Time again for Hercules - or why Greece needs a superhero

THIS weekend, the Greeks will have their sixth election in eight years, contemplating the dichotomous needs of economic change and social recovery. Although the Greeks and the European Union (EU) have argued again and again in 2015, culminating in yet another debt bailout, and kissed and made up, the Greek nation has a series of labours which it must once and for all address . . . so where is Hercules when they need him again?

In times of old, Hercules performed a series of labours in order to atone for prior misdemeanours at the instruction of the king of the time, Eurystheus. They were to make amends for the infidelities of his father, Zeus, in the eyes of Hera, Zeus's wife, who also interfered and generally made harder nearly all the labours.

So what labours would a latter-day Hercules perform to save Greece?

1 In slaying the Nemean Lion, famed for its impenetrable skin, Hercules would need to fight off and crush the societal naivety that the Greeks can retire at 50 - they must become realistic about how healthcare and entitlements are saved and paid for.

2 In slaying the nine-headed Lernean Hydra, Hercules must crush the near-immortal attitude that Greeks do not pay taxes, inculcated when Greece was ruled from the Turkish Ottoman Empire - the Greeks must become owners of their country, no longer rentiers.

3 Capturing the Ceryneian Hind, famed for running faster than an arrow, Hercules must not only stop the wealth of the country from fleeing abroad, which has crippled the banking sector, but he must also make it return to assist in the economic recovery. If the Greeks won't invest, why should others?

4 By confronting the ferocious Erymanthian Boar and pushing it into a snowdrift, Hercules caught the creature - just as Hercules must replenish the democratic ideals within the Greek political process which have become corrupt and clearly biased towards an elite who have profited from the toil of the nation, leaving it bereft of resources and leadership.

5 Clearing out the Augean Stables, left alone for 30 years, required Hercules to redirect the Alpheus and Peneus rivers. Today, the new Hercules must address the scelerotic bureaucracy which has grown to hinder the progress of the entrepreneur and the economy, creating new career and industry opportunities for all.

6 In shooting to kill the man-eating Stymphalian Birds, Hercules freed the populace from terror. Today, he needs to attract the talent that abides in the global Greek diaspora back to reinvigorate their homeland and to stop the preying of the strong on the weak.

7 Subduing the Cretan Bull required all of Hercules' wrestling and rough-back riding skills - now Hercules needs to master the EU and the International Monetary Fund so that an economic Marshall Plan is created to put the Greek economy on a positive path, not just roll over an existing unsustainable debt mountain.

8 In stealing the man-eating Mares of Diamedes, by feeding their master to his horses, Hercules was able to harness them together. In Greece today, he needs to realign all Greeks as owners through privatisations and redistributions so that they pull together in one direction, like in the days of Alexander the Great.

9 By impressing Hippolyta, the Amazon Queen, with his exploits, Hercules found that she gave her Girdle willingly despite the protests of her people. Again leveraging the Greek culture, lifestyle and location, Hercules can attract investment and employment to the nation at a time when the Eastern end of the Mediterranean is in disarray.

10 Fighting for the Cattle of Geryon, first with Geryon himself and then with Cacus who stole them by making them walk backwards, Hercules showed much determination and cunning - just the attributes which the new Greece will need as it needs to compete in global markets against clever competitors, thereby boosting local education and technical skills which will then stem the loss of the Greek youth, which is leaving for brighter opportunities in Europe and elsewhere.

11 In stealing the Apples of the Hesperides, Hercules sought the help of Atlas, holding up the sky for a while while Atlas obtained the Apples for him. Hercules today needs the full support and commitment of the European Central Bank in all its guises so that it will help to not only recapitalise its banking system, without which a modern economy cannot function, but also to galvanise the capital markets to bring the risk capital Greece needs.

12 In capturing the three-headed Hound of Hell, Cerberus, without weapons at Hades' request, Hercules showed all his strength and prowess. Cerberus so scared Eurystheus that both Hercules and it were released and shortly afterwards, Hercules took a vacation by joining Jason and the Argonauts expedition! Hercules can encourage Greek society as a whole to face their demons, as democracies often get the leaders they deserve, and to re-engage with the type of country they wish to become in the future, sharing a new common vision for what Greece stands.

What path Greece sets out on again is soon about to be decided, and it would be great to see the leaders of Greece go forward with some of the ambition, determination and vision which is found in their cultural mythologies - they did it once, and can do it again. Another Hercules will do!