Much is being made of poor Greece being bullied by the EU (or Germany as it is known). The historic fact is that Greece, until the time of the romantic Lord Byron, was a dusty Turkish province where nothing happened without a bribe, and refusal to pay tax was a sign of manhood. (Thanks for the favor, Effendi! A little something for your wives).

Since that time no one has paid any tax. It is not surprising that Greece is in the weeds for billions of euros. The idiots who lent it money have themselves to blame. Like a lot of people these days they know no history and are taken in by the story about Greece being the mother of civilisation. It was – until the barbarian invasions, since which time it has remained almost ungovernable. When you talk about helping Greece out of its financial problems you are also talking about helping a crowd of fat cats, sitting on their yachts, asking what a tax is.

You cannot have a functioning modern state without the willingness of the population to pay tax. Every government has to borrow and every government has to re-pay the debt. The Republicans are the Greeks of the United States, refusing to pay for their wars and give-aways to the rich, then complaining about national debt. Time to call these people what they are – freeloaders. Epicurus paid tax, but his tax returns were mislaid during the barbarian invasions.