William Krehm and I went to Greece specifically with intent to meet with Tsipras, the leader of the Syriza party (once we learned of their existence). We both were excited about the possibilities for the world which might ensue if this man and party could take hold. We went in almost cold, in that we had no apparent contacts. We just went ahead boldly.
As it turned out, a good friend of Bill Krehm’s son lives in Athens and had contacts within the Syriza party. He arranged a meeting once we arrived. The Greeks revere the elderly. They were impressed, pleased, and grateful that such an esteemed person, close to being a centenarian, would seek out their contact.
I was present at the long, private meeting with Alexis Tsipras. He was respectful of Bill. He listened attentively to Bill, showing interest and a knowledge of monetary reform and its necessity. They both agreed that Greece could be the vehicle to lead the world out of the strangling grip of the world’s tyrannical financial elite.
Tsipras, a confident (but not arrogant) young man, impressed me as being a man not only of courage, competence, strength, knowledge and determination, but also of insight. May the “Gods” cloak him with the armour of light.
Connie Fogal
The following article about the trip appeared in the June 2012 issue of ER.
Demonstration of Support from Canada
William Krehm, economist, 98 years old, traveled from Canada to Athens [in June], with one purpose in mind: to encourage and support the struggle of Syriza. That was the reason he met with the head of the parliamentary group, Alexi Tsipras.
“The message I want to send is really a complaint: to denounce the dominance of the speculative commands of the banks against politics. Commands like these, such ordinates, aim at ignoring human capital. To transform this, too, into a component of the betting game.”
And he went on: “This deadly condition concerns not only Greece, but the entire world. The noose they have placed around the neck of Greece today applies to the global economy as a whole. Mankind is not able to reverse its course toward self-destruction without recognizing the critical importance of the ancient Greek heritage.”
That heritage is threatened today as the still vital Bill Krehm recognizes, by the austerity policies directed against Greece’s cultural infrastructure, that to address cultural infrastructure as a liability is to lead humanity towards self-destruction.
William Krehm, who took part in the Spanish Civil War (“I must say that anarchists behaved wonderfully”), an influential member of the Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform, which publishes a business magazine in Canada, decided to make this journey to Athens in solidarity and support for the struggle of Syriza. “Age is irrelevant,” he laughs. “Nothing could deter me from this trip….”
This is the translation from an article that appeared in the Greek newspaper Synentexy on June 16, 2012.
