Comments on: One small Greek island’s relentless struggle to get by

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:52:20 +0000

Chris,

Just read your article “The grind of Greece’s austerity”

Please contact me. (I can’t find your email address anywhere.) I am a British expat living in a small mountain village in the Peloponnese, and have been wondering for a while what (if anything) I can do to help in the present difficulties. Would like to discuss with someone who has obviously thought about it too.

By: Benjamina

Benjamina — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:53:49 +0000

I have spent part of the summer on Samos almost every year for the past 15 and feel a strong affection for and attachment to this beautiful island and its people.
This article was both alarming and, in places, inspiring. The time is ripe for ordinary working class people to take control and build an alternative way of life which is not driven by consumerism.
My thoughts are with those that are suffering and for whom the struggle is a painful one. I have every faith in the people’s resilience and integrity.

By: MaxWiz

MaxWiz — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:53:57 +0000

That made tough valentine’s day reading. Me and my wife honeymooned on Samos in 2001. Two of the most beautiful weeks of my life. An island full of character and vibrancy. Wonderful memories.

Austerity measures cripple communities in an attempt to secure prosperity of the rich. It is the ordinary folk that go without and suffer. €1.75/l for fuel is an inconvenience for the well off but will destroy a small business that relies on transporting goods/people.

The description you offer of people pulling together to cope is heartwarming. It is here that you get a sense of community that exists on islands. This is the antidote to capitalism and the rich.

Thank you for this well written piece,
Max

By: Toula

Toula — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:02:56 +0000

Thank you Chris,

This is probably the most valuable article I have read on Samos while researching the Samos of today rather than the Samos of yesteryear, which I remember fondly.

Despite the current situation, it still hasn’t put me off wanting to give up life down under for life on this beautiful island that my ancestors call home. We should catch up for an ouzo in the summer!

Toula

By: Peter Papageorgiou

Peter Papageorgiou — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:55:13 +0000

Very well written. We are facing a similar situation here in Corfu. We should get in touch.
Peter

By: I. Bois

I. Bois — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 16:55:51 +0000

Hello. I went through your article,today, and in my opinion,life and economy in Greece, is going through heavy changes, without help of other EU countries.we pay the risk of EU economy, and global crisis.

By: peter

peter — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Thanks for that in depth article on the current situation on Samos. Last time I have been there was in May and June 2011.
There is one important thing that should be aded too: the people on Samos are lucky in that they have lots of drinking water available, almost everywhere on the island!

By: Diana Wright

Diana Wright — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:13:35 +0000

Thank you for this. It reflects what my correspondents from Athens, Patras, Ioannina, & Nauplion have to say. Ironically, it is something of a move back to the economic system Plethon recommended for the Greeks in the early 1400s.

By: aglf

aglf — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:40:43 +0000

Thank you for this article which gives a greater insight into the current situation on the margins of Greece than anything else I’ve read. In particular the way in which you touch on how the crisis is changing people’s mindsets, both for worse but also for better.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:17:59 +0000

Great article that needs to be read as widely as possible. Good to find out what’s happening in Greece outside the big cities.