IT’S hard to write a column about the situation in Greece without worrying that it’ll be out of date by the time it’s printed.

One fact is established beyond doubt, and won’t be changing. The Greek people have rejected the brutal economic programme that the European Union attempted to force upon them. Holding the referendum was a bold move by the Syriza government, even with the party riding high in the opinion polls. Fear could have been a big factor in the voters’ decision, but in the end more than 60% voted No to the austerity package.

I congratulate them on their choice, but the next steps will be critical. Whether something better can be built still remains to be seen.

It’s important to remember just how much austerity the Greek people have already endured, and how badly it has failed them. For the last five years the EU has been forcing Greece down a path toward budget surplus – something many people would say is necessary – but at such a pace that a humanitarian crisis was the inevitable result. And what economic progress is there to show for it? A 25% drop in the country’s GDP. Yet the “Troika” of EU institutions have still been demanding more.

Many people reduce this to a very simplistic argument, about debts owed which must be repaid by people who have lived beyond their means for too long. Certainly Greece has over many years failed to ensure that taxes are paid as they should – though this is one of the areas where the Syriza government is most willing to take action.

But there is an injustice in this simplistic thinking. We should recognise who has gained the most from dodging taxes – the wealthiest rather than those who bear the brunt of austerity. We should recognise who gained the most from the bailouts – 90% went to the private sector creditors including French and German banks, rather than the Greek people themselves. And we should recognise that we all lose out if we destroy the economy of Greece in the process of chasing them down for debts they can never pay.

Think of the vast sums which have been used to bail out banks around the world which did so much damage to the global economy. To justify that, while refusing to help human beings in real and urgent need cannot be either moral or rational.

The calls for substantial debt relief must be heard. Only by accepting the will of the Greek people, responding to the humanitarian crisis they face, and building an economy that works for the interests of its citizens can the EU retain their trust in it as a democratic community.