In the last couple of years, the approach has been more destructive than creative, not only because the latter follows the former’s forceful march into people’s lives, but because Greeks seem to consider that they can have everything: growth, which Europeans talk so much of; compensation for lost incomes and consumerist lifestyles and finally respect on behalf of the international community that is cumulatively represented in people’s minds as ‘the lenders’. On Sunday, all these are at stake.

In the long run, Greece is solely in Greeks’ hands, despite pressure from foreign powers that comes and goes with regular intervals. EU/IMF executives know that they will continue to be concerned with the way we live our lives here, in Europe’s southeast corner.

EU countries, of course, will not stop worrying about anti-MoU dynamics in Greece, not only recorded in the ballot boxes on Sunday, but as a general social force of people who see their incomes flattened and future prospects to remain fuzzy.

Pre-election statistics indicate that what the future holds could be totally different than Greek politicians have drawn in the last 30 years in the so-called “Metapolitefsi”, that is the period that marks the restoration of democracy in the country. By the way, I haven’t met a Greek, who knows the exact meaning of this generically paradox term, which is probably a loan from the post-Modernism jargon, minus the sophistication. For what is worth, this period, besides democracy, seems to have “restored” some really deep socialist and right-wing pockets. The recent Tsohatzopoulos case is just the beginning; in order to qualify as a term, catharsis needs a few more public figures to go down.

So, what’s going to be on Sunday? A youngster told me this morning that for the first time he and his friends will actually turn up to vote; then they plan to gather at someone’s home with some pizzas and the usual 6-packs to watch the… derby. “It would be fun…” he said.

Either a joke or a new reality, Sunday’s election tele-marathons will resemble a Colosseum; old political parties will be chewed up by civil society over a mix of old fashion nihilist anger and empty pockets. Disappointment was always present in Greek politics as regards mainstream parties, especially amongst the young. In the last couple of years, Net generation have seen its future disappearing further away in the horizon. Last year’s figures show that unemployment in the 15-29 age group has reached 40%, turning a jobless state of life into a condition of apathy.

“I cannot believe that people are on the streets holding flags, participating in the two parties’ rallies… how stupid Greeks can be?” a young girl said in an Athens café over Skype to a group of fellow students in Warwick, who were asking about the situation in the country.

Stupid or not, votes are needed for the country to be governed by a “coalition of the willing”, preferably technocrats who can offer real solutions to long- standing problems. They would also need to break some myths that continue to demonize public dialogue, turning necessary structural changes and reforms into cursed MoU material.

Dr. Demetris Kamaras is the Editor of AlYunaniya.

photo: Edward de Bono’s ’6 hats Theory’