Specialist scientists comment on the perceptions of the Greek society regarding the mobilizations, as they emerge from the new survey of the society by Prorata.
The associate professor at Aristotle University, Maria Partalidou, and the professor of the Department of Economic Sciences at EKPA, Nikos Theocharakis, explain the attitude of the society based on relevant questions that were carried out as part of a nationwide survey of 1800 people, with stratified sampling based on gender and age.
Divided society for students
In particular, society is divided once morest the student movement, which reacts to the establishment of non-state universities.
While 47% are in favor of student mobilizations, 50% are once morest it.
Professor Nikos Theocharakis attributes this divisive image to directed information to the public.
“Society is divided among the students”, he says, explaining that “but if you think that for years there has been a systematic campaign to slander public education and we see unabashed lies being told in general, I am not impressed that the world, which he listens to the energy cartel media and government cronies who want to play their own tricks, he is half once morest the occupations.”
“Despite what they have been served there is a part that believes in public education” he concludes.
In fact, if the discussion turns to the University occupations, almost 2 out of 3 respondents are once morest it.
“This is the characteristic we call social automation” comments Mr. Theocharakis, that is, when it’s your fight, everyone else turns once morest you.
“But when it’s your turn, no one will be with you and we do this artificially, ‘slice the salami,’ so when you go to shout you’ll be mute,” says the EKPA professor.
With the farmers, but not with the… mobilizations?
As far as the agricultural mobilizations and the demands of the farmers are concerned, the picture is probably clearer and at the same time… complex.
For Ms. Maria Partalidou associate professor at Aristotle University, who specializes in Rural Sociology, it is clear that the people do not agree with the mobilizations.
“Based on the way the question was worded, 47% is the majority, “I am in favor but with conditions”, that is, it tells you that I am not in favor. Especially if you add 17% and 47%, it’s 64% once morest 34%,” says Partalidou.
“But the mobilizations mean, that is, the closing of central arteries”, she explains and notes that the farmers did not actually close arteries, as a large part of the world may think. “They were always on the side, or they would symbolically close for a while and leave room for you to pass, always in coordination with the police” emphasizes the academic.
There is a small percentage who are once morest any social struggle in any case, 17% will never care regarding anything but themselves, adds Theocharakis.
Regarding the support for the mobilizations under conditions, he adds that “because they are given some “exit” questions they answer yes, but not to close the arteries, as long as it does not affect the accuracy, without understanding exactly that the farmers go down to the roads because the accuracy is great”.
“In any case, if something bad happens to me,” he adds, “the whole society should be shocked, so if Thessaly suffers this huge disaster, it’s not surprising that you don’t talk regarding fiscal space and that everyone should let’s contribute to start having relative nutritional self-sufficiency, but also not to give these people to the “dogs” with false procedures and to make fun of them” emphasizes Mr. Theocharakis.
“And you are right, and you are right…”
Perhaps the complexity of the farmers’ case lies in the fact that the world refuses to give a blank check to the farmers, while knowing to a very considerable extent the causes of the agricultural problems.
Both Ms. Partalidou and Mr. Theocharakis conclude that from the answers it seems that the world understands the causes of the farmers’ mobilizations, rightly placing the blame on the Greek government and Brussels.
Indeed, both the Greek government and the KAP are responsible, with a total of 65% arguing that the policies being implemented are to blame, reports the associate professor at Aristotle University.
“The world seems not to be convinced by the narrative of the EU and Brussels that international actors and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are responsible,” she says and explains that the economic and energy crisis that farmers have been experiencing for 15-20 years is not it is a current phenomenon. “But there is no energy crisis because of the war in Ukraine, this is a myth,” she clarifies.
Regarding the responsibilities for the problems arising from the findings of the research in the agricultural sector, the professor in the Department of Economic Sciences at EKPA refers to the anecdote “and you are right, and you are right coke” and when asked by the secretary “I what should I write” the superior answers him “”and you are right””.
“In a sense, it is the EU’s fault in principle with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which the ruling classes in the EU no longer want to pay for once more, so far they are right” argues Mr. Theocharakis, stressing that the Greek government with other governments of the South they mightn’t get a better deal for the Greek farmers.
He has no doubt that the world realizes that farmers are right “especially when Storm Daniel has come through and they’ve pulled down the fields and the livestock and natural capital has been destroyed.”
Besides, as Maria Partalidou reminds, European policies have not favored agriculture for years.
“The demands that the farmers have now are not different from those they had in earlier mobilizations, that is, they are the same. Especially for tax free oil. While the industrialists get the imported oil straight off the boat, i.e. tax-free, the farmers are not allowed to do so. The farmers tell you “let’s go and get it tax-free, straight from the boat, because you force us to get it from the refineries and pay VAT”. This is a question that has existed for many years,” she explains.
“That’s why the governments are to blame, they want to support the industrialist who has zero VAT on oil. In other countries farmers have reduced VAT on oil, they don’t go to the refineries. It tells you why other countries apply it and we don’t. In other words, we take the negatives of the CAP and not the positives from other countries,” adds Ms. Partalidou.
The world does not escape the responsibilities of intermediaries. “This is an old story, from the 1980s,” says Mr. Theocharakis, emphasizing that “they have a role that is very dark, as well as, to a greater extent, the supermarket cartel, which no one talks regarding.”
“Indeed, the intermediaries are also to blame,” adds Ms. Partalidou, stressing “that the world has realized what is happening.”
The mindset?
Given that 12% lays the blame on the farmers as well, Nikos Theocharakis explains why the world can mess with formed mindsets.
“The word mindset is vague,” says the professor. “Farmers don’t go down because they have a ‘tractor down mentality’. I guess the question in the world is whether farmers are partly responsible for the state of agriculture.”
He explains that already “from the time of the first CAP, the Greek governments did not take care to use the money for a productive reconstruction of agriculture and for vote-seeking reasons they let the farmers collect the subsidies, even presenting them as their own successes” says Mr. Theocharakis. “So any “mentality” of the farmers is a result of the behavior of the Greek governments in the last decades”.
After all, “it is not that easy to unload a tractor in Athens”, concludes the professor.
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