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Greek debt somewhere between comedy and tragedy

Published: 08 February, 2012, 16:22

A pedestrian walks by a Eurobank advertisement featuring a one euro coin and the words "increases (Eurobank) the value of any new deposit" in Athens February 8, 2012 (Reuters / John Kolesidis)

A pedestrian walks by a Eurobank advertisement featuring a one euro coin and the words "increases (Eurobank) the value of any new deposit" in Athens February 8, 2012 (Reuters / John Kolesidis)

TRENDS: Eurozone crisis

TAGS: EU, Crisis, Government Spending, Greece, Global economy


The Greek Government has apparently moved closer to agreeing a rescue deal which will provide it with a 130 billion euro bailout. But experts believe the new loan is not a cure.

­Greece has already agreed to dismiss 15,000 public-sector workers by the end of the year, meeting one of the conditions laid down by the troika of international lenders — the IMF, the EU and European Central Bank. But political party leaders have yet to agree on a 20% reduction in the minimum wage and 35% cut in pensions to get the necessary loan.

The European Central Bank has also agreed to exchange Greek bonds it bought last year for bonds of the European Financial Stability Facility at a price below face value. The ECB won't loose on the transaction, but will contribute to the Greece rescue mission.

On Tuesday, Greek trade unions carried out a 24 hour strike against the proposed wage cuts. Politicians express solidarity, insisting further cuts would lead to deeper recession.

“The regulators demand measures, that would lead the country to much more deeper and disastrous recession”, says opposition leader Antonis Samaras.

If the party leaders don’t reach an agreement, the Greece’s default seems inevitable as the country has to repay 14.5bln euro in March. But some experts say the default would be the only way out of the expanding debt crisis.

“They are only thinking in terms of getting another loan. But the problem is exactly that. We are already two years into a vicious circle of increasing debt. Both the government and European Union use default as a blackmail, but I think we should do exactly this. It’s high time for Greece to default on its own terms”, Panagiotis Sotiris from the University of the Aegean told RT.

He went on to say: “I don’t think in the end we will avoid some kind of default. The only question is which kind of default? If it is a creditor-led default, which would mean further social devastation or is it going to be a necessary act of national political pride, which says: “We should immediately stop paying that debt and start reconstruction in this country”.

But analysts suppose the Greek default would be a heavy hit for European Union. “Formerly default was one of the options, but now as so much liquidity has been injected into Greece, default will be an utter defeat for the European united financial policy," says Aleksey Puhaev from Investcafe.

“France and Germany will try their best to deprive Greece of its budget management to avoid the situation, when major creditors depend on a small unlucky borrower”, he added.

Meanwhile the creditors are starting to lose patience and suspect the Greeks of intentionally delaying the agreement. “I can’t understand why we should wait few more days. Time is running out”, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed.

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hishighnest-orangutan February 16, 2012, 10:24
0

hey greeks, next time (if there is) pay yer tax, and hang the corrupt tax officers...

my political relative at the IMF February 09, 2012, 01:52
+4


I tell you, to my shame, the husband of my niece works at the IMF. He is an incompetent moron who needed 6 years to complete a doctorate in a state university in the US. In any institution in Europe he would have been expelled from University. Then, there is no examination or competition such as in Europe to enter the administration. It is harder to get a job as a administrative assistant at the public administration in Spain than to get a job as an economist at the IMF. I know what I am saying. In order to enter the Spanish administration you need to compete with other 1000 candidates for a single post and swot up a 1.5 meter high pile of text books by heart and pass IQ tests.
At the IMF you dont do anything of the sort. Just hand in your cv and an interview.
At a dinner he once told me "if you knew how much they pay me" !
This gives you an idea of the kind of individuals in there.

Pol Pot Plant February 08, 2012, 17:18
+8

It makes me laugh when people talk about the IMF and EU 'bailing out' Greece.

Imagine a woman whose car has broken down in the middle of a terrible storm. She's walking down the road, thunder, lightning, rain lashing her and wind howling. A car pulls up next to her and the driver offers her a lift - but on the dashboard there's a roll of duct tape, a coil of rope, and a handkerchief soaked in chloroform.

Hellas must default. It didn't destroy Argentina and it won't destroy them. Perpetual debt slavery to the Troika will.