The short answer to Dr Alf’s question is ‘never’.

With regard to the Michael Jacobides article, the problems faced by Greece are considerably more complex than just austerity and its application.

Forcing the Greek government to remove barriers to competition and innovation will help but on their own they will not be enough.

Measures to change cultural values, like early retirement on a full pension, lack of productivity, tax evasion, corruption and theft of monies from the public purse will also be needed.

Then, the Greek economy needs restructuring, plus marketing to bring in wealthy tourists and conference attendees. After that university degrees need to be matched to the skills the country needs – there’s too much waste in Greece’s education system.

John Gelmini