The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Thursday, April 29, 2010

UK ,General Elections ..[ 1110 ]

David Cameron: Give me the tools to change Britain

Joe Murphy, Political Editor
London Evening Standard.,,29.04.10

David Cameron appealed to voters to “give me the tools” today as Gordon Brown struggled to recover from the crisis brought on by his Bigot-gate gaffe.

David Cameron with his wife Samantha
Countdown: David Cameron, with wife Samantha, at Birmingham children’s hospital today before the leaders’ debate

In an exclusive interview with the Evening Standard ahead of tonight's crucial final TV debate, the Tory leader asked for an outright victory to lead Britain.
“Give me the tools, with a majority government, with a fresh team, new leadership to take the country in a different direction, and to confront the problems we have,” he urged. But with seven days to the election, it emerged that Bank of England governor Mervyn King has privately warned that the spending cuts needed will be so severe that the winning party may find itself cast out of power for a generation.
The Standard was with Mr Cameron at the exact moment he was handed a text revealing that the Prime Minister had called a lifelong Labour voter “just a bigoted woman”. He simply raised his eyebrows and carried on reading.
Mr Brown today faced a welter of recriminations from his own team — and signs that his victim, Rochdale widow Gillian Duffy, 66, is set to sell her story to a newspaper. She was driven from her home in a BMW, clutching a bouquet. Home Secretary Alan Johnson admitted the party's campaign had suffered a “terrible blow”. Another senior minister called it “ghastly” and another said it “could be catastrophic” for the core Labour vote.
Mr Brown visited a welding factory in the Midlands today — an ironic choice amid claims that his bandwagon was falling apart. He was chaperoned by wife Sarah and campaign strategist Lord Mandelson and was on his best behaviour, chatting and smiling with workers at the plant.
But when he told one worker her firm was doing well, she responded: “Our company's doing well everywhere but I think it's in spite of you.”
The issue dogged his morning. Trying to move the debate on, he declared: “Yesterday is yesterday. Today I want to talk about the future of the economy. I think I've apologised and I've said it was the wrong word to use.”
But he was forced to reassure workers at a Q&A session that he was listening on immigration — one of the concerns Mrs Duffy raised with him.
“I understand the worries people have about immigration,” he said. “I understand the concerns about what is happening to people's neighbourhoods.” Mr Johnson defended Mr Brown's “human” mistake” and continued the party's “hair shirt strategy” of showing maximum repentance. He went on: “I was mortified, not so much for Gordon — he's big enough and strong enough to look after himself — but for Mrs Duffy.”
“I think when you saw her face and the hurt that caused her, there was this enormous feeling of sympathy. Labour supporters, not least the Labour candidate in Rochdale, would have been horrified by that.
“This is a terrible blow. It's damaging. Mrs Duffy seems to represent the best of the pre-baby boom generation.”
Labour's hope was that voters will begin to see the furore as a media concoction if it carries on, especially if Mrs Duffy sells her story to an anti-Labour newspaper such as The Sun.
One minister said: “It was ghastly but no voter has brought it up with me yet and I was at a meeting of 200 people. The media has gone over the top and it could turn around.” The minister cited the case of Janie Janes, the mother of a dead soldier sent a badly written letter of condolence, where initial public hostility to Mr Brown turned to sympathy.
But another minister pointed out that with postal votes issued in the past three days, huge numbers of elderly voters are currently weighing up their choices and may sympathise with Mrs Duffy. “In that respect, the impact on our pensioner core vote could be catastrophic,” he said.
“For me, and many others, one of the most horrifying things was seeing the way Gordon smiled after meeting her. He didn't look like a man who was showing remorse.”
Chancellor Alistair Darling called Mr Brown's remarks “deeply regrettable”. He added: “Gordon shouldn't have said it. He's deeply remorseful.”

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