Thursday, June 14, 2012

Greece: Elections, Currency, Threats From Lenders

The Parthenon, or
The Greek Economy
After Enforced Austerity
Of course I don't have information on all those things apart from what is in the news. According to Laurence Knight of BBC News, Greek elections are on Sunday; a growing number of Greeks are withdrawing their money from banks (in euros, I presume), "the radical left-wing upstarts of Syriza" (Knight's description, not mine) are poised to become the biggest party in the parliament (though not necessarily a majority), and Germany and other lenders are saying to Greece, again in Knight's words, "Vote Syriza and you are out." Ah, tradition! It's good to see Germany as committed to democracy as it has always been. [/snark] The fun never ends in euro-land...

AFTERTHOUGHT: this is my second post in a week containing a photo of a building with a lot of columns. (The other was the US Supreme Court building.) I suppose what my highly admired high school English teacher once told me is true: "Steve, you have an edifice complex." <grin_duck_run />

18 comments:

  1. Hi Steve,

    While Greek and European media continue to terrorize Greek people...

    Let me give you a hand:

    -Greece eurozone exit script denied:
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greece-eurozone-exit-script-denied-7844530.html

    -Greece pressured to buy German armaments with bail-out loans:
    http://digitaljournal.com/article/318237

    - Eurozone crisis: “Europe, not Greece, is the problem”. The Greek small gravel and European trenchQ
    http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/2176241-europe-not-greece-problem

    ReplyDelete
  2. While Greek and European MAINSTREAM media continue to terrorize Greek people...

    ReplyDelete
  3. - End The Dictatorship of Fear! Support the Greek People! This Sat­urday, Blooms­day, we will take to the streets of Dub­lin to show solid­ar­ity with the Greek people in their brave struggle against the destruc­tion of their soci­ety by the Troika...
    http://criticallegalthinking.com/2012/06/14/end-the-dictatorship-of-fear-support-the-greek-people-on-bloomsday/

    - IMF Head Warns Time Running Out for Euro Zone:
    http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/imf-head-lagarde-warns-time-running-out-for-euro-zone-a-838368.html

    - Angela Merkel stands firm on eurozone debt crisis:
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/angela-merkel-stands-firm-on-eurozone-debt-crisis-7851249.html

    - The day the troika comes back (MAINSTREAM):
    http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/2170011-day-troika-comes-back

    I am sure, you have never doubted a single moment, what we are going to do next Sunday!
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Meanwhile, the "Golden Dawn" continues beating and stabbing people, at least 2 to 3 incidents per day, mostly foreigners (eg Egyptian fishermen) and members of the Communist Party, sending many to hospitals in critical condition. Of course, nobody bothers..

    - The rise of Golden Dawn is a sign of Greek lawlessness:
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/14/golden-dawn-greek-lawlessness?newsfeed=true

    VoilĂ !

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just one more (mainstream) and I am gone!

    - Syriza, dangerously ambiguous:
    http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/2163581-syriza-dangerously-ambiguous

    ReplyDelete
  6. Enfant, many thanks. Your list of links has broadened my understanding of the crisis, which is shallow at best, as an American with no direct involvement. But in reality, all of us are directly involved: in today's global economy (for better or worse), hard times anywhere can precipitate hard times elsewhere. To use a familiar American expression, "we are all Greeks now," and we all stand or fall together.

    I'll be viewing Greek election results with interest, and of course grateful for your comments as always. Please keep safe until then.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Steve,

    Some more data about Germany.

    Euro Crisis Will Help Germany Balance Its Budget(english):
    http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/euro-crisis-helps-germany-by-lowering-borrowing-costs-a-838880.html

    and,
    EuroCrisis:
    http://inconue.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/eurocrisis1.jpg

    Thank you so much for your concern!

    ReplyDelete
  8. ... and a better picture of Parthenon, from the German weekly "focus" (September 2011):

    http://p-nstatic.doldigital.net/taneawebstatic/ABFEE5432D174B2D1F783D0D414B2853.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Golden Nazi's in Greece should be enough warning for any American, but we are so stupid and bloated we stand by and watch our own doom. I hope a democratic uprising will characterize Greece's demand for justice. We support our Greek sisters and brothers in solidarity. Be safe L'Enfant.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank You,
    Karmanot,
    for your so kind words!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The thing that Americans miss is that the money that is supposedly being 'loaned' to Greece, is actually going to German and France banks who made bad decisions.

    The Greek people are being impoverished to bail out the banks. The of Greece aren't getting any of this money, it goes to the bond holders.

    This wasn't banking, this was gambling and it should surprise no one that Goldman Sachs was involved.

    If the European Central Bank would start acting like a central bank, these issues could be resolved with a few changes to a spreadsheet.

    You can't throw people out of work, and expect the economy to improve - it does not happen, and we know it from the Great Depression.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The last installment of the loan of April was delayed and given to Greece late in May. But it was only the share to return to lenders, and was cut the part that would come to fund the Greek state, as blackmail because of Greek elections.

    -The Hellenic risk - Europe trembles before decisive vote

    Governments, European institutions and markets are apprehenisve about the outcome of the June 17 Greek elections and its consequences for the eurozone.
    http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/todays-front-pages/2181871-todays-front-pages

    - Greece's Unemployment Rate Just Got A Lot Worse:
    http://www.businessinsider.com/greece-unemployment-rate-2012-6?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheMoneyGame+%28The+Money+Game%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

    - Pharmacist's murder highlights Greek economic plight:
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pharmacists-murder-highlights-greek-economic-plight-7854007.html

    - Greece confronts its future – and recoils in fear:
    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/greece-confronts-its-future--and-recoils-in-fear-7852040.html

    - Europe Update: Things Are Still Bad, And Worse:
    http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/06/13/europe-update-things-are-still-bad-and-worse/

    ReplyDelete
  13. Also, you can NEVER privatize public or private property, when you're for five consecutive years in Depression, a total of over 20%!

    ReplyDelete
  14. GREXIT: A TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS!

    http://www.businessinsider.com/grexit-a-tragedy-in-three-acts-2012-6

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bryan - thanks for the info. I had gathered that the banks were feathering their own nests (and those of the German arms dealers) from a couple of the articles Enfant linked to. In Europe as in America, all past experience and wisdom has been tossed out the window at the insistence of banksters, and every nation has to start over more or less from the beginning, as we did for a few years starting in 1929. Greece faces, for now, a higher poverty rate, but if things don't change quickly, America will be right behind Europe in heading over the cliff. Utter and needless folly!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Enfant, thanks for the links. I'll read the articles over the course of the day as I have opportunities between my obligations.

    ReplyDelete
  17. An electorate under high surveillance (by not mainstream journalist):

    http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/2184931-electorate-under-surveillance

    ReplyDelete
  18. Enfant, I hardly need to tell you that Greeks should watch out for electoral skulduggery... not by individual voters, but by political parties (and in your case other nations) determined to see one result at any cost. It happened to America in 2000; it can happen to Greece or any nation!

    ReplyDelete

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