New cabinet reshuffle in Greece?

Faced by growing popular dissatifaction and falling opinion poll results, leader of the ruling New Democracy party, Kostas Karamanlis is said to be contemplating his second major cabinet reshuffle in a matter of months. Sources close to the prime minister say that Karamanlis is considering a radical restructuring of the government to bring in new talent to deal with the country’s worsening econmic position and get to grips with the challenges thrown up by the continuing worldwide financial crisis.

Although yet to be confirmed, Athens mayor, Nikitas Kaklamnis is said to be a sure bet as the next Minister of the Environment. Given his experience with handling ecological matters and sensitivies over green issues, Kakalmanis is thought to be the perfect replacement for Giorgos Sofoulias. However, the global nature of the problems facing Greece potential candidates from outside the country’s borders mean that others from wider afield are being considered.

Moves have been made via diplomatic connections in Tehran to invite, Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to take over at the Ministry for National Education and Religious Affairs. News of the talks came to light in the national press after video surfaced on Youtube and quickly spread throughout the Greek language blogosphere.

Even more dramatic are the negotiations being quietly held in New York between the Greek government and Bernard Madoff, ex - Wall Street financier to take over the reins at the Ministry of Economics and Finance. High ranking officials in Athens say that Madoff’s particular skill set would be a perfect addition to the cabinet and that he would be the ideal man for the government’s attempts at reforming the economy.

Rumours that the charasmatic North Korean leader, Kim Il-sung., is to replace present foreign minister, Dora Bakoyainni have not yet been officially denied according to local media sources.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/01/07/greece.government.reshuffle/index.html?iref=newssearch

Warning: This report has a high satire content and is not recommended to people with a low tolerence to humour. Side effects include spontaneous laughter, smirking and wry smiles. Please consult your doctor if symptoms persist.

Joking while Rome burns

The massive wave of protests and riots which started in Greece last December was sparked off, in part by the widely held impression that the present ruling party, New Democracy is both incompetent and deeply corrupt. I keep on seeing the same kind of accusations levellled at the government in Iceland which has presided over the worst financial crisis in the country's modern history.

However, the popular anger felt by many people over how their own political elites have allowed the current situation to spiral out of control has also spread to other places such as Riga and probably will not stop there as unemployment and poverty starts to affect other Europeans.

The latest in-joke from Ireland:

"What’s the difference between Iceland and Ireland?

Answer: One letter and about six months.”

The latest joke from Greece

What's the difference between the present government and the boy scouts?

The boys scouts have adult leadership.

The old ones are the best - even in comedy

ATHENS (Reuters) - "I'll tell you what's wrong with it. It's dead, that's what's wrong with it."

For those who believe the ancient Greeks thought of everything first, proof has been found in a 4th century AD joke book featuring an ancestor of Monty Python's Dead Parrot sketch where a man returns a parrot to a shop, complaining it is dead.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Here is another Greek joke I heard years ago. After an archeology conferences all the guys get together in the bar and start to chat and swap war stories. After a few more drinks people start to get a bit boastful. One of the German archeologists starts saying that when he was excavating a 14th century castle in Bavaria they found traces of cables so proving that the Germans had phones long before anyone else.

"Bahhh!!!", starts a Greek archeologist, "Last years we were exacavating the Acropolis and guess what we found?" , "Nothing!, So that shows we had mobile long before anyone else."