The Greek deal opens for expansionist e-currency | 115 comments (115 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

ekathimerini.com | Tsipras unveils coalition's first bills, due next week

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras set out on Friday his government's immediate legislative plans, while at the same time insisting he would continue to pursue debt relief and refuse to sign a third bailout for Greece.
...However, the bulk of Tsipras's speech was focused on outlining what legislation his government plans to bring to Parliament next week. The prime minister said that the first bill would introduce measures aimed at tackling the "humanitarian crisis," including the provision of free electricity to 300,000 households living under the poverty threshold.
...The second bill relates to the introduction of a new payment plan for overdue taxes and social security contributions. The scheme is set to allow applicants to pay in up to 100 installments and will mean that anyone owing up to 50,000 euros cannot be arrested over their debts.
The third draft law will protect primary residences with a taxable value of up to 300,000 euros from foreclosures. Finally, the government also intends to introduce legislation next week that would pave the way for public broadcaster ERT, shut down in June 2013, to be reopened. Tsipras stressed that this would not burden the public budget.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun Mar 1st, 2015 at 04:21:06 AM EST

Enemies (4.00 / 5)

ekathimerini.com | Spain, Portugal sought to trip up gov't, Tsipras says

Addressing SYRIZA's central committee on Saturday, Tsipras said that Madrid and Lisbon officials had sided against Athens during negotiations on February 20 that led to a four-month extension of the country's loan deal.
"We were up against an axis of powers led by Spain and Portugal, which for obvious political reasons sought to lead the whole negotiation to the brink," Tsipras said.
"Their plan was, and it remains, to wear down, topple or bring our government to unconditional surrender before our work starts to yield fruit and before the Greek example affects other countries," he said. Both Mediterranean countries will hold elections this year.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun Mar 1st, 2015 at 04:31:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Enemies (4.00 / 4)

What's new? Sócrates and Zapatero leave PES for EPP (by Luis de Sousa on March 5th, 2011)

We finally seem to have some coordinated effort from the PES to tackle the crisis. The socialist family has gathered in Greece to present an alternative path to the austerity-rules-all course imposed by the conservatives. They lure to have a thorough answer to the new economic governance rules proposed by Merkel and Sarkozy, now being refined to be voted by the Council later this month. Shy to some extent, it nevertheless points to the obvious building blocs needed to both deal with the crisis and reinforce the Union. The creation of an European Treasury, the creation of an European tax, even the reference to the needed structural paradigm change to build an Economy for the XXI century, all of it seems to be considered by the PES leaders.
...
Unfortunately, two socialist leaders missed the meeting: Zapatero and Sócrates. They don't seem to be interested in an alternative to the conservatives' policy. They are now themselves conservatives.

4 years later, the EPP is in government in both countries, and it is to be expected that the two countries would be hostile to a radical left government in Greece. But the PS and PSOE, now in opposition, are also unsympathetic to Syriza just like 4 years ago they were embarrassed to be seen supporting Papandreou.

A pox on all their houses.

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 Mar 1st, 2015 at 09:43:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Enemies (none / 1)

You could probably add Hollande to that list.

But why are the so-called socialist parties hostile? What needs to change to make them supportive?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Mar 1st, 2015 at 12:42:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Enemies (4.00 / 2)

What needs to change to make them supportive?

Brain transplants. Living brains for starters. Theirs have been zombified.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sun Mar 1st, 2015 at 12:48:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Enemies (4.00 / 3)

But France is not a crisis country.

"So-called socialist" parties in Europe are actually all in favour of 'sound finance' and of 'austerity later'. They are fully wedded to the Eurozone institutional structure as it is now and see no need to reform it. And, in the case of Greece, evidently their local allies are Pasok, Kinima and maybe To Potami so purely out of tribal allegiance Syriza is not one of them.

The Social Democrats also have a superiority complex relative to those to the left of them (the "lyrical left", "traditional left", "romantic left"...). They see them as idealists who just need to grow up and learn more about politics.

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 Mar 1st, 2015 at 01:19:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Enemies (4.00 / 3)

They see them as idealists who just need to grow up and learn more about politics.

Something that looks ever more comical when coming from serial election losers and junior coalition partners.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun Mar 1st, 2015 at 01:30:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Enemies (4.00 / 3)

This (with my emphasis) is representative of that attitude:

This discourse is what irritates the Social Democrats most. "We share many values, but we doubt whether their anti-establishment position will be compatible with the politics of compromise," says Kathleen Van Brempt, a heavyweight among European Social Democrats. The Belgian MEP admits to "sympathy" for this "traditional left" but urges them to reconsider their stance contrary to negotiating with other groups: "In Europe, to take your proposals forward, one must reach agreements with other forces."

(El País, 2 November 2014)

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 Mar 1st, 2015 at 01:58:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Enemies (none / 1)

Like Demcrats in the USA they found it necessary to take the money of the rich and then had to find ways to still look themselves in the mirror. They succeeded in that.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Sun Mar 1st, 2015 at 02:02:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The next obstacles (4.00 / 4)

ekathimerini.com | Greece to prioritize IMF repayments but wants talks on ECB-held bonds, says Varoufakis

In an interview with The Associated Press, Yanis Varoufakis also said Athens intends to start discussions with its creditors on debt rescheduling in order to make the country's massive debt sustainable, at the same time as working on reform measures that need to be cemented by April, the finance minister said Saturday.
"The IMF repayments of course we are going to prioritize, we are not going to be the first country not to meet our obligations to the IMF,» the 53-year-old said, speaking in his office in the finance ministry overlooking Athens' central square and the country's parliament. «We shall squeeze blood out of stone if we need to do this on our own, and we shall do it."
However, «the ECB repayments are in a different league and we shall have to determine this in association with our partners and the institutions."
The ECB has always insisted on full repayment and it's not clear they would accept a rescheduling.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun Mar 1st, 2015 at 04:33:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The Greek deal opens for expansionist e-currency | 115 comments (115 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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