Is Europe now to be run by the bankers?

The downfall of Berlusconi is something many of us have looked forward to for a very long time. His mixture of right wing ideology and highly questionable personal politics was extremely disturbing to observe. For twenty years I felt really sorry for my more progressive Italian friends.

Now Berlusconi has gone, a thoroughly outrageous truth is dawning. In Italy, as in Greece only a few days before, a huge coup has been achieved by the worlds banking elite. An elected Prime Minister has been replaced by an unelected member of the financial elite. Mario Monte was the EU Competition Commissioner from 1999 to 2004, and now is a International Advisor to Goldman Sachs as well as being a Senator in the Italian upper house. Monte has exquisite neo-liberal credentials, and is now in charge of the 3rd biggest economy in the Eurozone.

This looks like it is fast becoming the way our democracies are heading. The moment George Papandreou hinted that the Greek people had a right to debate the policies being thrust upon them by the EU, he was destroyed by the financial community. Days later, he was replaced by another non elected EU economist.

The 'Occupy' movement that began in the US, and has been active in London for a month, have continually argued that it is wrong for most of us to be ruled by a tiny elite controlled by the needs of the financial community. Now, even the semblance of democracy is being eroded.

I do not want Europe run by unelected technocrats who are not accountable to even their own nations. We cannot be run by the very same people who got us into this mess. Our European nations are now desperately in need of a revolution in their democratic structures.