Greece: debt, creditors, austerity measures, Syriza, Varoufakis, Troika

Mr.Cyan said:
The Empire's ultimatum is either this "savage" package or the highway (Grexit) - typical psychopatic thinking as the "revenge" for the referendum outcome. While this was not unexpected, it is disheartening to know that they are now dropping their mask and going for the chaos option. Also the Empire seems to think that it can "punish" Greece either way through more further severe austeriry, or from the chaos of Grexit. All signs also indicating that Germany prefers the Grexit option. They also probably assume that they will be able to manage the Grexit while ensuring more suffering for the Greek people - i think this could be wishfull thinking, and if/when Grexit happens, as Perceval mentioned this could be the start of the unravelling of the global financial system.

"Revenge" and "punishment" are quite right. The Guardian says:

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jul/12/greek-crisis-surrender-fiscal-sovereignty-in-return-for-bailout-merkel-tells-tsipras

In what a senior EU official described as an “exercise in extensive mental waterboarding” to secure Greek acquiescence to talks on a third bailout in five years worth up to €86bn (£62bn), the two leaders pressed for absolute certainty from Tsipras that he would honour what was on offer.

Two days of high-stakes negotiations between the finance ministers of the currency bloc resulted in a four-page document that included controversial German elements leaked on Saturday. Those measures included Greece leaving the euro temporarily by taking a “time-out” from the currency bloc if it refuses terms for talks on the new bailout or, in the event of agreement, that Greece sets aside €50bn worth of assets as collateral for new loans and for eventual privatisation. Both passages, however, did not enjoy a consensus among eurozone leaders.

Under the terms set before Tsipras on Sunday night, the Greek parliament has to endorse the entire package on Monday and then pass several pieces of legislation by Wednesday, including on pensions reform and a new VAT regime, before the eurozone will agree to negotiate a new three-year rescue package.

The terms are much stiffer than those imposed by the creditors over the past five years. This, said the senior official, was payback for the emphatic no to the creditors’ terms delivered by the snap referendum that Tsipras staged a week ago.

“He was warned a yes vote would get better terms, that a no vote would be much harder,”
said the senior official.

The Eurogroup document said experts from the troika of creditors – the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank – would be on the ground in Athens to monitor the proposed bailout programme. The trio would also have a say in all relevant Greek draft legislation before it is presented to parliament. Furthermore, the Greeks will have to amend all legislation already passed by the Syriza government this year that had not been agreed with the creditors.

So it's not about economics, it's about domination.

There may be another explanation. Tsipras et al may have been made aware of the kind of reality that awaited the Greek people after a "Grexit". Here we're not just talking about Greece finding a way to get back on its feet, but rather being cast adrift, alone, defenseless, a pariah, hated by the EU central powers and rich pickings for the vultures. In addition, if it turned to Russia etc. that would make it ripe for "regime change" and all sorts of other Washington-inspired problems. A former EU state being outside the Euro, at this point in history, is probably not a place for the faint of heart.

I thought that too. "An offer they could not refuse", to quote The Godfather.
 
Perceval said:
Just finished this. Think it sums it up pretty well without confusing anyone

Greek People "crucified" by EU 'elite' for wanting social justice

Good article summarising events thus far! Who knows what else is to unfold?

The issue of the referendum still baffles me... People voted "No". But in the end, at least thus far, the "No" in reality has meant nothing. In Scotland they hacked the votes, here they just ignored the votes... oh deary me.. The government of the people, the Prime Minister, in the space of weeks went from being all about democracy and standing up to the big guy, to being against democracy and standing up for the big guy. Pretty much overnight...

Things that come to mind:

- Did the Greek Prime Minister not know the reality of the situation? If he did not know, then surely that is dangerously naive and almost unthinkable for someone in his position and experience given that he must have run at some point into real power or at least heard about this real power. The sort of power that other leaders have alluded to, you know the stuff of conspiracies.

On the other hand, if he knew the reality of the situation but still went on ahead with the referendum, with the intention of doing a sharp u-turn, is he not sacrificing himself? MAYBE his aim is to show that the notion of democracy is hollow. That is a big MAYBE, requires one hell of foresight.

I just can't imagine that he thought the vote would mean anything... the way he turned so quickly... it's not like THE BAD GUYS told him the reality after the vote... I'm sure he knew all along...

- To me the referendum on a higher level seems to

a) Kill the idea of democracy. Democracy is relegated to fanciful notions that have no place in reality. PS: Most of the world already knows this but it appears the news hasn't yet arrived to those citizens in the West.

b) Provide extra charge for violence and anger. IF tough austerity comes to befall Greece, as night turns to day, I am pretty certain violence will descend and the violence will be extra charged because of this "No" vote that won in the referendum. Look at the force that momentarily took over Spyraal and imagine that on a grander scale. To me, this is the fear, where you'll have pretty much an explosion of emotion mixed in with mindless violence as if to relieve the pressure from a pressure cooker. That's the word... the whole situation seems to appear as if it is the making of a pressure cooker.

c) The idea of European brotherhood and sisterhood is surely now dead? What we have now is the idea of Rich and Poor, no? Greece was abandoned and treated like a developing 3rd world country. It might as well have been in Africa, Asia, Central America or somewhere like that. It brings me to a comment someone said that stuck with me from when I read it

Another thing to consider is that Greece isn't Libya - it's part of Europe, very close culturally and geographically, it's a tourist location, and for example in Germany we have a strong Greek minority... So it won't be so easy I guess to conceal overt action in Greece. I don't know, we have to wait and see I guess.

Outside to people I was talking to, they were seeing Greece like they see people on government benefits or as republicans in america see poor people i.e. pure disdain and utter contempt. Notions of brotherhood did not figure... And YES, Greece has now become Libya, at least in the way of being rampantly pillaged... albeit not by jihadists and NATO Jets, but rather by institutions run amok like crazed bloodthirsty animals. PS, Germany was leading the charge...

All in all, what's happened to Greece is not at all surprising given that this has happened to many "3rd world" countries. It's just surprising that it happened to a so-called "1st world" country. I suppose it isn't 1st world anymore...
 
Seaniebawn said:
That's the way I see it Perceval, not only an eye opener, but a warning for the rest of the smaller EU state's thinking about pulling a Greek style referendum, I suppose the mask has dropped, if not for the leaders of other EU states, who should know better, but anyone who is paying attention. pure naked aggression, although as the saker said, overt threat's are a sign of weakness

Indeed, and as the Cs have said, a sign of desperation and fear, like the "hounds of hell" are snapping at their heels. Their power and control is set to slip from their grasp in spectacular fashion and they "feel" it but don't know exactly how to stop it other than demanding more control of the people (their resources) and constant reminders of "why they need us!"
 
Spyraal,
I’m sorry you and the Greek people have to go through all of this and be treated so unfairly by the psychopaths in power. When does the Greek parliament validate and approve the agreement? I ask because some thing has been bothering me today about the whole situation. Specifically, how the Greek government could do what they did after the No vote. I have some admittedly wild speculation about it after some of parts of your posts, I snip from an article and quotes from the Varoufakis Interview.

spyraal said:
Greeks have been duped, and now I only hope the majority of them who supported the OXI vote will come together and do what has to be done when a people is faced with an imminent existential threat from a overt tyranny. There is still a chance for a last stand for the Greek people, while the sense of unity and empowerment from the recent referendum still lasts. At least for me, and many other people I know here in Greece, we know what has to be done next. We are all limited and mortal 3rd density beings after all. Nothing much to lose from a life of slavery, suppression and disgrace.
spyraal said:
So, I personally trust almost nothing of what is on the mainstream news these days. In such war-like negotiations it is common to play strong when one is weak, or weak when one is strong. To pretend reaching a consensus when preparing for rupture. Or to pretend to disagree just before intending to come to an agreement, so as to improve one's negotiating position... The fact is no-one declares his true intentions so as not to allow the opposing side to counter act in time. It's a mess. A combination of chess and hard core poker. Only by long observation of the devil in the details can one reach some general idea of what each side is really after.
IMO only on Sunday will we know more objectively what is about to happen, when the game of impressions will have to come to an end and both sides will have to open their playing cards on the table.... :D Have you got "negotiations fatigue" yet? Imagine the Greek people after all these months, not to include the past 6 years when Troika was visiting Greece for inspection/negotiations every other month..! What a nightmare indeed.
spyraal said:
Yep, it seems Tsipras finally gave in to a horrific, costly and humiliating agreement for the Greek people. :cry: The next episode of this drama will be played in the Greek parliament, when it will be called the coming days to validate and approve the agreement by majority and also provide a "fast-track" vote for the amazingly harsh "reforms" Germany wants in order to allow for any more blood money to enter the country. The so called "Left Platform" inside SYRIZA that accounts for many of it's members has already cried a call to "war" (in political terms) and asked for other SYRIZA MPs to resist signing this monstrosity. I seriously doubt if SYRIZA can go through this unscathed, or even if they will manage to retain for much longer the needed parliamentary "vote of confidence" to Tsipras' government. Which will mean, either a new round of general elections (the better of choices), or even worst by invoking the "emergency of the situation", a rapid formation of a treacherous non-elected "government of the willing" coming from the other 5th columnists and their puppet parties.
http://thewealthwatchman.com/the-sinister-eu-plot-to-assassinate-greek-sovereignty/

The problem with the Greek people, is that many only seem “halfway there”. They know the banksters are their enemy, but they seem insistent on finding an option where they can still be a sovereign nation, and yet still remain in the EU.
Let’s be clear: no such option exists! In this case, they cannot have their cake and eat it too!
[…]
The Greeks, if they’re courageous enough, should force their elected officials to comply with the July 5th mandate: no new bailouts, no Troika, no new asset seizures or “funds”. However, the July 22nd deadline is fast approaching, and if the Greeks are going to mobilize, they must do so now, with everything they’ve got.
Varoufakis Interview
HL: You must have been thinking about a Grexit from day one...
YV: Yes, absolutely.

HL: And how close was it to happening?
YV: Well let me say that out of six people we were in a minority of two. … Once it didn’t happen I got my orders to close down the banks consensually with the ECB and the Bank of Greece, which I was against, but I did because I’m a team player, I believe in collective responsibility.
And then the referendum happened, and the referendum gave us an amazing boost, one that would have justified this type of energetic response [his plan] against the ECB, but then that very night the government decided that the will of the people, this resounding ‘No’, should not be what energised the energetic approach [his plan].
Instead it should lead to major concessions to the other side: the meeting of the council of political leaders, with our Prime Minister accepting the premise that whatever happens, whatever the other side does, we will never respond in any way that challenges them. And essentially that means folding. … You cease to negotiate.
This is the part that that just boggles my mind and seems the exact opposite of what the Greek gov’t should have determined.
HL: Let’s come back to the crisis. I really understand very little of your relationship with Tsipras…
YV: I’ve known him since late 2010, because I was a prominent critic of the government at the time, even though I was close to it once upon a time. I was close to the Papandreou family – I still am in a way – but I became prominent … back then it was big news that a former adviser was saying “We’re pretending bankruptcy didn’t happen, we’re trying to cover it up with new unsustainable loans,” that kind of thing.
I made some waves back then, and Tsipras was a very young leader trying to understand what was going on, what the crisis was about, and how he should position himself.
HL: Was there a first meeting you remember?
YV: Oh yes. It was late 2010, we went to a cafeteria, there were three of us, and my recollection is that he wasn’t clear back then what his views were, on the drachma versus the euro, on the causes of the crises, and I had very, well shall I say, “set views” on what was going on. And a dialogue begun which unfolded over the years and one that… I believe that I helped shape his view of what should be done.
HL: So how does it feel now, after four-and-a-half years, to no longer be working by his side?
YV: Well I don’t feel that way, I feel that we’re very close. Our parting was extremely amicable. We’ve never had a bad problem between us, never, not to this day. And I’m extremely close to Euclid Tsakalotos [the new finance minister].
I’ve read numerous times over the last few months like in the Wealth watchman article snip above that the biggest issue in all of this was getting the Greek people to realize that they needed to leave the EU where they wanted to end austerity, yet wanted to stay in the EU. An impossibility it seems.

I find it hard to believe there was no real plan B or agreement on how to leave the EU if there was a ‘No’ vote on austerity. You don’t get the backing your people and then just throw away the country by agreeing to what the Greek gov’t did. Read the exact language of the agreement in the Wealth Watchman article. It reads like a horror film for the Greek people. The problem with the ‘No’ vote was it seemed to only answer the question of ending austerity. The question of staying or leaving the EU was left in the air.

Here is the very wild speculation and I’m really probably reading way too much into this. Varoufakis is supposed to really know game theory, so he and the Greek gov’t would have been chewing over how to get the Greek people to change their mind and ask to leave the EU. Varoufakis in the interview said he had been thinking about the Grexit from day one. I would think you do it in stages. First, you buy time and then you answer the question via the people of ending austerity with the resounding ‘No’ vote and gaining support for the gov’t. Then you go to the EU and show the true face of the EU and the psychopaths in charge to the Greek people via what had to be agreed to to stay alive as a country in the EU. First the Varoufakis oped in the Guardian comes out three days ago and then the first interview type tell all. Perhaps this is the next stage. The Greek people have to want to leave the EU and might be being shown the options and behind the scenes information of what the EU is all about. The purpose of which is to mobilize them once again saying ‘No’, but this time by putting pressure on the Greek parliament to not validate and approve the agreement.

The Greek gov't being given an offer they can't refuse mafia style by the EU and US is probably the best explanation though.
 
More pieces of the puzzle surface little by little! Bear, I think you might find an answer too on how the Greek government could do what they did after the No vote. Varoufakis made an amazing statement today on a radio interview on the Greek station Real FM:

"The Greek people surpassed it's own leadership. That night (of the referendum) I entered Maximou (the prime minister's mansion) flying in the clouds from high expectations due to the unbelievable bravery of the Greek people. Very soon I realized that there was a negatively charged atmosphere there about how are going to manage this NO vote. A few hours later I returned to my apartment and signed my resignation"

Just wow! :jawdrop: A "negatively charged atmosphere" by Tsipras and parts of his cabinet because of the OXI vote? If that is true (and I think it is), we can conclude that... Tsipras did not really wish for the NO vote to win to begin with! Or at least not by such a landslide victory that would leave him no room for further interpretation and "flexibility". That constitutes a huge mocking and manipulation of the people when just before the referendum he was pitching for it with seemingly revolutionary fervor. As Varoufakis also stated in his interview on the News Statesman, Tsipras never really wanted to challenge the Eurogroup in any real way. So it makes sense that the huge 61% NO vote win presented a challenge on itself to the Eurogroup, and that was not what Tsipras was wishing for. So it seems he would either prefer a YES vote or a near 50-50 outcome so as to present the signing of a new agreement that was actually his desire, as him respecting the people's will! Remember Tsipras never wanted to present a real challenge, and this is why he never allowed Varoufakis to go on with his Grexit-planning team, and never really gave them the high political cover they required.

To me it starts to become evident that Tsipras, being all his life but a child of the "political party's lab tube" (to paraphrase a Greek expression), all he wanted was just to strike a better agreement than the previous governments, and to capitalize this for his own posthumous fame and the promotion of his political career. He didn't really want to break any eggs, as "political correctness" dictates. To tell the harsh truth, he never had any career on anything else but politics really. All he has ever been since a teenager is a Leftist party member that climbed the ladder to the leadership.

It all fits together. I really trust Varoufakis' word more than Tsipras'. Varoufakis was an already successful economist and professor, and was never member into any party until called a few months ago by Tsipras. He has nothing to gain from being involved in a game of management of impressions, lies and intrigues so as to promote himself in the game of politics. That's why he resigned so soon as soon as he smelled the rat. Tsipras on the other hand is a textbook case of a "professional" politician since forever, and his overall behavior as Varoufakis describes it, is only consistent with this. Ambition, doublespeak and manipulations under the table are the signature of any career politician. And Tsipras is just that. It's all he has ever been. Things make much more sense to me now.
 
Perceval said:
Seaniebawn said:
That's the way I see it Perceval, not only an eye opener, but a warning for the rest of the smaller EU state's thinking about pulling a Greek style referendum, I suppose the mask has dropped, if not for the leaders of other EU states, who should know better, but anyone who is paying attention. pure naked aggression, although as the saker said, overt threat's are a sign of weakness

Indeed, and as the Cs have said, a sign of desperation and fear, like the "hounds of hell" are snapping at their heels. Their power and control is set to slip from their grasp in spectacular fashion and they "feel" it but don't know exactly how to stop it other than demanding more control of the people (their resources) and constant reminders of "why they need us!"

Yeah, thinking about this last night after reading news about the agreement - i too have similar thoughts. For Tsipras, and Syriza to do all that they did over the last 6 months, and even initiate a referendum, and then now capitulate, can only mean two things. Either there were Trojan horse elements in this whole process to ensure it would fail in the end ( as per spyraal's posts above & time will tell if this is the case); or as Perceval mentioned some really really serious warnings were delivered.

I think the Empire really felt the "hounds of hell" and probably threatened Tsipras with everything they had. Probably along the lines of "Either you accept this crippling austerity as your punishment for going against us - or we will rain down death, destruction, suffering, and economic ruin on Greece for this..." sigh ! Faced with these kinds of options most people would capitulate to the "beast"

The situation also is still not over i guess, the agreement has to be ratified by the Greek parliament, and from RT news i think its not going to be smooth sailing :

No to ‘EU colony’: Tsipras faces opposition from govt & people against bailout deal

http://rt.com/news/273292-greece-deal-opposition-tsipras/
 
Bear said:
Here is the very wild speculation and I’m really probably reading way too much into this. Varoufakis is supposed to really know game theory, so he and the Greek gov’t would have been chewing over how to get the Greek people to change their mind and ask to leave the EU. Varoufakis in the interview said he had been thinking about the Grexit from day one. I would think you do it in stages. First, you buy time and then you answer the question via the people of ending austerity with the resounding ‘No’ vote and gaining support for the gov’t. Then you go to the EU and show the true face of the EU and the psychopaths in charge to the Greek people via what had to be agreed to to stay alive as a country in the EU. First the Varoufakis oped in the Guardian comes out three days ago and then the first interview type tell all. Perhaps this is the next stage. The Greek people have to want to leave the EU and might be being shown the options and behind the scenes information of what the EU is all about. The purpose of which is to mobilize them once again saying ‘No’, but this time by putting pressure on the Greek parliament to not validate and approve the agreement.

Here's an article from Michael Snyder along similar line, that the "deal" is designed to fail:

_http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/3-big-reasons-why-the-greek-debt-deal-is-really-a-german-trap

Greece is saved? All over the planet, news headlines are boldly proclaiming that a “deal” has been reached which will give Greece the money that it needs and keep it in the eurozone. But as you will see below, this is not true at all. Yesterday, when I wrote that “there never was going to be any deal“, I was not exaggerating. This “deal” was not drafted with the intention of “saving Greece”. As I explained in my previous article, these negotiations were all about setting up Greece for eviction from the euro. You see, the truth is that Greece desperately wants to stay in the euro, but Germany (and allies such as Finland) want Greece out. Since Germany can’t simply order Greece to leave the euro, they need some sort of legal framework which will make it possible, and that is what this new “deal” provides. As I am about to explain, there are all kinds of conditions that must be satisfied and hurdles that must be crossed before Greece ever sees a single penny. If there is a single hiccup along the way, and this is what the Germans are counting on, Greece will be ejected from the eurozone. This “deal” has been designed to fail so that the Germans can get what they have wanted all along. I think that three very famous words from Admiral Ackbar sum up the situation very well: “It’s a trap!”

So why is this “Greek debt deal” really a German trap?

The following are three big reasons…

#1 The “Deal” Is Designed To Be Rejected By The Greek Parliament

If Germany really wanted to save Greece, they would have already done so. Instead, now they have forced Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to agree to much, much harsher austerity terms than Greek voters overwhelmingly rejected during the recent referendum by a vote of 61 percent to 39 percent. Tsipras has only been given until Wednesday to pass a whole bunch of new laws, and another week to make another series of major economic changes. The following comes from CNN…

Greece has to swiftly pass a series of new laws. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has until Wednesday to convince Parliament to pass the first few, including pension cuts and higher taxes.

Assuming that happens, Greek lawmakers have another week, until July 22, to enact another batch of economic changes. These include adopting European Union rules on how to manage banks in crisis, and do a major overhaul to make Greece’s civil courts faster and more efficient.

Can Tsipras actually get all this done in such a short amount of time?

The Germans are hoping that he can’t. And already, two of Syriza’s coalition partners have publicly declared that they have no intention of voting in favor of this “deal”. The following is from a Bloomberg report…

Discontent brewed as Tsipras arrived back in the Greek capital. Left Platform, a faction within Syriza, and his coalition partners, the Independent Greeks party, both signaled they won’t be able to support the deal. That opposition alone would wipe out Tsipras’s 12-seat majority in parliament, forcing him to rely on opposition votes to carry the day.

The terms of the “deal” are not extremely draconian because the Germans want to destroy Greek sovereignty as many are suggesting. Rather, they are designed to provoke an overwhelmingly negative reaction in Greece so that the Greeks will willingly choose to reject the deal and thus be booted out of the euro.

And this is what we are seeing. So far, the response of the Greek public toward this deal has been overwhelmingly negative…

Haralambos Rouliskos, a 60-year-old economist who was out walking in Athens, described the deal as “misery, humiliation and slavery”.

Katerina Katsaba, a 52-year-old working for a pharmaceutical company, said: “I am not in favour of this deal. I know they (the eurozone creditors) are trying to blackmail us.”

On Wednesday, the union for Greek public workers has even called a 24 hour strike to protest this “agreement”…

Greece’s public workers are being called to stage a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, the day their country’s parliament is to vote on reforms needed to unlock the bankster eurozone plan agreed to by Greek Prime Minster Alex Tsipras.

Their union, Adedy, called for the stoppage in a statement issued today, saying it was against the agreement reached with the eurozone.

The Greek government is not guaranteed any money right now.

According to Bloomberg, the Greek government must pass all of the laws being imposed upon them by the EU “before Greece can even begin negotiations with creditors to access a third international bailout in five years.”

The Germans and their allies are actually hoping that there is a huge backlash in Greece and that Tsipras fails to get this package pushed through the Greek parliament. If that happens, Greece gets ejected from the euro, and Germany doesn’t look like the bad guy.

#2 Even If The “Deal” Miraculously Gets Through The Greek Parliament, It May Not Survive Other European Parliaments

The Greek parliament is not the only legislative body that must approve this new deal. The German and Finnish parliaments (among others) must also approve it. According to USA Today, it is being projected that the German and Finnish parliaments will probably vote on this new deal on Thursday or Friday…

Thursday/Friday, July 16/17: Eurozone parliaments must also agree to the plan for Greece’s $95 billion bailout. The biggest tests may come from Finland and Germany, two nations especially critical of Greece’s handling of the crisis. Berlin has contributed the most to Greece’s loans.

Either Germany or Finland could kill the entire “deal” with a single “no” vote.

Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb has already stated that Finland “cannot agree” with a new bailout for Greece, and it is highly questionable whether or not the German parliament will give it approval.

I think that the Germans and their allies would much prefer for the Greeks to reject the deal and walk away, but it may come down to one of these parliaments drawing a line in the sand.

#3 The Deal Makes Implementation Extraordinarily Difficult

If Greece fails to live up to each and every one of the extremely draconian measures demanded in the “deal”, they will be booted from the eurozone.

And if you take a look at what is being demanded of them, it is extremely unrealistic.
Here is just one example…

For instance, the Greek government agreed to transfer up to 50 billion euros worth of Greek assets to an independent fund that will raise money from privatization.

According to the document, 25 billion euros from this fund will be poured into the banks, 12.5 billion will be used to pay off debt, and the remaining 12.5 billion to boost the economy through investment.

The fund will be based in Greece and run by the Greeks, but with supervision from European authorities.

Where in the world is the Greek government going to find 50 billion euros worth of assets at this point? The Greek government is flat broke and the banks are insolvent.

But if they don’t find 50 billion euros worth of assets, they have violated the agreement and they get booted.

This whole thing is about setting up Greece for failure so that there is a legal excuse to boot them out of the euro.

And it actually almost happened very early on Monday morning. The following comes from Business Insider…

As the FT tells it, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras rose from their chairs at 6 a.m. on Monday and headed for the door, resigned to a Greek exit from the euro.

“Sorry, but there is no way you are leaving this room,” European Council president Donald Tusk reportedly said.

And so a Grexit was avoided.

For the moment, Greece has supposedly been “saved”.

But anyone that believes that this crisis is “over” is just being delusional.

The Germans and their allies have successfully lured the Greek government into a trap. Thanks to Tsipras, they have been handed a legal framework for getting rid of Greece.

All they have to do now is wait for just the right moment to spring the trap, and it might just happen a lot sooner than a lot of people may think.
 
It all fits together. I really trust Varoufakis' word more than Tsipras'. Varoufakis was an already successful economist and professor, and was never member into any party until called a few months ago by Tsipras. He has nothing to gain from being involved in a game of management of impressions, lies and intrigues so as to promote himself in the game of politics. That's why he resigned so soon as soon as he smelled the rat. Tsipras on the other hand is a textbook case of a "professional" politician since forever, and his overall behavior as Varoufakis describes it, is only consistent with this. Ambition, doublespeak and manipulations under the table are the signature of any career politician. And Tsipras is just that. It's all he has ever been. Things make much more sense to me now.

and maybe that is why Putin never really engaged with Tsipras - he smelled the rat and the trap set up for Russia

I still think Greece is headed for a Color revolution and the Golden Dawn will be brought to power. Tsipras might have negotiated his safe exit - that is the best he can expect from the others. The people that voted OXI must be punished. An example needs to be given.
 
spyraal said:
More pieces of the puzzle surface little by little! Bear, I think you might find an answer too on how the Greek government could do what they did after the No vote. Varoufakis made an amazing statement today on a radio interview on the Greek station Real FM:

"The Greek people surpassed it's own leadership. That night (of the referendum) I entered Maximou (the prime minister's mansion) flying in the clouds from high expectations due to the unbelievable bravery of the Greek people. Very soon I realized that there was a negatively charged atmosphere there about how are going to manage this NO vote. A few hours later I returned to my apartment and signed my resignation"

I am "friend"s with Alexander Mercouris on FB. He writes great pieces regarding Russia, so I usually read his long posts. He is probably coming from the long line of Mercouris who are for generations involved in greek politics (Melina Mercouri, her father, etc). He doesn't live in Greece anymore, but he has family and friends who are still involved in the political circles there, according to him. Anyway, on July 11, I read the following he posted, and I did not want to believe it, but it appears that it was true, Varoufakis confirms it:


Alexander Mercouris said:
THE PRICE OF TSIPRAS

Prior to the referendum there were claims from some people that Tsipras had called it in the expectation that there would be a Yes vote so that he could then sign the bailout plan which he had rejected.

This made no sense to me since it was clear to me that if Tsipras had lost the referendum he would have been finished politically.

The truth is actually even more bizarre. It was first disclosed by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Daily Telegraph in a piece that seemed to me so weird that I couldn't quite believe its truth (I attach it below). In the hours after it appeared I was assured by several people it wasn't true. [here's the article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11724924/Europe-is-blowing-itself-apart-over-Greece-and-nobody-can-stop-it.html ]

I am afraid it turns out that it was true. I believe that the source of the story was either James Galbraith - the US economist who is advising Tsipras - or Varoufakis, and probably both of them.

It seems that Tsipras did indeed call the referendum in the belief that he would lose and the Yes vote would win. His plan was not to use the Yes vote as cover to sign the bailout plan as some had suggested. It was to use the Yes vote to resign and leave active politics.

A "national unity government" headed by Antonis Samaras would then have been formed, which would have signed the bailout plan. Syriza - minus Tsipras - would have gone into opposition. New elections would have been called, which Syriza would have lost. It would then have finally been in a position to campaign against the bailout and (possibly) demand a Grexit when the latest bailout failed.

This by the way explains the strange meeting between Samaras and the Greek President, which led to calls for a "national unity government", which had so alarmed me.

As with most overcomplicated political strategies this one ended in abject failure when the Greek people, instead of voting Yes, backed Tsipras (as they thought) by a landslide and voted No.

It is perhaps understandable that Tsipras and his political advisers (including in this connection Varoufakis) got this so completely wrong. Before the referendum opinion polls were showing overwhelming support for retaining the euro and majority backing for accepting the bailout.

Here I am going to say something about Greek opinion polls. Though they are normally reliable I have been hearing from several people of increasing doubts that they are still so. Paul Krugman - who I believe is far more heavily involved behind the scenes than he lets on - has also publicly hinted as much on his blog and I suspect he has been told privately the same thing.

The Greek media that commissions the opinion polls is overwhelmingly oligarchic controlled and pro-EU. I am afraid it is beginning to look as if the opinion polls it has been publishing during this crisis reflects this bias - a sign by the way of how polarised opinion in Greece has become.

Anyway the fact that the actual results of the referendum proved the opinion polls so utterly wrong should act as a warning against putting any excessive trust in them.

A few months ago when Syriza won the election there is no doubt Greeks did overwhelmingly want to keep the euro. Though many still do, everything I am hearing points to a big swing away from that position, which the opinion polls are not reflecting.

Anyway, returning to Tsipras, the referendum result did not deliver him from what he has clearly come to see as an impossible situation. On the contrary, since the Greek people took him at his word, it has left him high-and-dry.

What I am hearing about Tsipras is that he is a personally charming man with good intentions. However like many charming people he relies too much on his charm, making him intellectually lazy and causing him to behave in ways that are frankly devious and manipulative.

The result is that he has brought both himself and Greece to a point of genuinely existential crisis.

As many have pointed out Tsipras got himself elected on a totally false promise that he could persuade the Europeans to ease up on austerity whilst keeping Greece in the euro. It doesn't seem to have occurred to him that if such a thing was possible previous Greek governments would have done it.

In the event, when it became clear that it was not possible he had a clear choice: either capitulate or go for a Grexit. Either would have meant breaking an election promise but he would not have been the first leader elected to have done so.

Since his promise to end austerity and bring growth back to the economy was what caused the Greek people to vote for him in the first place, political and economic logic should have pointed him towards a Grexit.

Had he at that point engaged in conventional diplomacy instead of grandstanding he would have quickly discovered that in seeking an orderly Grexit he had in Wolfgang Schauble a powerful ally capable of trumping any obstruction from elsewhere in Europe and from the European Commission and the ECB. [I don't believe this for a moment, that anyone in the power circles in EUwould help Greece through a Grexit. Alexander makes a few more similar points below, as if the European elite or other nations were looking forward to assist Greece in this transition.]

It is possible to see how the outlines of an agreement for an orderly Grexit might have been reached had a more conventional and clearheaded approach been taken.

The Russians could have helped with the technical issues of creating a new currency, whose problems Varoufakis is exaggerating (see below) - one should not mistake an alibi for a failure to do something as the truth.

Schauble could have put together a coalition - possibly including the Chinese and the Russians - to provide Greece with the necessary bridging finance to support the new currency.

Schauble could also have made sure that the ECB continued to provide liquidity support to the Greek banks until the new currency was up and running and the job could be taken over by the Bank of Greece.

To those who doubt whether Schauble would have done any of these things the short answer is that he has been pushing for months to do all these things.

Regardless there was no sense in demonising the most powerful Finance Minister in Europe, turning him from a potential ally into an enemy, when there was no Plan B.

As for the US, it could have been appeased with pledges of Greece's continued loyalty to the EU and NATO, whilst the international financial community could have been given promises that Greece would continue to cooperate with the IMF to carry out "reforms" so as to be able to resume its debt payments later. Some of these reforms are actually needed and who knows IMF help might even have helped with them. More probably, with a Grexit the whole "reform" agenda - and the debt repayments - would have been quietly shelved.

A strong and self confident politician such as Greece has had in the past (eg. Kapodistrias, Trikoupis or Venizelos) could have done it. Unfortunately Tsipras is simply not cut from that cloth.

The result is that we now have the worst of all worlds with Greece facing either an indefinite prolongation of austerity or a chaotic Grexit for which it has not been prepared. Of the two I still definitely prefer the latter despite the very real horror it will cause since at least it offers some hope of an eventual end. Tsipras's amateurism and incompetence however means that either way the decision is no longer in Greece's hands.

Meanwhile there is a serious risk of a political collapse. Most Greeks have not yet fully understood that their government is now signing up to an even tougher austerity package than they one they rejected in the referendum last Sunday. When they do the legitimacy crisis some talk about will hit home hard.

Tsipras himself is toast and I cannot see his Syriza party holding together for much longer. The problem is that 5 years of austerity have hollowed out the political system. There is no obvious alternative other than a return to the discredited old oligarch parties.

Many young people in particular will feel betrayed. Many will emigrate but in a country as politically divided as Greece, further alienation of the young is potentially dangerous.

It is easy to see how many young people could become attracted to parties like Golden Dawn or the KKE or (much more probably) whatever new left wing party splinters from Syriza.

However given Greece's history there is also a very real risk of a return of political violence with some young people turning to terrorism. It is little more than a decade since political terrorism ended in Greece, when it already had the sympathy of many young people. Some of them are now certainly angry enough to return to that as I have experienced from occasional bruising encounters myself. [I don't think it's fair that he calls it terrorism, it was resistance with some agents provocateurs in the mix]

It is also unfortunately true that Tsipras's incompetence has severely weakened Europe's emerging anti-austerity front. There must be serious questions now whether Podemos will win in Spain or whether Marine Le Pen (whom Syriza gratuitously insulted) will win in France given the disaster that an anti-austerity party has led to in Greece.

I was never a supporter Tsipras or of Syriza and I have never hidden my doubts and concerns about them since before the election that brought them to power. With a heavy heart I have to say that they have all come true - and with a vengeance.

I am truly sorry because I never wished Tsipras or Syriza ill. However it is the people of Greece - and of Europe - that are going to pay the price.

spyraal said:
Just wow! :jawdrop: A "negatively charged atmosphere" by Tsipras and parts of his cabinet because of the OXI vote? If that is true (and I think it is), we can conclude that... Tsipras did not really wish for the NO vote to win to begin with! Or at least not by such a landslide victory that would leave him no room for further interpretation and "flexibility". That constitutes a huge mocking and manipulation of the people when just before the referendum he was pitching for it with seemingly revolutionary fervor. As Varoufakis also stated in his interview on the News Statesman, Tsipras never really wanted to challenge the Eurogroup in any real way. So it makes sense that the huge 61% NO vote win presented a challenge on itself to the Eurogroup, and that was not what Tsipras was wishing for. So it seems he would either prefer a YES vote or a near 50-50 outcome so as to present the signing of a new agreement that was actually his desire, as him respecting the people's will! Remember Tsipras never wanted to present a real challenge, and this is why he never allowed Varoufakis to go on with his Grexit-planning team, and never really gave them the high political cover they required.

To me it starts to become evident that Tsipras, being all his life but a child of the "political party's lab tube" (to paraphrase a Greek expression), all he wanted was just to strike a better agreement than the previous governments, and to capitalize this for his own posthumous fame and the promotion of his political career. He didn't really want to break any eggs, as "political correctness" dictates. To tell the harsh truth, he never had any career on anything else but politics really. All he has ever been since a teenager is a Leftist party member that climbed the ladder to the leadership.

It appears to be so. I don't blame the Greek people for trusting him, because they were desperate and he said all the right words. Whether on purpose or because of incompetence, it is on his shoulders that he added to the previous governments' selling off of their country. But I don't think that a Grexit would have helped Greece either. It's like Joe said, once you enter the EU or NATO there's no real independence from these organizations ever. But even if all was futile, even if he indeed saw that there was not anything he could do to keep his promises, he should have at least been honest and told the people, "this is what we are up against, this is the truth of the situation, I can't do what I wanted". Anyways, he is dead politically now. But the EU vultures are still standing ready to devour whatever is left from Greece.

spyraal said:
It all fits together. I really trust Varoufakis' word more than Tsipras'. Varoufakis was an already successful economist and professor, and was never member into any party until called a few months ago by Tsipras. He has nothing to gain from being involved in a game of management of impressions, lies and intrigues so as to promote himself in the game of politics. That's why he resigned so soon as soon as he smelled the rat. Tsipras on the other hand is a textbook case of a "professional" politician since forever, and his overall behavior as Varoufakis describes it, is only consistent with this. Ambition, doublespeak and manipulations under the table are the signature of any career politician. And Tsipras is just that. It's all he has ever been. Things make much more sense to me now.

I was dreaming last night that I was sitting around a table with Varoufakis telling him to legalize marijuana in Greece. My arguments were that it would attract more tourists and that the country would make millions from the taxes on it :)

Other than that... I am just depressed about the whole thing, and angry at the betrayal too. Greek people deserve so much better. I sometimes feel "it's all over but the crying", but then I remember that everything is still open and always in motion - πάντα ῥεῖ. :hug2:
 
Thank you for this article Alana. Together with Perceval's cool-headed analysis, and other clues gathered in this thread, it adds up to us having a more solid and concrete picture of the Greek situation. The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.

Had Tsipras been a different person, a leader of steel resolve and true faith to the just cause of the Greek people, things could have been different. I still believe that as much as the Empire is strong and Eurozone is meant to be another Hotel California where "you can check-out anytime you like but you can never leave", I think that had a coordinated and well-thought of plan had been worked out with the help of Russia, there could still be a chance for this plan to work. There are many weaknesses on the Masters' system that could be potentially played against them, one of which is the big elephant in the living-room, the derivatives market. Had Greece together with the economic/military might of Russia and China actively taken the initiative and used the element of "surprise" for a carefully timed "Grexit-bomb", and by exploiting some of the system's weak points like the derivatives market to their advantage, we could have a completely different situation. One that even the Masters could have found seriously challenging to manage. But anyway, that is all but assumptions and guesswork now...

The current reality and what the future holds is a more important issue now. Greek people are beginning to slowly cool down from the extreme emotions that came from this betrayal of their will, and the truth about Tsipras shall be known. As the truth about the ugly face of the European Union has hit Greek people in the face. And the Truth sets free. The recent referendum is a major conquest of the people whose importance will be a major catalyst for whatever happens next. Knowing the spirit of the Greek people, I can only say it ain't over till it's over.

For the end, I will give some quotes from the famous modern Greek poet Nikos Kazantzakis, who captured and inspired the Greek soul like few did.
"I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."

"If man's heart is not overflowing from love or anger, nothing can change in this world"

"What never came to be so far, is only because we never desired it strong enough"

"You should think: I, and I alone, have the responsibility to save the world. I the world fails, It's because of me."

Thank you.
:)
 
The article sounds fishy.... He thought a yes vote would win? On WHICH planet? As many people said here at the tine, he gave the vultures a week's notice. Far to short for them to rig the whole thing. Obviously naturally people would vote No! He was voted in to stand against austerity... Why would he think the majority that voted him in would now have changed their minds?...

Article sounds fishy... I doubt he's stupid...

This show isn't over yet..
 
spyraal said:
Thank you for this article Alana. Together with Perceval's cool-headed analysis, and other clues gathered in this thread, it adds up to us having a more solid and concrete picture of the Greek situation. The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.

Had Tsipras been a different person, a leader of steel resolve and true faith to the just cause of the Greek people, things could have been different. I still believe that as much as the Empire is strong and Eurozone is meant to be another Hotel California where "you can check-out anytime you like but you can never leave", I think that had a coordinated and well-thought of plan had been worked out with the help of Russia, there could still be a chance for this plan to work. There are many weaknesses on the Masters' system that could be potentially played against them, one of which is the big elephant in the living-room, the derivatives market. Had Greece together with the economic/military might of Russia and China actively taken the initiative and used the element of "surprise" for a carefully timed "Grexit-bomb", and by exploiting some of the system's weak points like the derivatives market to their advantage, we could have a completely different situation. One that even the Masters could have found seriously challenging to manage. But anyway, that is all but assumptions and guesswork now...

The current reality and what the future holds is a more important issue now. Greek people are beginning to slowly cool down from the extreme emotions that came from this betrayal of their will, and the truth about Tsipras shall be known. As the truth about the ugly face of the European Union has hit Greek people in the face. And the Truth sets free. The recent referendum is a major conquest of the people whose importance will be a major catalyst for whatever happens next. Knowing the spirit of the Greek people, I can only say it ain't over till it's over.

For the end, I will give some quotes from the famous modern Greek poet Nikos Kazantzakis, who captured and inspired the Greek soul like few did.
"I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free."

"If man's heart is not overflowing from love or anger, nothing can change in this world"

"What never came to be so far, is only because we never desired it strong enough"

"You should think: I, and I alone, have the responsibility to save the world. I the world fails, It's because of me."

Thank you.
:)

Thank you Alana, thank you spyraal, thank you everybody, this subject is a big lesson, big big big! And lessons are hard, when they are real lessons, I think so. And lessons open eyes and give energy, after all. I am very sad for Greece, for Greeks, for anyone who believed that change was possible, that democracy was possible when we know that there is no democracy. Not at all! The only democracy is inside us, this little space where we work to be a little free. and that needs working, every second. That apart, I just wish that Greeks will be able to go to banks and take their money to eat or for anything urgent. In very difficult times people help each other, this is one good positive side of our disgraceful times.
 
luke wilson said:
The article sounds fishy.... He thought a yes vote would win? On WHICH planet? As many people said here at the tine, he gave the vultures a week's notice. Far to short for them to rig the whole thing. Obviously naturally people would vote No! He was voted in to stand against austerity... Why would he think the majority that voted him in would now have changed their minds?...

Article sounds fishy... I doubt he's stupid...

This show isn't over yet..

I think you missed some points there Luke Wilson. The referendum's question was about voting YES or NO to what was supposedly the final "take it or leave it" proposal from Greece's lenders. This strict ultimatum, was then translated by media as a YES or NO to Euro and Eurozone. Thus everyone, Tsipras included, counted on a false impression and false opinion polls that Greek people desired to remain in Eurozone no matter what. Tsipras counted on this and a YES vote, in order to give him the plausible alibi that would allow him to sign another deal with Greece's creditors. Tsipras never really wanted to carry the burden of a Grexit. Being but a career politician and not a true leader, he never wanted to undertake the responsibility, consequences and political cost that would come by serving the true interests of the Greek people. It appears he only wanted to achieve a compromise that was marginally better than what previous government did. Sometimes taking the "first place" and the fame and glory that comes with it, requires just being slightly better that the one on the "second place". That is politics: a game of ambition and calculation. And as we said before Tsipras is but a career politician, not a true leader that would disregard his own personal interests and even his own life to serve his people.

Thank you.
 
I've been reading up on Varoufakis, who he is and why he abruptly resigned. To me, he appears to be a "true Statesman" who is well versed and studied in his position. In this interview which was just posted, he said something that completely - floored me - "The Eurogroup does not exist in law, there is no treaty which has convened this group.”

You can read the long interview at the site but I wanted to highlight a few examples that were of interest.

V for Varoufakis - Yanis Varoufakis opens up about his five month battle to save Greece
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/v-for-varoufakis.html

In his first interview since resigning, Greece's former Finance Minister says the Eurogroup is “completely and utterly” controlled by Germany, Greece was “set up” and last week’s referendum was wasted.

In Varoufakis’s account, the Troika never genuinely negotiated during his five months as finance minister. He argued that Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza government was elected to renegotiate an austerity programme that had clearly failed; over the past five years it has put a quarter of Greeks out of work, and created the worst depression anywhere in the developed world since the 1930s. But he thinks that Greece’s creditors simply led him on.

A short-term deal could, Varoufakis said, have been struck soon after Syriza came to power in late January. “Three or four reforms” could have been agreed, and restrictions on liquidity eased by the ECB in return.

Instead, “The other side insisted on a ‘comprehensive agreement’, which meant they wanted to talk about everything. My interpretation is that when you want to talk about everything, you don’t want to talk about anything.” But a comprehensive agreement was impossible. “There were absolutely no [new] positions put forward on anything by them.”

Varoufakis said that Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister and the architect of the deals Greece signed in 2010 and 2012, was “consistent throughout”. “His view was ‘I’m not discussing the programme – this was accepted by the previous [Greek] government and we can’t possibly allow an election to change anything.

It is well known that Varoufakis was taken off Greece’s negotiating team shortly after Syriza took office; he was still in charge of the country’s finances but no longer in the room. It’s long been unclear why. In April, he said vaguely that it was because “I try and talk economics in the Eurogroup” – the club of 19 finance ministers whose countries use the Euro – “which nobody does.” I asked him what happened when he did.

“It’s not that it didn’t go down well – there was point blank refusal to engage in economic arguments. Point blank. You put forward an argument that you’ve really worked on, to make sure it’s logically coherent, and you’re just faced with blank stares. It is as if you haven’t spoken. What you say is independent of what they say. You might as well have sung the Swedish national anthem – you’d have got the same reply.”

This weekend divisions surfaced within the Eurogroup, with countries split between those who seemed to want a “Grexit” and those demanding a deal. But Varoufakis said they were always been united in one respect: their refusal to renegotiate.

His conclusion was succinct. “We were set up.”

And he was adamant about who is responsible. I asked whether German attitudes control the outlook of the Eurogroup. Varoufakis went further. “Oh completely and utterly. Not attitudes – the finance minister of Germany. It is all like a very well-tuned orchestra and he is the director.

Varoufakis thinks that Merkel and Schäuble’s control over the Eurogroup is absolute, and that the group itself is beyond the law.


Days before Varoufakis’s resignation on 6 July, when Tsipras called the referendum on the Eurogroup’s belated and effectively unchanged offer, the Eurogroup issued a communiqué without Greek consent. This was against Eurozone convention. The move was quietly criticised by some in the press before being overshadowed by the build-up to the referendum, but Varoufakis considered it pivotal.

When Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the European Council President, tried to issue the communiqué without him, Varoufakis consulted Eurogroup clerks – could Dijsselbloem exclude a member state? The meeting was briefly halted. After a handful of calls, a lawyer turned to him and said, “Well, the Eurogroup does not exist in law, there is no treaty which has convened this group.”

“So,” Varoufakis said, “What we have is a non-existent group that has the greatest power to determine the lives of Europeans. It’s not answerable to anyone, given it doesn’t exist in law; no minutes are kept; and it’s confidential. No citizen ever knows what is said within . . . These are decisions of almost life and death, and no member has to answer to anybody.”


Events this weekend seem to support Varoufakis’ account. On Saturday evening, a memo leaked that showed Germany was suggesting Greece should take a “timeout” from the Eurozone. By the end of the day, Schäuble’s recommendation was the conclusion of the Eurogroup’s statement. It’s unclear how that happened; the body operates in secret. While Greeks hung on reports of their fate this weekend, no minutes were released from any meetings.

The referendum of 5 July has also been rapidly forgotten. It was preemptively dismissed by the Eurozone, and many people saw it as a farce – a sideshow that offered a false choice and created false hope, and was only going to ruin Tsipras when he later signed the deal he was campaigning against. As Schäuble supposedly said, elections cannot be allowed to change anything. But Varoufakis believes that it could have changed everything. On the night of the referendum he had a plan, Tsipras just never quite agreed to it.

The Eurozone can dictate terms to Greece because it is no longer fearful of a Grexit. It is convinced that its banks are now protected if Greek banks default. But Varoufakis thought that he still had some leverage: once the ECB forced Greece’s banks to close, he could act Цunilaterally.

He said he spent the past month warning the Greek cabinet that the ECB would close Greece’s banks to force a deal. When they did, he was prepared to do three things: issue euro-denominated IOUs; apply a “haircut” to the bonds Greek issued to the ECB in 2012, reducing Greece’s debt; and seize control of the Bank of Greece from the ECB.

He hinted at this plan on the eve of the referendum, and reports later suggested this was what cost him his job. He offered a clearer explanation.

As the crowds were celebrating on Sunday night in Syntagma Square, Syriza’s six-strong inner cabinet held a critical vote. By four votes to two, Varoufakis failed to win support for his plan, and couldn’t convince Tsipras. He had wanted to enact his “triptych” of measures earlier in the week, when the ECB first forced Greek banks to shut. Sunday night was his final attempt. When he lost his departure was inevitable.
 
Update: According to latest news, within the next 24 hours we shall witness the division of SYRIZA. At least 25 to 30 of SYRIZA's MPs up to now clearly stated that they will not sign the horrendous agreement. They also stated they don't considered resigning from their seats in the parliament. Instead of that they might form a new independent parliamentary group.

Still, there are more than enough MPs from other "willing" political parties of the old-guard for the agreement to pass through the parliament though. But SYRIZA is loosing it's cohesion every passing minute. So, some even call for immediate new general elections before the agreement is validated. Tsipras has already and will further suffer a huge blow, and if he stays he will become but a caricature of a Prime Minister, and that only as long as whatever is left of the political capital and popular support he earned the previous months evaporates. Which means quite soon.

Even a few of Tsipra's own selected ministers claim that would rather resign from their office, that sign the agreement and implement the "reforms", which they consider insulting and also impossible to implement in a society that has no more capacity to give left in it. Protests and full scale strikes scheduled in all major Greek cities for today and the days to follow. The drama continues with increasing tension from parliament and people alike...
 
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