SO Greece, the "G" in the beleaguered PIGS "economic" bloc, have replaced the out-of-sorts George Papandreou, who dismally failed to provide leadership as his country began to rapidly run out of money - plunging the once prosperous nation further and further into a sovereign debt abyss - with another papa.

But Lucas Papademos, former deputy president of the European Central Bank, might not be the answer they have been looking for. They had initially dropped the idea of giving him the job, ostensibly because his name might have been interpreted by some to mean "father of demonstrations (demos)", which is the last thing the Greek government needed.

Papademos, they argued, would be a bad omen for Greece's economic recovery. But strangely, they still went ahead and elected him, even though there were other papas who could have taken over from Papendrou. Here one thinks of people with names such as Papadokis, Papadopoulos, Papaxritos, Papakostas, Papaspyropolous and Papayiannis.

But all these names still don't cut it for Guluva. What the long-suffering Greek people need is not only a father (or papa) figure, but someone who has a vast knowledge of how to make money and can provide food (papa or pap) for the people.

That can only be Papadollar.

'Terror' courting danger

COPE president Mosiuoa "Terror" Lekota's comeback to the higher echelons of political power has been cut short even before it began.

After watching Lindiwe Mazibuko elected leader of Godzille's party in Parliament, Lekota immediately declared himself her number one fan. He did not stop raving about her and is now even flirting with the other two madams - Godzille and De Lille - in the hope of getting into bed with them after his own marriage to Ain't Seen Nothing Yet ended with an acrimonious divorce a little more than three years ago.

What's more, he is even beginning to sound and speak like the madams, as he interests them into ganging up against Ain't Seen Nothing Yet ahead of the 2014 elections.

Said he: "The substantially bloated bureaucracy, moreover, has escalated the cost of government without delivering the higher levels of efficiency promised. The (government) wage bill, meanwhile, has risen from 31% four years ago to 42% at present."

What Guluva understands by this is that "Terror" wants to reduce the size of the public service, sending civil servants into the streets and cut back on the salaries of those who will remain, thereby impacting on their quality of life.

Threatening people's jobs is political suicide.

Masondo's bread and butter

LIMPOPO finance MEC David Masondo definitely knows where his bread is buttered.

Wearing his cap as Ain't Seen Nothing Yet's Limpopo provincial spokesman, Masondo lambasted and scolded the organisation's tripartite partners - the SACP and Cosatu - for calling for the resignation of his paymaster, Cassel Mathale.

Masondo fired back at both: ".ANC members do not need to be told who to elect."

Now, the last time Guluva checked, which was yesterday, Masondo was still a member of the SACP central committee. Certainly, he cannot be accused of biting the hand that feeds him. The cash-strapped SACP, squatting at Cosatu House, has nothing to feed anyone with.

• Email Guluva on thatha.guluva@gmail.com