The new Greek government program | 171 comments (171 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Ach so... (4.00 / 6)

It's interesting that in two of the most reliably pro-Greece (or at least least anti-Greece) left-of-centre MSM I read, The Guardian (UK) and taz (Germany), almost all op-eds have a rather negative view of the deal as a capitulation, in line with the picture Schäuble wanted to perpetrate with his public slights.

However, in an op-ed by Thorsten Denkler (Süddeutsche's Berlin correspondent), I found the following, remarkably sober view, which is more in line with the picture Varoufakis & co want to paint, (and that without expressing any sympathy for Greece's plight or argument against austerity):

Schäuble und Griechenlandhilfe - Machtlose Mätzchen - Politik - Süddeutsche.de		Schäuble and Help for Greece - Powerless antics - Politics - Süddeutsche.de
Die ganze Debatte am Morgen im Bundestag, die relativ vielen Neinstimmen aus dem Unionslager, all das soll den Menschen im Land zeigen: Die haben sich diese Entscheidung nicht leicht gemacht.		The whole debate in the morning in the Bundestag, the relatively large number of votes against from the CDU/CSU, all that was meant to show the people in the country that this decision wasn't taken lightly.
[...]		[...]
Es kann niemanden ernsthaft verwundern, wenn Varoufakis jetzt die Liste als ein Dokument "produktiver Undeutlichkeit" beschreibt. Er erklärt übrigens auch, dass ihn ein Finanzmister der Euro-Gruppe gebeten habe, die Liste nicht konkreter zu fassen. Sonst wäre sie womöglich nicht zustimmungsfähig gewesen. Das mag stimmen oder nicht. Aber klar ist: Beide Seiten müssen ein hohes Interesse daran haben, dass die Griechenland-Rettung nicht Ende des Monats abrupt endet.		It cannot seriously be a surprise to anyone when Varoufakis now describes the list as a document of "productive vagueness". Incidentally, he also explains that it was a finance minister of the Eurogroup who asked him to not to take the list more specific. Otherwise it may not have been suitable for approval. That may be true or not. But it is clear that both sides must have a high interest preventing an abrupt end of the Greek bailout at of this month.
Es sei gerne noch einmal darauf hingewiesen, dass mit den Milliarden aus dem zweiten Hilfspaket, das jetzt verlängert wird, nicht allein die Griechen gerettet werden sollen. Nein, es sind vor allem die öffentlichen Haushalte und - zu einem geringeren Teil - die europäischen Banken, die vor einem finanziellen Härtetest bewahrt werden müssen, sollten die Kredite an Griechenland platzen. Es geht um dutzende Milliarden Euro, die dann auch deutsche Steuerzahler aufbringen müssten. Das ist es, was Schäuble meint, wenn er im Bundestag sagt, für Deutschland könne ein "großer Schaden" entstehen, wenn das Paket nicht verlängert werde. Und ist genau der Grund, weshalb Schäuble Varoufakis trotz aller Brachial-Rhetorik doch recht machtlos gegenübersteht.		It shall be pointed out again with pleasure that the billions from the second rescue package that was now prolonged aren't only meant to rescue the Greeks. No, it's primarily the public budgets and - to a lesser extent - the European banks that need to be saved from a test of financial hardship, should the credits to Greece plop. This is about a dozen billion Euros which would then have to be doled out by German taxpayers, too. This is what Schäuble meant when he told the Bundestag that Germany may incur a "great damage" would the package not be renewed. And that is exactly the reason why Schäuble, in spite of all the macho rhetoric, is still facing down Varoufakis rather powerless.
Es wäre gut, wenn Schäuble sich nicht länger mit gespielter Empörung auf Mätzchen mit Varoufakis einlässt. In den Umfragen gewinnt Schäuble dadurch zwar immer mehr Sympathiepunkte hinzu. Die Griechenland-Rettung hingegen sehen immer mehr Deutsche skeptisch. Das ist gefährlich. Nicht helfen ist schon aus Selbstschutzgründen keine Option. Darum darf sich der Gedanke, Griechenland könne ja vielleicht auch fallengelassen werden, gar nicht erst festsetzen.		It would be nice would Schäuble no longer get involved in antics with Varoufakis with mock indignation. This may get Schäuble a few more approval points in opinion polls. However, an increasing number of Germans view the Greek bailout with skepticism. This is dangerous. Not helping is not an option out of reasons of self-protection already. Therefore, the idea that maybe Greece could be allowed to drop should in no way be allowed to settle.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Feb 27th, 2015 at 02:12:41 PM EST
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Re: Ach so... (none / 0)

I'm starting to wonder if they didn't both blink as the depth of the abyss between them became obvious.
At that point they both walked backwards, neither ready to pull a lever that might undo sixty odd years of attempted European unity.
....And so they kicked the can down the road, maybe hoping for a deus ex machina to force events without their personal complicity.
Having said that although they both walked away a bit battered by the encounter, they'll both live to fight more battles in what looms to be a long war.
Schauble is a bit weaker, both because of his descendant arc of age and diminishing returns while Varoufakis' star is rising, young Turk that he is.
And because public opinion in Germany seems to have shifted slightly this last fortnight, risking Schauble being left in the political cold.
Also I think Germans are staying to resent their leaders putting them at loggerheads with the rest of Europe. Track record not great here...

'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 Fri Feb 27th, 2015 at 05:34:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The new Greek government program | 171 comments (171 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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