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Greying Europe, protesting youth
Opinion: The youth backlash.
Whilst her people literally starved for want of bread,
When told of their suffering “Let them eat cake” was all that she said,
Incensed the people quickly relieved the foolish monarch of her head”
So goes the tale of Marie Antoinette, and while we now know now that she probably never said anything of the sort, there is a little truth to be found in this piece of distorted history. A nation was suffering, so the oppressed and hopeless population turned to their leaders for just that - leadership. They were sorely disappointed with the response, which was half hearted and focused more on preserving the failed social order and class system than remedying the grave problems afflicting the populace at large. The result? Disorder and destruction. The historical parallels between our time and that of the French Revolution are striking, though are times are not yet so severe.
Here in Ireland, we have seen the failure of a system that promised to enrich all, by primarily benefiting the better off. In the end however, it managed to fleece the huge majority of ordinary people in order to protect those same privileged individuals who were supposedly leading us into a world of endless prosperity. In some sort of bizarre modern take on the story of Robin Hood, we find the principles of social solidarity being used as a justification to deprive the small working woman, the hard pressed families and the honest business man of their earnings, in order to make good on the enormous debts of the most wealthy and the unimaginable folly of those previously worshiped as demi-gods. Look around you, every day the state is literally robbing the poor (though they use euphemisms like the universal social charge), in order to pay for the excesses of the rich.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the European Union. The E.U. is an institution so crippled by bureaucracy that it not only fails to serve the best interests of its people, but can barely choose the best course for itself. Athens has been turned into a twenty-four seven protest, more reminiscent of a middle-eastern dictatorship than a European capital.
This greying leadership of Eurocratic institutions has served the greying population and the interests of financial organizations, while enslaving the youth of Greece to years of indebtedness, for example. In my opinion, the young people of Greece have played no part in creating these debts, and these financial decisions were taken wholly against their will. So who can be surprised when their feelings of powerlessness force people onto the streets to seek change in the only way they can?
The same story is repeating itself in Ireland and Portugal and is now spreading to Spain, a nation with a more than 40% rate of youth unemployment.
The most shocking thing, in spite of all the suffering enforced on us in the name of “restoring confidence” is that it is all failing! Everywhere.
The “markets” to whom all politicians are apparently entirely beholden to, do not believe for one minute that the latest round of austerity is going to work. They still believe that Greece will default and that we may follow. One thing is certain though; irrespective of the “markets” opinion and politicians’ blustering, the young people of Europe (innocent as we are), will for decades bear the consequences of our elders greed and incompetence.
Unless our national and European leaders wake up, and start providing real solutions focused on the problems facing the young people of Europe, heads may well roll again.
By: John Dunphy
