A Citizen’s Guide to Greece 2015
Golden Dawn: before and after?
Excerpts below from an article by Clark Boyd of Public Radio International’s The World on possible consequences of the recent arrest of members of Golden Dawn. The author cites Politis’ good friend Brady Kiesling, f...
In praise of “person-centered” politics
Krysta Kalahani and Maria Patsarika, two of Politis’ regular contributors, enjoyed an exchange on Facebook this past weekend on the merits of “person-centered” municipal politics, inspired by a recent report, ...
None of the above
Voters in democracies often express their dissatisfaction for the candidates, the parties, and, indeed, the political system itself by abstaining from voting on election day. (American voters may also vote for so-called “...
How to design a new government
With all the talk of public sector reform in Greece these days, it would not be surprising if a casual reader might ask, what alternatives are there to the current state of affairs? Where might one start to look? Fear not, Goog...
Vote for Angie!
Fears in Germany that conservative voters may abstain from voting in the coming German national election. Their response: erotic dancers. Would the picture of this semi-nude performer inspire you to vote?
The YouTube citizen
Google and YouTube claim they can help teachers turn teenagers into better citizens. Watch the clip below to find out how.
What is the gagging law (UK)?
There has been a lot of talk in the UK about the so-called “Gagging Law” and its implications for democracy in Britain. Here the folks of 38 Degrees explain what all the fuss is about.
Can Facebook remake government?
Excerpts below from an article in TechCrunch last about about the prospect of Facebook and other social media to remake government around the world. Is there hope? Mark Zuckerberg has a grand vision that Facebook will help citi...
Catalan Way Toward Independence
A recent press release on the Catalan New Agency describes an interesting form of citizen activism. “This coming 11th of September – which is Catalonia’s National Day – pro-independence supporters have organised...
2014: Voting as European citizens
Excerpts below from an article in yesterday’s New York Times by Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Felix Marquardt, founders of Europeans Now. “The time is ripe for a transnational, transgenerational, transpartisan, grass-root...
Extreme citizen action
Below the text of a petition to save the public toilets of the British city of Bath. One woman has pledged to occupy one of the toilets all day as a means of protest. Nearly 100 people have signed. …/… Dear Councill...
Open data: what it is, what it is not
This clip, courtesy of The Guardian, provides a nice overview of the state of thinking about open data, which advocates argue will revolutionize political practice in positive fashion in the months and years to come. See...
You can lie, but you cannot hide: the Freedom of Information Act Machine
Politis likes this: a machine, “open and free to anyone,” which uncovers the most deviously hidden government secrets. More from Billy Gallagher at TechCrunch: “The Freedom of Information Act Machine, an open ...
Double standard on immigration?
By Alyssa Olivo Coming from the United States, immigration isn’t a new issue for me. The US is filled with plenty of people from other countries. Grab five people off the street in New York and ask them where they’re from, ...
Coming to grips with children trying to earn money on the streets
By Alyssa Olivo Even though I’m used to seeing homeless people begging on the streets of New York City, I’ve been surprised at the amount of children trying to earn money on the streets in Greece. I can count on both hands ...
Spying on Greece, too
By Alyssa Olivo Private documents leaked by United States National Security Agency contractor, Edward Snowden, revealed the US has allegedly been spying on the Greek embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Greek United Nations miss...
Making sense of the suicides
By Alyssa Olivo As a New Yorker and visitor of Greece, my view on the crisis differs from natives. Our newspapers tell stories about riots in the streets and articles talk about austerity endlessly but the main question and con...
Diaspora Perspectives
By Elizabeth B. Seliotes Bolling [Editor’s note: Politis welcomes Alaska-born Hellene Elizabeth B. Seliotes Bolling, who will contribute notes on the experience of a diaspora Greek during the crisis.] Being an American of...
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