In October 2011, the Ekathimerini published the following letter:
"Dear Mr Papandreou,
My name is Theodore Vasilopoulos. I am 11 years old and I live in Athens.
I am writing to you because I have found a solution to Greece’s debt crisis. The government could build a factory that converts solar energy, wind power and waterpower to electrical energy.
Please try to convince countries that we owe money to and ask them if we could pay our debt in energy. It might take a while, but if we have that factory, we might become the most resource-rich nation in the world.
I have listed the advantages of implementing my proposal in point form below.
1) We would be able to pay back our debt for free.
2) We wouldn’t have to buy raw materials from other countries to produce energy (for example coal and petrol).
3) We would get the energy for free.
4) When we pay back the debt, we could continue supplying countries with our alternative energy, making a profit.
5) If the countries appreciate the work we have done, we might be able to stay in the euro.
I hope you seriously consider my proposal. Looking forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Theodore Vasilopoulos"
Theodore Vasilopoulos turns 15 this year but he will sadly have to recognize that there is still no economic development plan for the Greek economy.
Those who think Theodore's plan won’t work should come up with a better plan; and again with a better plan. And if Greek brainpower gets its act together, there would probably be a fairly decent plan within weeks.
But for heaven’s sake, don’t leave the planning up to 11-year olds!
"Dear Mr Papandreou,
My name is Theodore Vasilopoulos. I am 11 years old and I live in Athens.
I am writing to you because I have found a solution to Greece’s debt crisis. The government could build a factory that converts solar energy, wind power and waterpower to electrical energy.
Please try to convince countries that we owe money to and ask them if we could pay our debt in energy. It might take a while, but if we have that factory, we might become the most resource-rich nation in the world.
I have listed the advantages of implementing my proposal in point form below.
1) We would be able to pay back our debt for free.
2) We wouldn’t have to buy raw materials from other countries to produce energy (for example coal and petrol).
3) We would get the energy for free.
4) When we pay back the debt, we could continue supplying countries with our alternative energy, making a profit.
5) If the countries appreciate the work we have done, we might be able to stay in the euro.
I hope you seriously consider my proposal. Looking forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Theodore Vasilopoulos"
Theodore Vasilopoulos turns 15 this year but he will sadly have to recognize that there is still no economic development plan for the Greek economy.
Those who think Theodore's plan won’t work should come up with a better plan; and again with a better plan. And if Greek brainpower gets its act together, there would probably be a fairly decent plan within weeks.
But for heaven’s sake, don’t leave the planning up to 11-year olds!
George Papandreou did listen to Theodore! Remember Helios project? The only drawback was it needed 25 beur for financing.
ReplyDelete61 year old Prof. Milios does have a plan!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nwzonline.de/interview/herr-schaeuble-kann-sein-geld-behalten_a_12,5,3079405086.html
- Public investments.
- Increase of consumption.
- Banks under state control.
- Fighting illegal employment.
Those are bullet statements for a presentation but not a plan. McKinsey presented a plan back in 2011. So did I.
Deletehttp://klauskastner.blogspot.co.at/2012/10/a-growth-model-for-greece-post-scriptum_27.html
http://klauskastner.blogspot.co.at/2012/09/an-economic-development-plan-for-greece.html
The aim of the McKinsey plan, is to destroy the greek agriculture and put everything on the hands of 5-6 foreign multinationals. The McKinsey plan was funded by SEB (the greek association of industrialists) and the national bank of Greece. It is unacceptable and destructive for Greece.
DeleteHere the attack of 16 SYRIZA MPs to Stournaras, accusing him of using it in a Eurogroup:
http://www.syriza.gr/article/id/56604/Erwthah-kai-Aithsh-Katatheshs-Eggrafwn-boyleytwn-SYRIZA-pros-toys-Ypoyrgoys-Oikonomikwn---Agrotikhs-Anaptykshs-kai-Trofimwn:-Meta-thn-meleth-ergaleiothhkh-toy-OOSA-erchetai-kai-h-meleth-McKinsey-na-apoteleiwsei-thn-ellhnikh-agrotikh-oikonomia.html#.VLKbQxxwq7Y
Well, if one doesn't like the McKinsey plan, which I can fully understand, then one should present a better plan. But only criticizing, blaming others but not coming up with proposals on one's own is not worthy of a first world country, in my opinion. Even the Russian communists had a plan back in 1918.
DeleteBTW, my understanding is that the basis for the McKinsey plan was a large planning exercise undertaken by the Greek government in 2006/07 and that McKinsey only took those ideas and expanded upon them.
How one gets the idea that McKinsey aimed at destroying Greek agriculture escapes my imagination. Perhaps it would be an idea to read the respective section of the plan before taken it apart.
Mr. Kastner, i only said what SYRIZA says... The closest i can find about a SYRIZA's economic plan, is the targets set in the founding convention here:
Deletehttp://www.syriza.gr/page/politikes-apofaseis-synedriwn.html#.VLKgnxxwq7Y
If ones goes to the policies per section, they are "under negotiation" (when you have 12 parties inside with different views, it takes long time to agree on something). And, they aren't really positions, but rather statements made by various party members (in the process of negotiating):
http://www.syriza.gr/page/thematikes-enothtes.html
Samaras in his speech talked about "sweeping reforms and competitiveness everywhere", giving some general ideas, but he is going to lose and he didn't promice as much money as Tsipras.
http://www.enikos.gr/ekloges-2015/290053,Samaras:_Metarry8miseis_kai_anaptyxh_-_B.html
P.S.: The Russian comunists were a single party. SYRIZA is 12 parties + former PASOK refugees.
To make sure that I am not misunderstood: not only does SYRIZA not have what I would consider a plan; no party in Greece seems to have a plan. Thank goodness we now have George Papandreou! I watched one of his first interviews and he said that their first priority would be to put together a comprehensive plan for the Greek economy. So have no fear: a solution is under way!
DeleteHahaha! George, the Cavalry, is coming! Mr. Kastner, things are simpler than they look. Tsipras is civil engineer, not an economist. In Greece, the finance minister, traditionally, has rather big room for manouver from the PM. Bigger than most ministers. Well, up until he messes things up.
DeleteWhat will happen, is that Tsipras will have to choose between a rather wide variety of economists he has. The one that gets the job, will pretty much do what he wants. That's the plan.
The problem with both George Papandreou and Samaras, is that they both talk of national growth plan, but nobody cares, because they 've expended their political capital. Otherwise, if you look at Samaras' speech, it's like a mini-resume of McKinsey plan. But Samaras has tired people, he is a politician of the "old days", that also carries his sins, his usefuleness ends here. The most likely front liner ND politicians to try to run something like the McKinsey plan, is Kiriakos Mitsotakis, because he is of the liberal wing of ND. He isn't very popular though, in part because he is a Mitsotakis, in part because he doesn't appear as likeable as others. But i expect him to be amongst the pretenders after Samaras' fall.
Any examples of countries that turned to Green technologies and prospered? With oil so low, things are even tighter.
ReplyDeleteDo we really need to pay our gov to create and carry out a 'plan' to lead us to prosperity? How confident are we that Samaras or Tsipras can do that? Do the USA, Germany, the UK have similar plans?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteΗere's ND's grown plan "Greece 2021":
ReplyDeletehttp://lemetinalithia.gr/ellada-2021
Watch out, the Greeks are planning to make a plan. It will cover the day after elections from noon to 1200 hours.
ReplyDeleteMr. Kastner,
ReplyDeleteThe kids idea is indeed great. I still do not understand why we can not implement an energy plan on renewable energies. Having that in mind indeed that is pathetic. Although if you are to indeed make an investment you need to have a policy which is consistant and is not changing to thwart a ROI.
When Georgy was PM, there was a huge advertisement for individuals to invest into solar panels on homes and to make solar panel parks. Many positives. A standard tax free income for 25 years. An initial payoff of initial investment by 8th year, providing the DEH the renewable energy quota necessary for the eu emissions act by 2020. And provide new jobs and new prospects.
Initially i was skeptical why so much pushing, but i ignored this and sourced this posibility. I found that with an investment of 18,000 euro i would have my money back at 6 years max. then profit. This based on the set price euro/kw. I proceeded to issue a permit which cost me 1,000 euro. Upon receieving the permit, troika and the government, change the set price and also rumored that renewable energies would be taxed. I gracefully backed out and did not sign the DEH contract and i did rightfully.
The return would have been after 16 years with the price change and as of last year there is a tax on income from renewable energy. I lost 1,000 euro with this meanwhile i am happy as i know many people who took out loans of 200,000 euro to build solar parks. They ar in terrible debt now because with a ROI at 16 on initial investment plus the tax, plus that DEH never pays for renewable energy on time, they will most probably lose the park.
The whole renewable energy issue in Greece was used as scam to generate a new market for a very short period of 1,5 years. those who have proceeded since then are in a hole.
Even this we fcked up. So my answer to the little kid is, yes your idea is great but not until we find leaders who take oppotunities for the greater good.
Personally, i will invest and make my home energy efficient and permit or not allowable or not i will invest in renewable energy for my own use. To be honest one day i will cut the line to DEH and be completely "off Grid."
Sincerely,
V
After five years of following the news about Greece I am convinced that this kind of reasoning is really the best that can be expected. It compares favorably with the plans of some parties, actually. I guess that Theodore Vasilopoulos will be a successful politician in a few years.
ReplyDelete