What's a Greek Urn?
Question: What's a Greek urn?
Answer: About 10 drachmas an hour!
Now if I remember correctly - that's an old Morecambe and Wise joke.
Which doesn't work any any longer, of course, because Greece is a member of the Eurozone - even if it is only holding on by the skin of its teeth.
News of the crisis in Greece is dominated by television - and images of angry demonstrators squaring up to the police.
But there's a real dearth of analysis to explain what's really going on - and why the country finds itself in such a mess.
If you believe the demonstrators, it's all down to greedy banks and foreign governments - who are finally forcing the Greeks to live within their means, but exploiting them in the process.
If you believe the tabloid press, it's the Greek economy is fundamentally corrupt - with a bloated public sector and where few people pay their taxes.
One example I came across describes a 21st century underground system in Athens - built specially for the Olympic Games - which is essentially free.
Because no one collects fares - travellers are trusted to pay the sugested fare into an 'honesty box' - which apparently doesn't raise enough money to run 'diddly squat'.
Can this really be true?
If so, I think we should be told - the whole story.
Since the last time I witnessed such a crazy system was in the Soviet Union (as it was then) - half a lifetime ago - and we all know what happened there.
Answer: About 10 drachmas an hour!
Now if I remember correctly - that's an old Morecambe and Wise joke.
Which doesn't work any any longer, of course, because Greece is a member of the Eurozone - even if it is only holding on by the skin of its teeth.
News of the crisis in Greece is dominated by television - and images of angry demonstrators squaring up to the police.
But there's a real dearth of analysis to explain what's really going on - and why the country finds itself in such a mess.
If you believe the demonstrators, it's all down to greedy banks and foreign governments - who are finally forcing the Greeks to live within their means, but exploiting them in the process.
If you believe the tabloid press, it's the Greek economy is fundamentally corrupt - with a bloated public sector and where few people pay their taxes.
One example I came across describes a 21st century underground system in Athens - built specially for the Olympic Games - which is essentially free.
Because no one collects fares - travellers are trusted to pay the sugested fare into an 'honesty box' - which apparently doesn't raise enough money to run 'diddly squat'.
Can this really be true?
If so, I think we should be told - the whole story.
Since the last time I witnessed such a crazy system was in the Soviet Union (as it was then) - half a lifetime ago - and we all know what happened there.
