The Economics of Genocide
Made in Greece by IMF-EU
The depression and the MoU (memorandum of understandings) have
evaporated around 65Billion Euros in relation to 2008. During the same period
the govts cut around 23billion Euros whilst investments were reduced by 2/3 and
the consumer demands of households reduced by 36billion Euros.
The numbers show with clarity the ‘miracles’ performed in Greece in the
last 5-6 years from the governments of both parties who are demanding once more
our vote to complete their destructive work in cooperation – during periods –
in cooperation with other (vanished political forces like LAOS and Dem Left)
but they surely don’t describe the extent of the humanitarian catastrophe which
was implemented in the name of efficiency and growth.
The statistics produced by the Greek statistical body could be referred
to as ‘Statistics of Genocide’ as they constantly remind us that no horrific
achievement no new tragedy will stop the disastrous policies of the coalition
govts in charge. A policy they follow with frightening regularity all these
years towards the advantage of the banks, the big construction companies, the
ship owners, the big tax evaders, the ‘investors’ etc
None of these give anything to the unemployed and with the semi
unemployed constitute around 1.5 million with 1 million positions being lost,
the strangulation of the welfare state and the destruction of hundreds of
thousands of small businesses.
GDP
In 2013 the GDP was reduced in relation to 2008 by E65b Euros or by a
percentage of 26% (It was 25% during the Greek civil war which only lasted 3
years!) The percentage as well as the duration of the crisis are profound for
the western world during the post war period.
In the same period wages were reduced by 23b or by 28% whilst the
consumer spending of households was reduced by 36b Euros or by a percentage of
22%> Investments were reduced by 37b Euros or by 65%
Industrial Production and
Consumer Sales
Last October industrial production was 24% reduced in relation to the
same month as 2008
The volume of consumer sales was reduced by 35% in relation to the same
month as 2008
In relation to sales in stores we notices the following reductions:
-Big supermarkets by 26%.
-Food, drinks, smoke -35%
-Chain stores by -43%
-Fuel -34%.
-Clothes -50%.
-Furniture household items -50%
Employment-Unemployment
In this sector are to be found some of the ‘best’ achievements of the
current government
In the 3rd quarter of 2014 there were 3.6m in work 1m less than in the same period of 2008. A reduction of 22%
In the same period official unemployment increased from 355k to 1.3m ie
around 900k
If we add those 250k in number who work so little that they appear to be
more like the unemployed then the unemployed are around 1.5m
Let’s look now at the losses in the most important sectors of the
economy in the 3rd quarter of 2014 in relation to 2008.
-Agriculture -30k or 6%
-Restaurants 230k or 42%
-Construction 240k or 60%.
-Trade 200k or -24%
-Transport -43k or -20k.
-Tourism -2,900 1%
-Banks, insurance companies -28k or 24%
-Public administration, defence, social security 65k -17%
-Εκπαίδευση -34.100. -10,8%.
-Education -34k -10%
-Health -21k or 9%
The ‘family basket’
The median spend of the Greek family has been reduced to 1.5k Euros from
2.3k Euros in 2009. In other words inside of four years it has been reduced by
30% or around 700Euros
Greek households reduced their spend on food by 17.5% whilst they have
stopped essentially spending money on clothes and shoes by 50%
The smallest drops have been the costs for education or more importantly
private education as they were reduced even more than the reductions for food
by about 17%. Greeks chose to eat less but to ensure their children continued
their education
After the reductions for food we had reductions in health by 20% or
drinks by 27% or housing by 30% hotels and eating in restaurants by 38% and
transport by 40% (purchase of cars, fuel etc)
Social Protection
The Troika hit with particular venom against the welfare state using
Presidential Decrees extreme neoliberal practices but in particular the vile attacks against the social groups which
had some form of social protection and the dissolution of all the networks of
social protection.
Based on ELSTATs figures which only go up to 2012 (we do not have those
for the extreme 2013) we are placing the main social welfare policies and how
they developed to 2012 from 2009. They all develop negatively with the possible
exception of pensions where here it appears the cost has increased not because
pensions increased but because of the large number of people that went for
early retirement.
Social benefits in millions of Euros
|
||||
2009
|
2012
|
difference
|
%
|
|
Mothers benefit
|
470
|
400
|
-70
|
-14,9%
|
Family Benefits
|
722
|
552
|
-170
|
-23,5%
|
Pregnancy benefit
|
100
|
48
|
- 52
|
-52,0%
|
Pension benefits
|
16.876
|
21.287
|
4.411
|
26,1%
|
Health benefits
|
1.102
|
1.010
|
- 92
|
-8,3%
|
Hospital care
|
7.588
|
5.270
|
-2.318
|
-30,5%
|
Care outside hospitals
|
7.838
|
5.110
|
-2.728
|
-34,8%
|
Unemployment pay
|
1.611
|
1.423
|
-188
|
-11,7%
|
Disability pensions
|
1.515
|
1.276
|
-239
|
-15,8%
|
Looking at the chart until 2012 that is we see that whilst unemployment
has increased by 250% unemployment pay has been reduced by 12%. (Unemployment
is only paid for a short period of time and then nothing is provided) At the
same time by 52% the benefits for birth are reduced in a country where deaths
outnumber births.
Hospital treatments have been reduced by a third and disability pensions
by 16% whilst family benefits have been reduced by 25%
Between 2009 and 2012 costs were reduced by 5.3b Euros or around 8.5%
Only total pensions have shown an increase of 13%
In other areas of social protection the situation has developed
accordingly
·
Illness
6K million -32%
·
Disability
-395million -13.5%
·
Widow
-550m -10%
·
Family 1k
million -25%
·
Unemployment
-56m -1.5%
·
Housing -677million
Euros -58%
·
Social
Care 112m Euros-112 -8,3%.
If in 5 years of Troika austerity around 25-30% of the economy is shattered
another 5 years of this and there won’t be any economy left to realistically
talk about.
