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We know several things: the economy is poised on the brink of bankruptcy; growth forecasts are gloomy – some might say dire – with the possibility of negative growth next year very real; to achieve growth we need better productivity.

So WHY are thousands of men being called away from their place of work this week to sign on for the cancelled Nikiforos military exercise?

Has anyone worked out the cost to the economy in terms of lost productivity of this meaningless charade?

It’s high time the various government Ministries joined up the dots with other departments to work together on what’s best for the country as a whole rather than perpetuating things that serve no useful purpose (and may, indeed, be actively harmful) just because that is what’s always been done.

Fresh thinking is urgently needed.