Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
Well, 24 centuries after discovering it, the Greeks have apparently soured on it.
Jean Quatremer reports that according to a poll conducted by the Kappa Institute, 30 percent of Greek respondents want the country to be led by "a group of experts and technocrats," 22.7 percent want "a strong leader and parliamentary elections that cannot be an obstacle" to reform, and fewer than a quarter of those polled felt that a democratically-elected government would be able to cope with the crisis.
His blog is published by Libération--in French, I'm afraid. Quatremer observes:
This authoritarian drift of opinion is disturbing to say the least, 36 years after the fall of the fascist dictatorship of the colonels (1967-1974). But the Greeks are wary of politicians suspected of wanting both to preserve their privileges while continuing to plunder the state. It is no coincidence that 80 percent of respondents approve of the sale of public goods required by the EU and the IMF, because in Greece, state property is synonymous with malfeasance or incompetence, not public service. An example? The buildings constructed during the Athens Olympics in 2004 have been abandoned--it must be seen to be believed, a portion of them were finally sold for a pittance to the Orthodox Church, sparking a scandal. Moreover, 47 percent of them have no confidence at all in their government to carry out [the privatizations].
Thanks to Pootergeek for pointing out the link to Arthur Goldhammer's blog which directed me to Quatremer. Any of our Greek-reading members feel like looking for the original poll? That's all Greek to me, alas. You knew I was going to say that.
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Comments :
May '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
The Greeks have a good history of tossing out their democracy, too.
Mar '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
Here are the results from the KAPPA reserach poll published in the Athens newspaper "To Vima) on May 29:
Q: Is it positive or negative for the country that there is international oversight by the "troika"? (that's how Greeks refer to the joint group of the European Commission (EC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the European Central Bank (ECB) set up to do this)
Positive: 23.2%
Likely positive: 29.5%
Likely negative: 15.5%
Negative: 28.6%
Don't know/no response: 3.2%
Q: In the event of an election which of the following outcomes would be best for the country?
Majority government of PASOK (current governing party): 10.5%
Majority government of New Democracy (current main opposition, previous government): 7.5%
Coalition government of PASOK ans smaller parties: 8.6%
Coalition government of New Democracy and LAOS (right-wing party): 3.4%
Coalition government of New Democracy and smaller parties: 2.5%
Coalition government of PASOK and New Democracy: 9%
Unity government (includes all parties): 44.4%
Don;t know/no response: 14.1%
(continued next, as I've come close to the 200 word post limit)
Mar '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the work of A. Samars, the leader of the New Democracy (main) opposition party?
Approve: 4.9%
Probably approve: 16.9%
Probably disapprove: 28.4%
Disapprove: 44.6%
Don't know/no response: 5.2%
Q: Do you approve or disapprove of the work of G. Papandreou as prime minister?
Approve: 7%
Probably approve: 17.4%
Probably disapprove: 23.4%
Disapprove: 48.8%
Don't know/no response: 3.4%
Q: Which of the following government methods does the country need to deal effectively with the crisis?
A government that is elected democratically by the people, as has been happening since 1974 (when the military junta lost power): 40.2%
A government of experts and technocrats that will manage public affairs replacing the government: 30.9%
A leader with prestige and powers who could make snap decisions without being hindered by the parliament and elections: 22.7%
Don't know/no response: 6.2%
(Continued next)
Mar '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
Q: In recent months groups of citizens have been denouncing politicians with acts of violence, verbal assaults, etc. Do you agree or disagree with such practices?
Agree: 34.7%
Probably agree: 22.3%
Probably disagree: 17.7%
Disagree: 23.6%
Don't know/no response: 1.7%
Poll details: Men and women over the age of 18, representative segment of the population based on the 2001 census. 1,169 participants from all 13 regions of the country. Poll conducted from May 8 until May 21, 2011.
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People are disgusted with and the major political parties and their leadership and (disturbingly) a plurality approves of the violent protests taking place. However, most don't believe that a strongman with emergency powers could help the country out of its current troubles. The numbers of people wanting a coalition unity government to manage the crisis along with the desire of many to see a government of experts and technocrats point to a situation in which a government is formed, consisting of politicians from all major parties along with respectable technocrats running ministries dealing with the economy and receives vote of confidence in Parliament. Not optimistic it will happen soon or it will matter.
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
Terribly phrased question. Pretty important to distinguish between support for denouncing politicians with "verbal assaults" and support for denouncing them with "violence," wouldn't you say?
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
Thanks for this, Ioannis. I'm now thinking, looking at the phrasing of the poll as you've put it, that it's not worth much. Were the respondents only given these choices, for example?
Seems to me that's both a leading and a confusing question; the answer wouldn't tell you much save that people don't want more of the same. Answer two could mean they want elected experts and technocrats; answer three could mean they want an elected leader with prestige and power and they don't want the elected parliament to create gridlock ... it doesn't necessarily mean they've had it with democracy. Would you agree?
Mar '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
Well, some issues may be the translation (I don't do it for a living so nuances of the language may have been trampled over). Regarding the question about protests I agree that there is certainly a big difference between violent acts and words and it is my sense that if the two were split the support for "acts of violence" would be lower. The question about the form of government really reflects the Greek experience: a) What the country has had since 1974 which, warts and all, has been a parliamentary democracy with freedom to vote for whomever one wants (or whomever one believes that will appoint his/her son or daughter to a public service job) without fear of reprisals. b) What the country has had a number of times since its inception: A military dictator or a very powerful prime minister with a large and compliant parliamentary majority, often achieved in less than free elections. c) What many wistfully wish the country had, a government of experts without political encumbrances.
Feb '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
If this same poll were put to my liberal friends (and some of the conservatives too), I suspect the response for a government of experts and technocrats would be at least as strong as the Greeks, if not stronger. I take your point, Claire, that it's not necessarily inconsistent with democracy, but I also suspect that a not insignificant portion of the population wouldn't be troubled by a lack of democracy.
Mar '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
I think a great deal of the Greek public's consternation with the political system and, especially, the politicians is the sense of national embarrassment and shame at being a deadbeat.They blame the politicians, which is right, except that they were democratically elected and so the voting public must share the blame for the country's financial troubles. The current government's deputy PM, the usually outspoken T. Pangalos, famously observed that "We ate it all together", using the Greek expression to argue that everyone in Greece is responsible to squandering or illegally pocketing a lot of the money from the loans that now the country cannot afford to repay. Many Greeks took umbrage at Mr. Pangalos' suggestion and while it is true that most did not illegally benefit financially from the various loans and EU grants, they sat back and did nothing while a minority was doing so, often quite blatantly. But there is also the relatively recent (1967-1974) national embarrassment of the crude, rude, incompetent and stupid rule by the military junta, which puts on the brakes and prevents many (most?) Greeks, however disgusted they may be with the present situation, from pining for a strongman.
Mar '11
Re: Poll: Greeks Beginning to Regret Inventing Democracy
The Greeks may have "discovered" democracy, but they were never very good at it. The Age of Pericles was just a few decades. It was always the other city states with their kings that had longer lasting rule.