29 March, 2015 - Katoikos

More democracy, not technocracy, Mr. Draghi

By Clément Fontan

On 16 March 2015, ECB chairman Mario Draghi delivered a speech at the Süddeutsche Zeitung Finance Day. Eurozone economic governance reforms were the topic of the day. The structural reforms proposed by Mr. Draghi are ideologically loaded and the creation of new institutions might worsen the democratic troubles in Europe rather than solve them. The ECB and other EU institutions have already been exploiting the financial crisis as an opportunity to implement structural reforms in a coercive manner for more than four years. The results have been worrying, to say the least.

EU sceptic wanted ?

“Sun, sun, sun, here it comes”

Amazing and moving flash mob in a Spanish job centre

Five observations on Greece

By Alexis Boutefeu-Moraitis and Jack Copley

Misery is palpable in Athens: the increase in ‘closed’ signs outside small shops, the long queues at soup kitchens and the growing numbers of homeless and drug addicts in the streets. Currently, there is no visible change on the ground. However, optimism has replaced hopelessness in everyday discussions. In the context of brutal austerity, the victory of Syriza in January’s electoral battle came as a slap in the face to European elites.

Freeze Democracy?

A Portuguese take on Democracy these days. By Cristina Dias Neves

“If only we could freeze democracy for a while…” I know this is an awkward thing to say, especially if we think of those who have lived – and still live and suffer – under dictatorial regimes. And that’s the reason why a Portuguese social democrat leader got such an amazingly negative response the day she asked herself publicly if it would not be a good thing to “have six months without democracy to put everything in order”.

Beware of the dancing Greeks

By Margarita Poulakou

The 25th of March is celebrated in Greece as the start of the uprising against the Ottoman Empire, which led to Greece’s independence. Thus it is a day of national pride. All over Greece parades are staged by communities large and small, usually involving local primary and high school students marching behind the Greek flag. But the peak of festivities is reached at the center of Athens with a grandiose military parade. This year’s parade was atypical, though, as it was concluded with national dances from different regions of Greece.