Understanding Austerity. It's all Greek.

We've had a whole raft of student protests and now the Greeks are at it again.

Greek police have clashed with protesters in the capital Athens as unions stage a general strike against government austerity measures.

We are learning a big lesson now, aren't we. Socialism does not work. When you take money away from the productive and give it to the non productive you initiate a vicious downward spiral.

Those people receiving the free money want more. We all want more money right. It's difficult when you have to work for it but imagine if someone was just giving it away.

Other, more productive people can see that you are getting something for nothing and they start to want the same. It can take away thier desire to earn when it becomes easier just to take.

It's the same for the employed as well as the unemployed. In the private sector, you have earn the money you are paid. You have to put in the hours and the effort to get your wage at the end of it. If you start removing accountability from the employee, the quality of their work goes down. Only in the public sector do you get higher than average wages, lower than average hours, gold plated pensions and complete job security no matter how useless you are. When others see this, they want some of the same.

Eventually the receivers out number the suppliers. The money starts to run out.

Europe is on the verge of being totally broke. The spending needs to stop but we have been supporting a very large group of people with other peoples money for so long that it's going to be very difficult to change.

Austerity measures in Greece and cuts in England are only the tip of the iceberg; just a tiny percentage of what needs to be done, yet people are already out in the streets, burning stuff, breaking stuff, attacking people and demanding their right to continue taking money from the free pot.

If Europe is ever going to sort out it's problems, much much more than a few cuts needs to be done.

Rafts of people who can't be bothered to work need to have their benefits stopped completely. Rafts of people who do non jobs in the public sector need to be terminated and put on the dole. Rafts more people who do justifiable jobs in the public sector need to be placed on realistic salaries and made accountable for the work they do.

Business taxes need to be reduced. Red tape needs to be slashed. Employment law needs to be seriously curbed. This will allow the private sector to once again expand without hindrance, to create jobs and revive the economy.

This needs to happen fast. It will be very painful for a lot of people who have so far lived lives cushioned by other peoples money, but things will get better eventually.

The trouble is, this will not happen. A few mediocre cuts will be made, people will riot, governments will back off and miss opportunities, taxes will go up, spending on necessities will decrease while public sector wages will be protected, countries will be bailed out.

As long as there are no governments with spine enough to tell the people how it is and to take action, nothing will improve.