Germany, expect the invoice in the mail soon. Greece has yet again been rescued with a huge aid package thanks to EU largess. This money should help the authorities in Athens deal with its huge debt rung up due to excess practices such as overblown investments, massive tax avoidance, government waste and a willing Germany overlooking crooked accounting practices and picking up the bill. Isn't it nice to know, and very reassuring to the diligent taxpayers of northern Europe, that the money won't be wasted this time as Greece has certainly learnt its lesson. It's now time for austerity measures in the G of the PIGS.... OK, perhaps not.
Athens daily Kathimerini reports that the Greek 'Regional,Development and Competitiveness Ministry' (hmmm... I'm sure this is just a Potemkin Village department, set up to provide the party faithful of whoever is in power with comfy, stress-free jobs) has approved plans to build a Formula 1 racing track, south of Patras in the Peloponnese. The bill.... a bargain at €94.6 million! Rest assured, the project will include buildings and facilities to support the racing track that, the ministry claims, will be 'of an international standard’. Phew, what a relief! Oh, and the tourists apparently will be flocking in droves, that is, if no general strike is on... again.
According a the study commissioned by the government department (no doubt, an expensive and prolonged one), the track 'will be able to host Formula One cars, Super bike and Go-Kart racing'. Fun!
The project is expected to be completed in 36 months (good luck!) and needs to be approved by Parliament, which is no problem because those politicians in Athens don't have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment, oh, except for that statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje, Macedonia. I mean, the nerve that a statue of an ancient Macedonian figure going up in Macedonia! This is obviously a huge issue.
"497 new job positions are expected to be created (I'd be interested in finding out how they came to such a precise figure) and [would provide a] significant boost to tourism the in the region," the statement said.
I'm sure that the protesters in Syntagma Square are thrilled to the back teeth about this latest, wise decision by a government ministry in Athens. As for names for this Formula 1 track, how about 'White Elephant'?
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