FIRST came the truckers. Soon it will be the turn of lawyers, pharmacists and civil engineers. Greece’s Socialist (Pasok) government has belatedly started to embrace structural reforms, buoyed by the success of a swift but messy overhaul of the pension system last month.
“I’m very satisfied with what Greece has done so far,” purred Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the eurogroup, the 16 countries that use the single currency. He was speaking after the government stood up to 33,000 owner-drivers who went on strike in protest against plans to double the number of truck licences and allow Greeks to set up road-haulage companies.
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More worrying, perhaps, Mr Papandreou has been unable to build a consensus for reform. The conservative opposition voted against the EU-IMF package, although it has backed some individual measures. Alex Tsipras, leader of Syriza, a small but vocal left-wing party, says he still expects Greece to default.
So they are urging the government to rally disgruntled Greeks by making an example of wealthy tax evaders. In spite of revelations of widespread tax-dodging by doctors, lawyers and entertainers, no offender has yet been led away in handcuffs in front of the television cameras. “The rich should pay for this crisis” was a popular slogan at last spring’s riots in Athens. Socialist reformers should pay heed.
http://www.economist.com/node/16743935
