Rhetorical Weapons of Mass Destruction

One inevitable benefit of the Merkel visit to Athens is the opportunity to sample the florid political prose spewed out by the indefatigable Greek political class. 

Indeed, if words were hundred Euro notes, Greek politicians would be richer than Warren Buffet. And ironically, the left would be much, much richer than the right.

Alexis Tsipras, head of SYRIZA, is quoted by Skai.gr this afternoon as saying:

“Merkel has come to support the “Merkelistes” of Greece: Samaras, Venizelos and Kouvelis.”

“The Europe of the Peoples will win over the Europe of memorandums and barbarism.”

“The democratic tradition of Europe will not allow a European people, the Greek people, to be converted into the guinea pig of the crisis, and for Greece to become an impassable social cemetery. We will win in the end, because we have the right on our side, and we are more.”

Aleka Papariga, head of the Communist Party, was not to be outdone:

“The purpose of this visit is to encourage the government to exercise the maximum possible blackmail and fearmongering of the people, in order to literally muzzle it against the new slaughtering measures which are coming.”

Mrs. Papariga has some of the most creative rhetoric I’ve ever seen, on par with “running dog capitalists” and “commanding heights”. Her jibe that SYRIZA represented the “pampered urban classes” or her references to the “janissaries of the international financial system” have been, until the advent of Mr. Tsipras to the national stage, unsurpassed.

Golden Dawn issued a wonderfully laconic press statement replete with an obscure reference to Virgil’s Aenid, entitled “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”:

The dismal Greek leadership did not dare to demand the self-evident from the loan shark Merkel: participation of the European Central Bank in the restructuring of the Greek debt. The political subjugation of the coalition government will lead to a new Memorandum and the permanent surrender of national sovereignty.

Golden Dawn’s statements, replete with references to enemies of the state, traitors, criminals, foreign elements, religious minorities, homosexuals and other undesirables, increasingly resemble those of another German leader, as do its economic policies and political strategy. The irony of using this against a visiting German leader has perhaps been overlooked. As has the fact that Virgil’s reference was a warning against a Greek victory, in contrast to the very real and present Greek defeat.  

It is perhaps a testament to just how far removed from reality the Greek political class is that they feel no compunction about making statements of this sort. Statements which offer absolutely nothing by way of a solution, embitter the Greek voter with the idea of foreign conspiracies and enemies, alienate anyone in Europe who actually bothers to listen to this, and absolve their own dismal records of failure, corruption and mediocrity since 1981. 

Mrs. Merkel, speeding safely back in her armoured limousine to the airport, should count her blessings that, not speaking Greek, none of these rhetorical weapons of mass destruction could be deployed against her. 

I can only imagine the amusement and bewilderment of the political analysts at the German, US and other embassies who have to translate this crap for their foreign offices, year in, year out.

Simply dreadful. 

© Philip Ammerman, 2012

“I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Skai Report - Tsipras

«Η Μέρκελ έρχεται να στηρίξει τους μερκελιστές της Ελλάδας, τον Σαμαρά, τον Βενιζέλο και τον Κουβέλη», δήλωσε χαρακτηριστικά ο επικεφαλής του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ, Αλέξης Τσίπρας, ο οποίος συμμετέχει στο συλλαλητήριο των ΓΣΕΕ-ΑΔΕΔΥ.

Παρά ταύτα, ο κ. Τσίπρας εξέφρασε τη βεβαιότητά του πως «η Ευρώπη των λαών θα νικήσει την Ευρώπη των μνημονίων και της βαρβαρότητας».
«Η δημοκρατική παράδοση της Ευρώπης δεν θα επιτρέψει να μετατραπεί ένας ευρωπαϊκός λαός, ο ελληνικός λαός, σε πειραματόζωο της κρίσης και να γίνει η Ελλάδα ένα απέραντο κοινωνικό νεκροταφείο. Θα νικήσουμε στο τέλος, γιατί έχουμε το δίκιο με το μέρος μας και είμαστε περισσότεροι», συνέχισε ο κ. Τσίπρας.

Communist Party Press Release

Σκοπός αυτής της επίσκεψης είναι να συνδράμει την κυβέρνηση για να ασκήσει το μέγιστο δυνατό εκβιασμό και τον εκφοβισμό κατά του λαού, ώστε να βάλει κυριολεκτικά φίμωτρο απέναντι στα νέα σφαγιαστικά μέτρα που έρχονται.

Golden Dawn Press Release

Φοβού τους Δαναούς και δώρα φέροντες

Η θλιβερή ελλαδική ηγεσία δεν τόλμησε να απαιτήσει τα αυτονόητα από την τοκογλύφο Μέρκελ, δηλαδή: συμμετοχή της Ε.Κ.Τ. στην αναδιάρθρωση του ελληνικού χρέους και απαλλαγή του κράτους μας από το κόστος ανακεφαλαιοποίησης των τραπεζών. Η πολιτική υποταγής της συγκυβέρνησης θα οδηγήσει σε νέο μνημόνιο και οριστική εκχώρηση της εθνικής κυριαρχίας.