Greeks Use Barter System to Circumvent Austerity

Susanne Posel
Occupy Corporatism
April 28, 2012

 

 

 

 

The Greek people are becoming weary of the feudalistic debt they have been subjected to by the banking cartels.

Through protest in the streets, the Greeks have come to a determined fact: that protest has changed nothing.

Their government has been bought out by the Technocrats.

The people of Greece have turned to the age old system of barter to meet the needs of the local communities. This action liberates the population from the centralization their government would have them remain trapped in.

Greek citizen, Theodoros Mavridis has found that milk and eggs in an outdoor market are now forms of currency .

Barter rejects the austerity that the Greek government would impose by the direction of the central bankers. The planned implosion of Greece is being turned around by the will of the people.

The Local Alternative Unit (TEM in Greek), also known as the Volos network, has cropped up to exchange goods and services with the barter system co-created by Mavridis.

Use of fiat Greek Currency is still part of the system; however, most of the goods are traded with other goods in a fair trade arrangement.

Members of TEM receive voucher books (which are the alternative currency). They are used like checks, printed with a special seal to make them difficult to counterfeit.

The network holds weekly meetings at the market to keep the community interactive and transparency imperative. The people of Greece are empowered by the TEM. “The most exciting thing you feel when you start is this sense of contribution,” said Ms. Houpis, a member of TEM. “You have much more than your bank account says. You have your mind and your hands.”

George Stathakis, professor of political economy and vice chancellor of the University of Crete, says this service helps people in need. “Ever since the crisis there’s been a boom in such networks all over Greece. There are so many huge gaps that have to be filled by new kinds of networks.”

Parliament is recognizing the work of the people in the creation of “alternative forms of entrepreneurship and local development.”

The Volos network will help the communities of Greece remain intact while the government pushes them further into economic implosion.

The years of rampant consumerism and corporatism have taught the Greeks that when austerity comes calling . . . it is an alert to help one another to rebuild their country together.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes