Austerity vs Growth

It seems as both the UK and six other European Nations all took to the polls in the last week that the voters are voting with their feet and much like Labour won hundreds of seats here in the local elections. Greece & French voters have voted against their current leaders and for parties that are anti-austerity. What does this mean to the rest of us? With unemployment in the UK higher than it's been at any time in decades is austerity really working? With over 1 Million youth unemployed and they say that the cuts have only just begun, are we really ready for a period of even more doom and gloom? Perhaps the Olympic/Jubilee lift will give us all a positive boost? What of Greece who took the bailout and now wants to turn its back on the terms its was given? And Monsier Hollande, the new French President (Lets hope someone called France doesn't become PM of the Netherlands else it would get confusing) says they wan't to turn their back on austerity too. Is growth actually the way? Has the increase of VAT up to 20% boosted my spending? Has the increase in my electricity and fuel bills helped anything at all? Has any bill not gone up? Am I spending like I used to? Perhaps at the Supermarket I still do, after all, one has to eat. But as for new clothes, I buy them when I need to. New electronics, on hold. DIY projects in peace meal and when we do purchase, we turn to the internet to see where we can get the best prices. In fact, possibly the only area that we have increased our spending since the recession began is perhaps on our holiday budget. The need to escape the grey and misery the greatest need of all. Perhaps Greece will exit the Euro and devalue it's currency which on the holiday front would be good for us. Cheaper holidays in Greece. But it won't help the fact that we feel like a stagnant pond with the life being slowly drained from it as the pond weed slowly suffocates it and all life within starts to go into hibernation through lack of air. Surely the economy is much is like that? We need confidence and spending power to boost the economy, but with ever the threat that your job will go and that the cost of everything is going up, no-wonder we are choosing to hold on to our money and spend it wisely. I do have to wonder though, if France and Greece choose to try and go for Growth and it fails, what happens then? With bigger debts and higher liabilities where will they turn if it doesn't pan out?