Exclusive: Ex-Greek PM George Papandreou on Fiscal Crisis and Why He Backs Occupy Movement

www.democracynow.org - In an exclusive interview, Democracy Now! speak with former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who is attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. Papandreou was forced to resign last month when he suggested holding a national referendum to allow the Greek people to have a say in whether they would accept the European Union's bailout plan which would necessitate severe austerity cuts. We speak to Papandreou about the financial crisis, the role of banks and the importance of the growing Occupy Wall Street movement. "The Occupy Wall Street movements ... are saying something very, very specific. That inequality in the end is an inequality of power. And we need to redistribute power, not just money. Power ---- and this is I think the Democratic challenge that we have today," Papandreou says.

To watch the complete daily, independent news hour, read the transcript, download the podcast, and for more reports from the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban, visit http://www.democracynow.org/tags/durban_climate_summit_2011

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• amy goodman
• democracy now
• dn
• headlines
• news
• politics
• durban
• cop17
• climate change
• global warming
• George Papandreou
• Greece
• EU
• austerity
• OWS
• occupy wall street

[sokratis71]

αντε γαμησου george.......προδοτη,κλεφτη,αλ­ητη,πουλημενο τομαρι,ανθελληνα μασονε,κι εσυ κι ολοι οι προκατοχοι σου......

[YiannisThiakos]

Mr Papandreou, a greek citizen writting. You behaved as as slaves. You betrayed all your voters and all the citizens of Greece. You a fenomenical Socialist gave all of our state property to the banks. You gave your state's existance a lethal blow that us likely to bring to the death of our sociaety, You, your father and your goverment(s) made us (an allways proud nation) to be looked down by europeans like british and germans, by racist enslaved and unfaithfull barbarian. We are better that you!

[IIThesaviour]

A half Greek half English man here. The idea of Papandreou "supporting" the occupy movement is absurd. When Syntagma was occupied by the aganaktismenoi (The indignant), it was papandreou's government who ordered the police to run them over with motor bikes, to tear gas a crowd with Elderly people and children in it. Democracy was born in the country I call home and this man who is not even Greek has single handedly killed it. Good luck my Brothers our future will be difficult...

[karavoskilo]

traitor

[akishad69]

Τι πινει ρε ο πουστης ?

[YiannisThiakos]

@YiannisThiakos and since you talked to me this way I have to ask you something? WHo ar eyou to call me this way?Hope you are not one of his few funs.If english is your native language i dont really give a f@ck about how my spelling seems to you.Lets have a conversation in greek if you wanna prove your intellectual charactEnglish are a widely used language because of commerce and power but they never seized to be a barbaric dialect barbaric.a mixture of Germanic fracnkish and latin greek words.

[YiannisThiakos]

@readmystupidcomments Excuse me for my language then. But i live my life simple with friends and family and guess what. It is not my native language!Is justa n international language we all have to talk so as to comunicate with each other.However that guy Papandreou, who is supposed to be greek, speaks awful greek, and has made 11 million people (at least) suffer because of his long term choises. We have the right to judge him, even if our english are not for your standards.

[arhontas99]

I am not sure this is G. Papandreou himself. I come to believe someone cloned him! Is this the same guy who played a major role in destroying what was left of the Greek economy?

[arhontas99]

George Papandreou holds the title of the worst PM in the last 20 years in Europe. It is unbelievable to hear these words coming out of his mouth. He clearly lives in lalaland.

@readmystupidcomments Your Greek really sucks, and that my friend makes you a barbarian... read your history books. Regarding your donkey molestation habits, be careful and wear a condom.