New Poll Finds Macedonia's Citizens Unhappy with Quality of Life

[TrueMacedonian]

http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/1803

New Poll Poll Finds Macedonia's Citizens Unhappy with Quality of Life

Text by Marina Stojanovska for Southeast European Times*

4 March 2010 | A new survey paints a bleak picture, finding that Macedonians -- more than 50% of whom are unable to pay their utility bills -- are unhappy with the country's standard of living.

The Gallup Balkan Monitor poll, conducted in co-operation with the European Fund for the Balkans and the Forum Centre for Strategic Research and Documentation, found that two-thirds of citizens who are currently unemployed have scant hope of finding a job anytime soon.

The current unemployment rate in Macedonia is above 30%. The number of unemployed who are disillusioned about finding work in the next 12 months is the highest in the region.

The Gallup findings were released during a panel discussion in which participants emphasised that time is running out for EU integration in some Western Balkan nations, with an emphasis on Macedonia. They asked the question, "What remains to be done?"

The survey found that 62% of respondents think that EU membership is a good thing, down from 76% when the same question was asked in 2006. Respondents also believe it will take until 2017 for Macedonia to be admitted into the EU, two years longer than previously thought.

Robert Manchin, managing director of Gallup Europe, noted that a majority of respondents believe ethnic relations have improved over the past five years. He pointed to the Ohrid Framework Agreement -- a 2001 accord between the government and ethnic Albanians -- as a source of optimism.

The poll also asked about the longstanding name dispute between Macedonia and Greece. "While in 2008 roughly two-thirds (68%) of respondents blamed Greece alone for the name dispute, this figure decreased to 53%," Manchin said.

Erwan Fouere, the EU special representative to Macedonia, said it was disappointing that real progress in the areas of corruption and reform has taken a back seat to the name dispute.

"I think that the European agenda should be put back on the priority list," said Fuere. "We all know that compromise means the name modification, and we should accept this reality."

*The text and photograph are courtesy of the Southeast European Times (SET), a web site sponsored by the US Department of Defense in support of UN Resolution 1244, designed to provide an international audience with a portal to a broad range of information about Southeastern Europe. It highlights movement toward greater regional stability and steps governments take toward integration into European institutions. SET also focuses on developments that hinder both terrorist activity and support for terrorism in the region.

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[TrueMacedonian]

Is it me or should Erwan Fouere mind his own f@%king business,,,,,, it seems that these polls are no longer conducted to depict the reality of Macedonia. They also are meant to incite a fear mongering campaign amongst everyone in order to facilitate this belief that the EU is the answer to Macedonia's problems. What bullsh!t.

[Jankovska]

I agree he should mind his own fucking business. Actually he should not even be allowed in the country. The guy is a moron
As for painting a picture to scare most people I don't think so. This is the reality in Macedonia. And it could be the only thing that is true, the cruel reality could make things worse and push for a name compromise. The gov should get of their arses and start doing something for the people or should be changed immedietly. No more time to waste

[Prolet]

Erwan Fuere should get the boot, we dont need that scumbag to tell us about our country, he goes to our restaurants wines and dines for free and he has the nerve to put shit on us. Za Sramota

Robert Manchin, managing director of Gallup Europe, noted that a majority of respondents believe ethnic relations have improved over the past five years. He pointed to the Ohrid Framework Agreement -- a 2001 accord between the government and ethnic Albanians -- as a source of optimism.

Great, so why not give them Asylum then and you can take them in the EU to live a better life.

[TrueMacedonian]

I agree he should mind his own fucking business. Actually he should not even be allowed in the country. The guy is a moron
As for painting a picture to scare most people I don't think so. This is the reality in Macedonia. And it could be the only thing that is true, the cruel reality could make things worse and push for a name compromise. The gov should get of their arses and start doing something for the people or should be changed immedietly. No more time to waste

I agree about the gov't getting off its ass but some of these articles are used to scare the population in Macedonia into accepting a new name and a new identity.
It seems that Macedonian's need to get more vocal and need to take their frustrations to the streets and to protest. This may be the only way to get the government to take this situation seriously instead of sugarcoating things.

[Prolet]

Well Said TM

Do koga ke ni pravat vaka? Instead of telling Greece to fuck off they dragged down the Euro, they endangered the Eurozone they still let them flex their muscles. They should be putting them at the end of the pile so they got nothing more to say about the EU.

[Jankovska]

Well Said TM

Do koga ke ni pravat vaka? Instead of telling Greece to fuck off they dragged down the Euro, they endangered the Eurozone they still let them flex their muscles. They should be putting them at the end of the pile so they got nothing more to say about the EU.

Are you on drugs?

[fyrOM]

Many threads on mto have discussed how the west help create the modern greek state and their self serving reasons hence the great greek lie. But even this statement is misleading. It is not only greek lies. If we pause for a moment and realise the lie originaly belongs to the west.

A basic education in Australia on ancient history I think is similar to ancient history taught in the usa or Europe or anywhere else in the west. I of Macedon’s thread An Entity Called the West makes an excellent point that from ancient Greece through to modern Europe and the usa the body of knowledge and principles of law and order and personal freedoms. There is no encouragement in schools to dig deeper and challenge the accepted truths even when evidence is brought to prove them wrong. A case in point the mathematical equation of Pythagorean Theorem was used by ancient Persians centuries before yet every time it is taught in schools the Greeks are credited for it as part of the idea this is where most of our mathematical understanding comes from. Therein lies the Greek lie or should we say the west’s lie. The truth according to the west is ironed out neatly. It all fits and credit is given to each of the parts that progressively made up the west in a collective we made this modern world and aren’t we great. This is not to say the west has no achievements of their own but the picture presented in schools in the west is like putting up wallpaper to cover the cracks and holes in the wall.

If we understand the west has told many lies and has many skeletons in the closet it becomes easy to understand why despite Greece’s lies theft and blatant mistreatment of minorities which have lead to Greece’s disgrace the west refuses to give up on supporting Greece. If Greece fails and the lies therein become known they have no moral highgound to weald against the rest of the world which directly affects their populations opinion on the justifications to do the things the west wants to do such as the invasion of Iraq ect. I order to motivate people into action the enemy is first vilified to give a sense of we are just and right to do theses things. Imagine attaching Greece the so called root of all knowledge and the birth place of democracy ie the foundations of the west. It is like saying to someone today you stand wealthy and proud and believe you have the right to tell everyone how to live so the one day can emulate you and willingly follow you only to discover their great grandfather was a mass murderer who enslaved nation and kept multitudes in absolute misery and their father is a pathological liar who plagiarised others in order to promote himself and gain the confidence of millions only to swindle them of their natural wealth so that now the person in question can have the best the world can offer. The west will fight tooth and nail to keep the skeletons in the closet until the rest of the world can turn to follow them and benefit from a western education.

Is it any wonder the west supports Greece no matter what they do or say. We are the enemy whose younger generations may be privileged to have a western education but ofcourse before this can happen one other inconvenient truth needs to be iron out we voluntarily need to surrender our identity and the history and language which make it up.

[fyrOM]

Maybe I paint a dark picture but there is one hope. The west knows that by embracing their enemy will be their saving grace.

They could do this by saying join us and acknowledging the truth and saying unpleasant things happened in the past but now we are using our privileged position to build a better world based on respect or they could say join us or we will smooth the plaster over and over again until like the Jews in the wilderness all of the old generation are gone and the new generations made to see the light according to the west. The first has a chance the later is a toss of the coin to victory or the book of revelations.

The choice is simple but the will in many quarters isn’t. the Greek disaster and its ramifications of threatening the euorozone is a wakeup call and a junction in history. The usa due to her own personal power and seeing herself as a nation built on the failings of Europe is able to keep an arms length position in most points with Europe and is the leverage they can use to follow the former path. Will the answer be yes we can.

[Prolet]

Are you on drugs?

Jankovska, Its ok for Fuere and his cronies to put shit on us? Come On wheres the self respect here.