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This kicks the can down the road.

In exchange for time before going bankrupt, Greece has backtracked on the (unrealistic?) promises Tsipras made to the electorate.

The electorate will forgive because some slack has been cut, and the savvier will realise that the more that was asked the more likely something positive would ensue. Ask a kilo even when you know you'd be lucky to get 10 grams.

The problem is that the chances of Syriza being able to do anything meaningful about Greece's severest problems in that short time frame is remote.

They are in government now and need to serve up the biggest tax evaders' heads on a platter, and -equally importantly- solarise the living eff out of the place.

Those two measures would do wonders for the national debt right there, yet neither Tsipras nor Varoufakis (nor Schauble or Dijsselbloem) has even mentioned them, which really makes me slightly uncomfortable tbh.

Any political party which hasn't understood the importance of new energy policies by now is leaving its strongest tool unused. Blind or willful, you decide...

It doesn't add up, unless the energy/utilities status quo is super partes and a sacred cow neither side dares/wants to confront.

Same with massive tax evasion, another natural vote-harvester.

Damn, all that energy expended just to delay execution a few months. :(
 

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Sat Feb 21st, 2015 at 10:18:00 AM EST

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by tjbuff (timhess@adelphia.net) on Sun Feb 22nd, 2015 at 10:25:57 AM EST
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Post-agreement polling shows that Syriza shot up in popularity.

I wrote here last week that a significant part of the left to moderate electorate in Greece, especially those in professional classes, were of the opinion that Syriza and Varoufakis wanted to be forced out of the eurozone, so as not to take the blame.

What you see now if former voters from New Democracy coming around to Syriza. It is BECAUSE of the agreement made on Friday. I argued with these people that they were mistaken about Tsipras and Varoufakis (though not about Syriza) but nothing would shake their belief.

I belief Friday actually shook them.

This gov't is becoming more popular by the day, which is proof that Greek feelings are really raw as to the treatment they have received. 90% of the population never felt the benefits of all the graft over the years. And they blame the eurozone equally as their own corrupt pols for what happened prior to 2010, and the treatment they received after 2010.

by Upstate NY on Sun Feb 22nd, 2015 at 12:10:24 PM EST
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A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Feb 22nd, 2015 at 02:34:20 PM EST
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I suppose that during the last two weeks we behaved like ostriches: trying to forget that SYRIZA is a hard-left party very prone to, lets call it politely, internal attrition.

Its a pity, because on the surface they really seem the real deal (and I want to believe that both Varoufakis and Tsipras are the real deal).

by cagatacos on Sun Feb 22nd, 2015 at 03:25:47 PM EST
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