Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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One does not wish to typecast an entire population. There are many people trying extraordinarily hard to sort things out. It is a very difficult model. We must remember there was civil war in Greece until 1949. When our Civil War was over there was conflict between the combatants, but in Greece there were a lot of consequences for the losing side. People in the public service were forced out, and a lot of people emigrated. Nearly half a million Greek communists settled in Bulgaria. There was huge emigration to the United States, Canada and Australia. As a result of what happened in the 1950s, Melbourne is the second biggest Greek city in the world after Athens. When the first left-wing government formed in 1980 under Mr. Papandreou senior, its policies also had consequences because he attempted to right the wrongs of what had happened after the civil war. The civil service and the public sector were increased dramatically so he could have his own supporters in there. Our Civil War was not as extensive, but by 1924 the sons of opposing combatants were playing on the same Gaelic football teams, and people were doing business together and were intermarrying. That is not the way it happened in Greece. The Greeks had a difficult past, interrupted by the colonels taking over. There is a long tradition and we should not be judgmental. We should do our best to be of assistance, but we have our own priorities also. That is the point I am making. It is not lack of sympathy for Greece, but we are only barely out of the woods.