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FAIRNESS played a central role in Barack Obama's state-of-the-union address, and I suspect it will play a central role in the president's re-election campaign. But what does Mr Obama have in mind when he deploys the f-word? It may not be the case that fairness is, as Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, puts it, "a concept invented so dumb people could participate in arguments". But it cannot be denied that fairness is an idea both mutable and contested. Indeed, last week's state-of-the-union address seems to contain several distinct conceptions of fairness worth drawing out and reflecting upon.
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The Greek PM has warned the nation of a collapse in living standards if MPs fail to pass an unpopular austerity bill demanded in return for a 130bn-euro ($170bn; �110bn) bailout.
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Toward the beginning of his speech, as Mr Obama was trying to draw a parallel between post-second world war America and today's post-Iraq war America, he offered this rather stark choice:
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In a TV address, Lucas Papademos said Greece was "just a breath away from Ground Zero".
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We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.
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The cabinet has approved the measures but five government ministers resigned.
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Here we have three distinct conceptions of fairness in a single sentence.
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Unions are holding a 48-hour strike, and thousands of protesters rallied in central Athens against the measures.
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To get a "fair shot" is to be offered the opportunity to participate fully and succeed within the country's institutions. This is, I think, the least controversial conception of fairness in America's political discourse. Conservatives who strenuously object to the idea that the American system should aim at "equality of outcomes" will sometimes affirm "equality of opportunity" as an alternative. But this is a mistake. To really equalise opportunity requires precisely the sort of intolerably constant, comprehensive, invasive redistribution conservatives rightly believe to be required for the equalisation of outcomes. If one is prepared to accept substantial inequalities in outcome, it follows that one is also prepared to accept substantial inequalities in opportunity.
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Riot police were on standby after clashes on Friday, but the demonstrations were mostly peaceful.
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Getting a fair shot doesn't require equalising opportunity so much as ensuring that everyone has a good enough chance in life. The content of "good enough" is of course open to debate, but most Americans seem to agree that access to a good education is the greater part of a "good enough" and thus fair shot. Naturally, there is strong partisan disagreement over the kinds of education reform that will do right by young Americans.
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The austerity measures are being demanded by the eurozone and IMF - they must now be passed by the Greek parliament and approved by European finance ministers.
 +
 
 +
Some MPs from the governing parties are expected to vote against the bill, the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens reports.
 +
 
 +
But analysts say the package should still have enough support in parliament, because Pasok, the largest party, and its coalition ally New Democracy account for more than 230 deputies out of a total of 300.
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Catastrophe fear
 +
 
 +
Mr Papademos said the measures would "decide the country's future" and enable it to stay inside the euro.
 +
Continue reading the main story
 +
What went wrong in Greece?
 +
 
 +
An old drachma note and a euro note
 +
    Greece's economic reforms, which led to it abandoning the drachma as its currency in favour of the euro in 2002, made it easier for the country to borrow money.
 +
 
 +
The opening ceremony at the Athens Olympics
 +
    Greece went on a big, debt-funded spending spree, including paying for high-profile projects such as the 2004 Athens Olympics, which went well over its budget.
 +
 
 +
A defunct restaurant for sale in central Athens
 +
    The country was hit by the downturn, which meant it had to spend more on benefits and received less in taxes. There were also doubts about the accuracy of its economic statistics.
 +
 
 +
A man with a bag of coins walks past the headquarters of the Bank of Greece
 +
    Greece's economic problems meant lenders started charging higher interest rates to lend it money. Widespread tax evasion also hit the government's coffers.
 +
 
 +
Workers in a rally led by the PAME union in Athens on 22 April 2010
 +
    There have been demonstrations against the government's austerity measures to deal with its debt, such as cuts to public sector pay and pensions, reduced benefits and increased taxes.
 +
 
 +
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou at an EU summit in Brussels on 26 March 2010
 +
    The EU, IMF and European Central Bank agreed 229bn euros ($300bn; �190bn) of rescue loans for Greece. Prime Minister George Papandreou quit in November 2011 after trying to call a referendum.
 +
 
 +
Greece's problems have made investors nervous, which has made it more expensive for other European countries such as Portugal to borrow money.
 +
    Eurozone leaders are worried that if Greece were to default, and even leave the euro, it would cause a major financial crisis that could spread to much bigger economies such as Italy and Spain.
 +
 
 +
Lucas Papademos
 +
    Under Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, Greece is trying to negotiate a big write-off of private debts and secure a second bail-out of 130bn euros ($170bn, �80bn) before a 20 March deadline.
 +
 
 +
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"The social cost of this programme is limited in comparison with the economic and social catastrophe that would follow if we didn't adopt it," he said.
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Savings would be lost, the government would be unable to pay wages or salaries, and imports of fuel, medicine and machinery would be disrupted, he added.
 +
 
 +
Earlier, Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras said all his party's MPs must vote in favour of the bailout law.
 +
 
 +
Mr Samaras, whose New Democracy party is a member of the governing coalition, said any rebels would face being dropped as parliamentary candidates.
 +
 
 +
Deputy Foreign Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, who quit on Friday afternoon, is the most senior defection so far.
 +
 
 +
Her Pasok party, the largest in the coalition, also suffered the loss of a deputy labour minister on Thursday.
 +
 
 +
The austerity cuts include:
 +
 
 +
    * 15,000 public-sector job cuts
 +
    * liberalisation of labour laws
 +
    * lowering the minimum wage by 20% from 751 euros a month to 600 euros
 +
    * negotiating a debt write-off with banks.
 +
 
 +
These were presented to a eurozone ministers in Brussels on Thursday evening.
 +
 
 +
But they want a further 325m euros in savings for this year and also insist that Greek leaders give "strong political assurances" on the implementation of the packages.

Current revision as of 12:31, 16 January 2013

The Greek PM has warned the nation of a collapse in living standards if MPs fail to pass an unpopular austerity bill demanded in return for a 130bn-euro ($170bn; �110bn) bailout.

In a TV address, Lucas Papademos said Greece was "just a breath away from Ground Zero".

The cabinet has approved the measures but five government ministers resigned.

Unions are holding a 48-hour strike, and thousands of protesters rallied in central Athens against the measures.

Riot police were on standby after clashes on Friday, but the demonstrations were mostly peaceful.

The austerity measures are being demanded by the eurozone and IMF - they must now be passed by the Greek parliament and approved by European finance ministers.

Some MPs from the governing parties are expected to vote against the bill, the BBC's Mark Lowen in Athens reports.

But analysts say the package should still have enough support in parliament, because Pasok, the largest party, and its coalition ally New Democracy account for more than 230 deputies out of a total of 300. Catastrophe fear

Mr Papademos said the measures would "decide the country's future" and enable it to stay inside the euro. Continue reading the main story What went wrong in Greece?

An old drachma note and a euro note 

   Greece's economic reforms, which led to it abandoning the drachma as its currency in favour of the euro in 2002, made it easier for the country to borrow money.

The opening ceremony at the Athens Olympics 

   Greece went on a big, debt-funded spending spree, including paying for high-profile projects such as the 2004 Athens Olympics, which went well over its budget.

A defunct restaurant for sale in central Athens 

   The country was hit by the downturn, which meant it had to spend more on benefits and received less in taxes. There were also doubts about the accuracy of its economic statistics.

A man with a bag of coins walks past the headquarters of the Bank of Greece 

   Greece's economic problems meant lenders started charging higher interest rates to lend it money. Widespread tax evasion also hit the government's coffers.

Workers in a rally led by the PAME union in Athens on 22 April 2010 

   There have been demonstrations against the government's austerity measures to deal with its debt, such as cuts to public sector pay and pensions, reduced benefits and increased taxes.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou at an EU summit in Brussels on 26 March 2010 

   The EU, IMF and European Central Bank agreed 229bn euros ($300bn; �190bn) of rescue loans for Greece. Prime Minister George Papandreou quit in November 2011 after trying to call a referendum.

Greece's problems have made investors nervous, which has made it more expensive for other European countries such as Portugal to borrow money. 

   Eurozone leaders are worried that if Greece were to default, and even leave the euro, it would cause a major financial crisis that could spread to much bigger economies such as Italy and Spain.

Lucas Papademos 

   Under Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, Greece is trying to negotiate a big write-off of private debts and secure a second bail-out of 130bn euros ($170bn, �80bn) before a 20 March deadline.

BACK 1 of 8 NEXT

"The social cost of this programme is limited in comparison with the economic and social catastrophe that would follow if we didn't adopt it," he said.

Savings would be lost, the government would be unable to pay wages or salaries, and imports of fuel, medicine and machinery would be disrupted, he added.

Earlier, Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras said all his party's MPs must vote in favour of the bailout law.

Mr Samaras, whose New Democracy party is a member of the governing coalition, said any rebels would face being dropped as parliamentary candidates.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, who quit on Friday afternoon, is the most senior defection so far.

Her Pasok party, the largest in the coalition, also suffered the loss of a deputy labour minister on Thursday.

The austerity cuts include: 

   * 15,000 public-sector job cuts
   * liberalisation of labour laws
   * lowering the minimum wage by 20% from 751 euros a month to 600 euros
   * negotiating a debt write-off with banks.

These were presented to a eurozone ministers in Brussels on Thursday evening.

But they want a further 325m euros in savings for this year and also insist that Greek leaders give "strong political assurances" on the implementation of the packages.

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