Thursday 2 July 2015

Greece Day 3

Apologies for missing a day and such a dramatic and rapidly changing day for Greece.
Tsipras struggled on desperately, trying to accept a deal and then accusing his creditors of blackmail. But it is hard to blame him; Seamus Milne in the Guardian makes a convincing argument that Europe's Elites and IMF, set up to oppose leftist governments, are out to get him and his government. Don't forget that 92% of bailout money went to the Banks, not the Greeks and the unemployment rate stands at a staggering 25% as the Greek economy has failed to recover under the austerity measures already imposed. Tsipras' response to rejection has been to announce he will campaign for a 'no' vote and to describe Greece's creditors as blackmailers. Tsipras' changes were designed to alleviate the effects of austerity on pensioners but were rejected by Europe.

These two Q&As - one on the emergency loans from the ECB and one on why a new bailout needs more time are very good background reads. Has the crisis made Greek banks on object of pity? And last, of course, Greece is now officially in default. Where do they go from here? Some views on the referendum - A no vote from Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate prize winner in economics and a yes vote from Martin Wolf. Finally shall we crowdsource to pay off Greece's debt? What do you think of this solution?

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