I heard a couple of things on BBC World Service Radio this morning that attracted my attention.First, there was an interview with Dr Emmanuel Kontopirakis, the former secretary general of Greece's National Statistical Office, who, in typical Greek fashion, denied all responsibility for the inaccurate economic data Greece had been presenting to the EU for years and which has so damaged the country's credibility in the eyes of its 'partners'. Listen to interview below in MP3 player.
(There was a similar 'not me, guv' interview given last week, again on the BBC, by Giorgos Alogoskoufis, who was Greece's finance minister from 2004 to 2009 – see here).
Second, there was a report from Israel on how that country's government is cracking down on illegal immigrants and is even deporting children born in Israel to foreign mothers, children who speak no language other than Hebrew and claim Israel is their home. The Israeli government is worried that the flood of non-Jewish immigrants to Israel will damage that county's national cohesion and social fabric. Greece, of course, has recently decided on the opposite course of action and is planning to grant Greek citizenship to children born to foreign mothers, even if they are illegal immigrants. (For more on Israel's policy on illegal immigrants, read here).
Second, there was a report from Israel on how that country's government is cracking down on illegal immigrants and is even deporting children born in Israel to foreign mothers, children who speak no language other than Hebrew and claim Israel is their home. The Israeli government is worried that the flood of non-Jewish immigrants to Israel will damage that county's national cohesion and social fabric. Greece, of course, has recently decided on the opposite course of action and is planning to grant Greek citizenship to children born to foreign mothers, even if they are illegal immigrants. (For more on Israel's policy on illegal immigrants, read here).
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