Mouse That Roared
Slovakia is one of the smaller member countries of the European Union.
Not one of the big players like Germany or France - but Slovakia is making a point about the crazy politics behind the planned bail out of Greece.
Slovakia is - in relative terms - one of the European Union's poorer countries.
Which has had to pull itself up by its bootstraps - metaphorically speaking - since breaking free of the old Soviet bloc - and becoming an independent country in 1992.
But Slovakia is being asked to contribute 7.7 billion Euros - towards the 440 billion Euro 'stability fund' - which the EU has established to prevent a complete banking collapse.
The only problem is that all 17 member countris of the Euro-zone have to agree - and at the moment the Slovaks are withholding their consent - in order to make a point.
And the point is that this is all rather unfair - since people who are worse off than the Greeks - are being asked to pay for their mistakes.
Having made big sacrifices to turn their own country around - many Slovaks are wondering why they should help subsidise the Greek economy.
The Scotsman carrried the following quote yesterday from Dana Antasova - an economist on maternity leave in the Slovakian city of Poprad - which I've visited would you believe:
"The Greeks have big pensions and retire early. I'll have to work until I'm 65 to help pay off the loans that our government will have to take out to pay for Greece's mistakes. I'm really mad. They stole everything, and now they want money from us?"
The background for Dana's resentment is all too obvious - since salaries in Slovakia average only 780 Euros a month - while the minimum wage in Greece is 750 Euros a month.
Now all of this will be sorted out behind the scenes and Slovakia will fall into line - eventually.
But the Slovaks are making an important point - which is that what's fair and reasonable across Europe as a whole - is not just a matter for demonstrators and politicians - inside Greece.
Not one of the big players like Germany or France - but Slovakia is making a point about the crazy politics behind the planned bail out of Greece.
Slovakia is - in relative terms - one of the European Union's poorer countries.
Which has had to pull itself up by its bootstraps - metaphorically speaking - since breaking free of the old Soviet bloc - and becoming an independent country in 1992.
But Slovakia is being asked to contribute 7.7 billion Euros - towards the 440 billion Euro 'stability fund' - which the EU has established to prevent a complete banking collapse.
The only problem is that all 17 member countris of the Euro-zone have to agree - and at the moment the Slovaks are withholding their consent - in order to make a point.
And the point is that this is all rather unfair - since people who are worse off than the Greeks - are being asked to pay for their mistakes.
Having made big sacrifices to turn their own country around - many Slovaks are wondering why they should help subsidise the Greek economy.
The Scotsman carrried the following quote yesterday from Dana Antasova - an economist on maternity leave in the Slovakian city of Poprad - which I've visited would you believe:
"The Greeks have big pensions and retire early. I'll have to work until I'm 65 to help pay off the loans that our government will have to take out to pay for Greece's mistakes. I'm really mad. They stole everything, and now they want money from us?"
The background for Dana's resentment is all too obvious - since salaries in Slovakia average only 780 Euros a month - while the minimum wage in Greece is 750 Euros a month.
Now all of this will be sorted out behind the scenes and Slovakia will fall into line - eventually.
But the Slovaks are making an important point - which is that what's fair and reasonable across Europe as a whole - is not just a matter for demonstrators and politicians - inside Greece.
