Portugal

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on March 31st, 2012
Thousands of people gathered for a demonstration in Madrid on 29th March [Barnaby Phillips]

Here's a sobering thought for Europe's trade unions. Throughout the long and painful story of the Eurozone crisis, from early 2010 to the present, it's difficult to think of a single significant victory for organised labour.There have been many strikes and protests in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Some have been well attended, others not. Sometimes there has been violence, but most protests have been peaceful.But heavily indebted governments have pushed ahead anyway, with big cuts in public spending and a range of economic reforms.

Are the unions simply helpless before what they would characterise as the powerful forces of neo-liberalism and international finance? Do they lack the stomach for a fight? Or are they simply failing to present viable alternatives for Europe's struggling economies?

By Abid Ali in Business on November 25th, 2010
Photo by EPA

Would you give money to someone in debt?

Tough question I guess. You would ask yourself what is the possibility of them paying you back.

How would you feel if the money you give was guaranteed?

I think you would step up.

Now here’s the problem. Bond holders to the troubled economies of Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain have been offered unwritten guarantees. They have been banking on Germany stepping in to help bailout Europe’s laggards.

The lady who triggered the latest crisis that has Ireland taking its begging bowl to the European Union and International Monetary Fund is at it again. And she’s right.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said:

Have politicians got the courage to make those who earn money share in the risk as well? Or is dealing in government debt the only business in the world economy that involves no risk?

By Paul Rhys in Africa on January 23rd, 2010
Photo from GALLO/GETTY

"You don't grass on your mates." That's a lesson I learned through the stony glare of a fellow 13-year-old on a day at school I'd rather have forgotten.

Harsh early experiences teach us not to do it again. Unfortunately, one Angolan journalist has only just learned his lesson after an encounter with national team coach Manuel Jose.

For the uninitiated, "grassing" is telling on someone. Pointing the finger. Whistle-blowing. Snitching.

Not in a pointing-out-a-heroin-dealer-to-a-policeman sense. That's citizenship.

It's more when someone you know has been a bit roguish or accidentally put a football through a window. You don't tell the teacher or your dad or anyone else who's been asking questions. That's grassing.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on January 11th, 2010
Photo by AFP

These are bleak times in Greece. We're waiting for the full details of a government plan to bring the enormous deficit under control, but it's bound to entail some painful adjustments.

There's a feeling that a confrontation may be looming between the government and powerful trade unions. 

European leaders are also waiting to see what kind of plan Greece will come up with. The Greek government says there will be no need for a bail-out from European partners. But, inevitably, the speculation has headed in that direction.

There seem to be two schools of thought on how things would develop if Greece ran into more serious difficulties, and needed emergency financial support. One argument is that Europe cannot afford to allow Greece to fail, because of fears of a debt crisis spreading across the continent, and enveloping other vunerable countries, like Spain, Ireland and Portugal.

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