Greece Watch...

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 27 May 2015, 00:40

There isn't, apparently, a word in the Greek language that conveys the same sense of urgency as the Spanish word,"Manana"! (sorry, I don't know how to put the cedilla above the middle n)

raspberry-blower · Post by **raspberry-blower** » 01 Jun 2015, 13:59

TAE posted a letter from Greek PM Alexis Tsipras: The Bell Tolls For Europe

Alexis Tsipars wrote:So, let’s be clear: The lack of an agreement so far is not due to the supposed intransigent, uncompromising and incomprehensible Greek stance. It is due to the insistence of certain institutional actors on submitting absurd proposals and displaying a total indifference to the recent democratic choice of the Greek people, despite the public admission of the three Institutions that necessary flexibility will be provided in order to respect the popular verdict.

What is driving this insistence? An initial thought would be that this insistence is due to the desire of some to not admit their mistakes and instead, to reaffirm their choices by ignoring their failures. Moreover, we must not forget the public admission made a few years ago by the IMF that they erred in calculating the depth of the recession that would be caused by the Memorandum. I consider this, however, to be a shallow approach. I simply cannot believe that the future of Europe depends on the stubbornness or the insistence of some individuals.

My conclusion, therefore, is that the issue of Greece does not only concern Greece; rather, it is the very epicenter of conflict between two diametrically opposing strategies concerning the future of European unification.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 01 Jun 2015, 14:14

My conclusion, therefore, is that the issue of Greece does not only concern Greece; rather, it is the very epicenter of conflict between two diametrically opposing strategies concerning the future of European unification.

These words are key. Indeed, I would go further and rephrase them to:

....the issue of Greece does not only concern Greece; rather, it is the very epicentre of conflict between two diametrically opposing strategies concerning the political and economic future of the world.....

In other words, this is all about the current model of capitalism in Europe and elsewhere doing what it needs to do to survive. A single breach in the system could turn into a flood and that can't be allowed.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 08 Jun 2015, 23:47

Outstanding speech by Varoufakis. One you will never get to see on our MSM since it does not fit the simplistic narrative we are supposed to consume,.

Scroll to 12 and a 1/2 mins in:

http://www.boeckler.de/veranstaltung_54282.htm

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 09 Jun 2015, 10:46

Little John wrote:Outstanding speech by Varoufakis. One you will never get to see on our MSM since it does not fit the simplistic narrative we are supposed to consume,.

Scroll to 12 and a 1/2 mins in:

http://www.boeckler.de/veranstaltung_54282.htm

An amazing, visionary man. Almost a candidate for assassination.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 09 Jun 2015, 10:58

emordnilap wrote:....An amazing, visionary man. Almost a candidate for assassination.

That thought has occurred to me as well.

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 09 Jun 2015, 12:47

And yet what he is saying is not based on a work of genius. The astonishing thing about the situation in the eurozone is that it is so damned obvious that the current system cannot work. You can't have a fixed exchange rate, or shared currency, between regions/nations with fundamentally different sorts of economies, and expect them all to be able to balance their books without subsidies continually and permanently flowing from places like Germany to places like Greece. As he pointed out, it's like trying to make the UK economy work without accepting that London has to subsidise Liverpool. And yet it appears that nobody who makes the decisions in the Eurozone is capable of understanding this simple thing.

Little John · Post by **Little John** » 09 Jun 2015, 12:59

Yes.

The hardest thing, it would seem, on so many fronts, is telling the truth these days. In the case of the euro-zone, the source of this incapacity can only be for one of two reasons:

Either the Germans and other northern European Eurozone-architects knew full well that there would be unsustainable economic imbalances under such a system leading them, in turn, to be the top dogs and they were just too greedy/stupid to care/realize it would all end like this.

Or, those same architects knew this kind of imbalance was inevitable, but were intent on ever greater union to the point where they were able to more formally subsidize their southern states in much the same way a normal state would subsidize its various economically relatively weaker regions by redistributing taxes from its relatively richer regions. However, they could not make this intention clear to their electorates, during the initial construction of the Eurozone, for fear of their rejection of it. And so, presumably, they hoped to bring their electorates on-side before these imbalances became too great. In this regard, they have demonstrably failed.

Thus, the northern european states are between a rock and a hard place. If they wish to keep their electorates calm, they must push Greece to the point of social and political collapse, or worse. But, if Greece collapses, the whole European project could begin to collapse shortly thereafter. On the other hand, if they don't keep pushing Greece, then Spain, Ireland and others will push hard for re-negotiations on their bailout deals. In turn, causing electoral revolutions, at the very least, across the northern states.

Barring a complete change of narrative from the European political class leading to a transparent debate amongst the peoples of Europe as to what exactly it is they have been signed up to for the last several decades and continue to be signed up to, it's over. Hell, if such an honest debate was allowed to see the light of day, it might be over anyway. So pissed off are ordinary people.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 09 Jun 2015, 14:25

Ireland won't renegotiate - the electorate has been fully indoctrinated against that. If you've read Owen Jones's The Establishment, you'll know what I mean when I say that the outriders have won this particular phase.

Even bringing up the subject of renegotiation lumps you with the begrudgers and loonies.

The idiotic CAP payments help.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 09 Jun 2015, 22:29

emordnilap wrote:
Little John wrote:Outstanding speech by Varoufakis. One you will never get to see on our MSM since it does not fit the simplistic narrative we are supposed to consume,.

Scroll to 12 and a 1/2 mins in:

http://www.boeckler.de/veranstaltung_54282.htm
An amazing, visionary man.

That's worth repeating until everybody has listened to this speech.

3rdRock · Post by **3rdRock** » 10 Jun 2015, 05:12

This free guide is also worthy of consideration:

False Dilemmas: A Critical Guide to the Euro Zone Crisis

For everyone who cares about the politics of austerity and debt resistance across Europe, or wants to get the basics about the euro crisis but doesn't know where to start - this is for you.

https://dl.orangedox.com/i1QA8so0oZgwr6 ... Crisis.pdf

KEY MESSAGES

Based on myths and false dilemmas, the mainstream narrative around the crisis still dominates discussion. Breaking away from this, this guide shows that:

The process of European integration facilitated a transfer of wealth and power from poor to rich countries through debt instruments and trade relations. Economic imbalances between countries were widened due to the euro area structure and the response to the crisis.

Private sector debts were nationalised creating huge problems for public finances; yet myths were spun to justify a ‘solution’ that involved ever increasing amounts of sovereign debt whilst imposing widespread unemployment and dramatic reductions in living standards.

A step towards social and economic justice would be for these debts to be cancelled and those responsible both nationally and internationally to bear the burden of cancellation. This guide compiles arguments and evidence to challenge debt repayment.

While banks and other financial institutions are responsible for countries’ indebtedness and have helped create the crisis, at the same time they have profiteered from it in numerous ways, such as betting against countries’ default, and then benefiting from the latter’s bailouts.

Future profitability is ensured by reorganising the institutional landscape to promote private corporate business opportunities. This report shows who is profiting from the crisis and reveals how and why grassroots mobilisations are rising up against the European establishment. This guide argues for opposition to the EU that is not based on discrimination or prejudice, to reclaim the space that has so far been dominated by far right movements.

The crisis has cast aside any pretence of democracy; the kind of changes instituted are only possible with broad, general use of force, violence and appeals to nationalism and xenophobia. The guide documents the far reaching impacts of austerity politics and presents the main social, economic and political arguments to counter it.

3rdRock · Post by **3rdRock** » 11 Jun 2015, 18:52

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... lout-talks

IMF walks out of Greece bailout talks

3rdRock · Post by **3rdRock** » 12 Jun 2015, 18:50

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33106990

European shares fall amid Greek default fears

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 13 Jun 2015, 10:12

Yanis Varoufakis being as wise as usual of R4 Today Programme this morning

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05z6blg

about 1.35 in.

3rdRock · Post by **3rdRock** » 13 Jun 2015, 16:58

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/j ... line-looms

Fears of Greece eurozone exit mount as EU deadline looms

Fears that Greece could leave the eurozone continued to mount on Saturday, despite its finance minister saying that Europe would not allow that to happen.

Yanis Varoufakis told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I don’t believe that any sensible European bureaucrat or politician will go down that road.”

Asked whether the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were bluffing, he said: “I hope they are.”