Youth Engagement with British Politics by Christos Tuton (VP) On Saturday 24 March, NEPOMAK UK’s Vice-President, Christos Tuton, and Committee Member, Stephanos Ioannou, visited the Hellenic TV studio to film a discussion about the engagement of young people and young Cypriots in British politics. The discussion was inspired by Stephanos Ioannou candidacy in the local council elections on Thursday 3 May.

NEPOMAK UK saw Stephanos’ candidacy as a good opportunity to highlight the topic of young peoples’ engagement with politics. One of NEPOMAK’s key aims is to encourage our community to engage with politics, and before the General Election in 2017 NEPOMAK UK made a video about why it is important to vote and why it is important for young people to have their voices heard in British politics.

During the discussion, they reflected on some of Stephanos’ experiences and involvement in politics so far. They also considered how Cypriots have excelled in fields such as law, business, medicine and teaching, and are now becoming more involved in British politics – as demonstrated by Bambos Charalambous’ election in 2017 as the Member of Parliament for Enfield Southgate. One of the most important messages from the interview was that it does not matter which political party you support; the crucial thing is to get involved and have your opinions heard. Furthermore, by becoming more active in British political parties, UK Cypriots will take issues that are important to them, such as the Cyprus issue, and expose those to a wider group of people who may have never heard of the Cyprus issue before.

The discussion will be broadcast on Hellenic TV 21.04.2018 at 20.00, and will be available to view Freeview Channel 264, Cyta UK Roku Box, on Hellenic TV’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Stephanos Ioannou is standing to be a councillor in the Southgate Ward of Enfield Council for the Conservative Party on Thursday 3 May.

The interview was taken place with: An Economist, a political analyst, and myself.

THE TOPIC UNDER DISCUSSION:

Greece slipped deeper into its financial abyss after the bailout program it has relied on for five years expired at midnight Tuesday and the country failed to repay a loan due to the International Monetary Fund, deepening fears over whether it will be able to remain in the eurozone.
With its failure to repay the roughly 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) to the IMF, Greece became the first developed country to fall into arrears on payments to the fund. The last country to do so was Zimbabwe in 2001.
After Greece made a last-ditch effort to extend its bailout, eurozone finance ministers decided in a teleconference late Tuesday night that there was no way they could reach a deal before the deadline.

My questions and answers during the interview:

Question: “What now for Greece following the failure of the IMF payment?”

Reply: “Greece, being the first developed nation in the world to miss a payment to the IMF, was quite frankly an embarrassment.  However, its not just the embarrassment that goes for Greece, but also the European Union and Central Bank,ECB, which prides its self on the notion of “stability”.
The European Union and its institutions should have done more in regards to financial aid for Greece, maybe in the form of a haircut or a reduction in interest payments on previous loans given to them, to allow for more breathing space and to give a chance for growth and employment.

Furthermore, given that Greece faces tough economic times, its worth saying that the out-of-touch political class don’t help the situation. The amateurish politics of Syriza and Tsipras not providing clarity frustrates not only Europe’s leaders but the Greek people that are still waiting for a solution.”

Question: “So what do you think should happen now with Greece? Should they default, or stay with the Eurozone currency?”

Reply: “This is the question that to be honest, I myself can’t even answer as both sides are to blame.

Lets be clear… Greece leaving the Euro currency will be a catastrophe for Greece in the short-term. However, for Europe, I think it will be beneficial as lets not forget Greece now makes up less than 2% of Euro GDP, and yet causes problems in all areas. So what do I think? Well should we leave the next day, stocks will probably improve, Europe will progress and Greece will be left behind. But for Greece, this may be an opportunity to take control of its own problems, set rates for its currency through its own independent Central Bank, and maybe get growth back on track and subsequently fix its own economic problems.
However, the short term is the problem. The loss of confidence from
investors, and from nations, that will struggle to trust Greece in the future will haunt us forever and so for generations to come.

So really the real question here is “Do we take on our duties and obligations as a nation towards Europe and our creditors, or do we turn our back on our friends that once fed us, and try and fix our own problems?”

Greece needs Europe, and its increasingly becoming fact that Greece needs Europe, and not the other way round. Hence Greece should stay in Europe, take tough decisions for the economy through austerity, and come out as true succeeders,  and with that become an example for future generations that taking the medicine can lead to a better future.”

 

 

Many thanks to the Victoria Derbyshire program that invited me to attend the studio, to discuss with others, the “What happens next question” facing Greece as the country has snap elections. This comes at a time when the country faces political and economical uncertainty that without a doubt has ruined generations prospects to come.

“Despite the economic and political uncertainty that Greece faces, it still remains one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and we should not forget that because it’s not all bad.”

 

The interview came the day when the Greeks went to the ballot boxes again for the second time in one year, to vote for a new government. The Syriza party of Alexis Tsipras won for the second time, and I gave my reaction.

The links between the UK and Poland run deep. They are further reinforced by the size of the Polish diaspora living in the UK, which at around 900,000 is the UK’s largest foreign-born community, and makes Polish the second most spoken language in England. This, and the significant alignment of interests and values between the two countries, suggest the vital importance of maintaining close ties in the future.

Poland has been named the most business-friendly country in the Central European region, and Britain has successfully recognized that. According to a 2019 report from Deloitte, three out of four companies owned or co-owned by British investors planned to increase their investment outlays in Poland. Moreover, UK investors perceive Poland positively due to the “size of its economy and its growing integration with the global economy.” 

The timing of the interview was surrounding an article by the British newspaper The Guardian, that the Parthenon Marbles could form a basis for the Greeks to veto Brexit talks.

I explained that although this could hypothetically be the case, indeed the European Union will be the ones advocating such a stance. Under Article 50 of the European Union the Union has a right to protect existing members cultural heritage, and with that have no choice but to assist the Greeks on the possible request should it happen.

I believe that culture knows no borders hence these marbles are part of global culture, and I am happy the British meuseum are helping in ensuring the safety of the marbles. However I also believe in cultural-unification and am of the beliefe someday a cultural exchange in a loan type agreement for the marbles is possible.

I was invited to be part of the Victoria Derbyshire programme on BBC 2.

It came at a time when Greece either has the choice of voting   No (OXI)  or Yes (NAI) to creditors proposals for a new bailout. I expressed how I believed the outcome of a no vote was the wrong decision to make, and that in all its victory, it will harm the future generations to come for Greece.

I myself was “NAI”, and remain so. Stability and prosperity are what nations need, and I believe that by Greece being part of the Euro it will be more prosperous compared to going back to the Drachma.

A day before the historic referendum on the UK’s  membership of the EU I was interviewed on Greek TV by ANT 1, to give my view on the issue.

I made it clear that as our closest neighbour, we must continue to have a healthy relationship European Union. As a key trading partner we must ensure that we maintain dialouge and increase coperation mainly for the benefit of UK trade. There are many positives in the relationship whether it be on trade, military coperation mainly through NATO,  energy and enviromental policies

With so much we can work together on, regadless of the result the relationship should always be progressive and not recessive.