greeks, the descendants of Aristotle, Plato, Pericles and Archimedes, those that gave to the world all of what it makes it today. (The western world that is) Science, Philosophy, Democracy, Fine Arts and Architecture, Poetry, Literature, Drama and Theater; and I must be forgetting some other contributions of ancient Greece to the western Civilization.

So let’s be thankful, for once, not to the “Great Powers” that hunt us but to our Greek Heritage. That is why we stand today as a nation. That is why today there are National States. That is why there is a Europe and a Union to fight for. That is why we are not still an “Ottoman Province” or not called “Former Turkish Province Of Yunanistan”. 

(www.thefreedictionary.com/Former+Turkish+Province+Of+Yunanistan)

Let's be thankful for what we have!

Thanks Giving Day in the US: http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/thanksgiving-day