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Clash Of The Titans: Merkel, Schaeuble Spar Over Greece As German FinMin Draws Up Grexit Plans
"Yanis, have this nourishment for the nerves. You're going to need it,” German FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble told his Greek counterpart last week, presenting Varoufakis with a box of chocolate euros at a meeting in Berlin.
That’s what counts as humor for Schaeuble who, as Speigel puts it, has become the embodiment of the despicable German to the Greek populace over the course of fraught negotiations with Athens and who now faces a rift with Chancellor Angela Merkel over how far Germany should be willing to go to keep the Greeks in the single currency.
Although Merkel enjoys widespread popularity, Schaeuble is a veteran of the German government and lawmakers’ reverence for the FinMin is increasingly manifesting itself in the growing parliamentary opposition to what some view as an unacceptably soft stance towards Athens on the part of the Chancellor. Speigel has more on Merkel, Schaeuble, and politics in Berlin.
Via Speigel:
Schäuble is extremely good at shrugging off conflict with gallows humor -- a gift that has served him well throughout his lengthy career. He is well aware that a handful of Social Democrats aren't the only ones talking about the widening rift in the government. Insiders who know Merkel well are saying the same. The chancellor has to answer one of the hardest questions she's had to face since assuming office, namely, should Greece be allowed to remain in the euro, or should the whole drama be brought to a spectacular close with a Grexit.
Merkel would like Greece to remain in the euro. Not necessarily at any cost, but she's prepared to pay a high price. Schäuble is not. He is of the opinion that a Greek withdrawal from the euro zone is in Europe's best interests..
Schäuble is something of an éminence grise in the German government: He became a member of parliament in 1972, when Merkel was preparing to graduate from high school in Templin. In 1998, as head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, he made Merkel his secretary general, but then became enmeshed in the CDU donations scandal. Merkel succeeded him in 2000.
Although she's the one in charge, he intermittently makes it clear that he remains his own man; that he doesn't kowtow to anyone. Appointed finance minister in 2009, Schäuble remarked that Merkel likes to surround herself with people who were uncomplicated, but that he himself was not uncomplicated. He tends to be a little derisory about Merkel, admiring her hunger for power but deeming her too hesitant when the chips are down.
The euro crisis first drove a wedge between them in 2010, when they disagreed on the International Monetary Fund's contribution to the Greek rescue fund. Schäuble was against it, on the grounds that Europe should sort out its problems by itself. Merkel, however, was keen to enlist the help of a body that has clear criteria when it comes to offering aid, and which would therefore prevent the Europeans from making one concession after another. Merkel prevailed.
But they've now traded positions. Schäuble believes that enough concessions have been made to Greece and he's bolstered by the frustration currently rife in his parliamentary group over Merkel's strategy. It will be hard for Merkel to secure majority support if he opposes her, so her fate is effectively in his hands..
The conflict is not about differences in their respective assessments of the situation.. Where they differ is when it comes to the consequences..
Officially, the differences between Schäuble and Merkel are explained away as a reflection of their respective tasks. It's Schäuble's job to hold the purse strings and Merkel's to keep an eye on what's happening on the international stage. Will Putin be getting a foot in the door if the euro zone cuts the rope on Greece? Will the country turn into a failed state in the middle of Europe if it no longer has the euro?
This isn't just a matter of good cop, bad cop. Unlike Merkel, Schäuble doesn't need to worry about looking as though he doesn't care enough about Europe. He wrote the book on the EU, penning papers on how to intensify the union when Merkel was still only a freshly-minted member of the cabinet. She, by contrast, has often been confronted by accusations that her EU policy is austerity-driven and nothing else. In terms of Europe, she lacks Schäuble's street cred..
Merkel has never been overly bothered about going down in the history books. But if she does end up hounding Greece out of the euro, the development will certainly be more than a footnote. Which is one possible reason for her hesitancy. She, not Schäuble, will be the one who has to deal with the inevitable criticism and attacks.
Speigel goes on to say that Schaeuble could "easily" stage a rebellion against Merkel if he chose but, at least for now, that doesn't seem likely and indeed may not be necessary if Greece's creditors can remain resolute in their insistence on pension cuts and VAT hikes for another week or two.
It still remains to be seen how Tsipras will respond once Greece's back is truly against the wall. So far, the Greek PM has remained defiant, but that may be because pensions have still been paid (albeit hours late on at least one occasion), there's still money in the ATMs (even if the lines are getting longer), and Greece has managed to pay creditors (even if the payments have been made using creditors' own money). All of that changes at the end of the month and that is when Tsipras' resolve will truly be tested.
In other words, unless Greece decides to chance a default and a euro exit, a showdown between Merkel and Schaeuble will likely be averted, but should Tsipras decide to go down with the ship, there may come a time in July when Merkel is called upon to intervene and pull Greece back from the brink in order to avoid what she views as unacceptable geopolitical consequences. If it comes to that, she may have to go through Schaeuble which, as the above makes clear, could prove politically challenging.
In the mean time, Schaeuble is said to be drawing up plans for a Greek default. Here's Bloomberg, citing Spiegel, with more:
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has asked his staff to conceive a mechanism by which a euro-area state in the future could default on its debt in an orderly way that would ensure the continuity of currency union, Der Spiegel reported, without saying how it obtained the information.
Schaeuble also looking at ways to limit aid from member states and put the brunt of the burden on bondholders of the country in question: Spiegel
Roadmap is intended to prevent countries in healthy financial state being held to ransom by states unable to repay their debt: Spiegel
Academics also participating in the discussions: Spiegel
Once again we see that in the final analysis, this is all about being careful to send a strong message to Europe: the troika will not be held hostage by debtor countries seeking to win austerity concessions by threatening to shatter the idea of euro indissolubility. This is essentially the negotiating tactic Syriza has employed as Athens attempts to preserve Greeks' right to decide for themselves how they want to be governed. We will see, in a matter of weeks, whether Tsipras was bluffing or is in fact all-in.
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Both are schills.
Put Lucke in charge.
Clash of the Midgets.
Only drawing up plans now?
I'm pretty sure this fella would get up early to place a towel or ten on the poolside chairs in the Greek resort.
Note: NATO navy and airforce refuel at Greek bases on their way to Ukraine and the Middle East. This will certainly help them find an amicable solution.
Two uglies don't make good looking
Naw they will just stop at Turkey instead.
http://www.siasat.com/english/news/nato-has-24-bases-turkey
NATO can still keep a presence in the region as long as Turkey doesn't break from NATO at the same time.
Losing Greece doesn't cut them off from gas and oil to refuel their planes and ships. They just have to take into account a longer traveling distance, if they can't make it by sea in one trip from Italy then you'll see a power play for some of the Aegean Islands (something within the range of a single tank of gas) maybe Crete trying to go independent (cause they want to stay in the Euro afterwards) from the rest of Greece for example.
If Greece splits afterwards figure it will split by administrative regions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_regions_of_Greece
Then you have the possibility of Macedonia (Greece) getting into a fight or unifying with Macedonia (not Greece) over the Macedonian naming issue. Resolve the name issue and be able to join the EU and NATO, which Greece has actively blocked thus far over the right to the name Macedonia.
If Greece destabilizes politically after a default, NATO either has to step in or kick them out of NATO, especially if Greece start breaking down into disputed territories afterwards.
Your understanding of local geopolitical forces is not correct. Unless there is major interference (NATO, US) in Greece, there is no chance of any breakaway regions. Greeks are 98% homogenized in terms of religion and culture. They wont crack over the euro or euroconscience. Crete is the largest voting base for Syriza ruling party and macedonia is made up of a majority of Asia Minor refugees and their ancestors... They are not very keen on joining into a federation of slavs and albanians.
M.
Unless there is major interference (NATO, US) in Greece...
That is my point, they will interfere to break up Greece for their own purposes so they can keep control of enough territory to run a pipeline. NATO will not let Greece pivot as a whole country towards Russia even if they have to create a split to justify picking a side. Even if the Euro and Eurozone fell apart the individual nations still need gas. If the Euro and Eurozone fell apart NATO doesn't (regardless of whether Greece is in or out) unless the nations decide to disband it at the same time.
I would like to see Greece leave the Euro, the Germans would be blamed and the the entire euro project would fall apart. Germany would enter a depression worse then at anytime in their history and all over a issue that was known before the euro project began.
Go ahead make my day.
won't happen
the Depression will be on Greece and Greece alone
Germany will definitely pick up most of the bill. but since it is the only large economy in Europe that has a manufacturing base a depressed state will bring all of the EU to its knees. Then again, Germany will pick it itself up again. France and Italy are losing manufacturing at alarming speed (3-5% per annum) with Manufacturing to GDP at level of 13% (Germany 26) they will be deindustrialised in a decade.
Germany is better positioned with Netherlands, Austria, and the Scandinavians. There is far more common ground than with the Romance speaking countries
Germany will definitely pick up most of the bill. but since it is the only large economy in Europe that has a manufacturing base a depressed state will bring all of the EU to its knees. Then again, Germany will pick it itself up again. France and Italy are losing manufacturing at alarming speed (3-5% per annum) with Manufacturing to GDP at level of 13% (Germany 26) they will be deindustrialised in a decade.
Germany is better positioned with Netherlands, Austria, and the Scandinavians. There is far more common ground than with the Romance speaking countries
There is a rumor, an interwebz rumor obviously......that Merkel and Hillary Clinton are sisters, both the daughters of Ole A Hitler....
Now even I, always looking for the obtuse angle, had a hard time with this.....preposterous...no way....haha....geouttaheah....hehehhhh....Murky El and Hitler Y, sisters...
And then, of a sudden, like two parallel tracks, two shortish women, with pinched faces and squat physioligies started flickering in and out of focus...and I saw it....the epi-genetic fascination with the pant-suit....
Day after day, year after year.....blurrrrrrrrrrr........badly fitted, sloppy pant-suit after another flashed before my eyes.
These were/are powerful women.
Even a two bit hollyweird actress has a fashion consultant.....
Aaaargh....my cognitive abilites grew dissonate....
Blond, blue Blur....
Of course it's true.
Genetics don't lie. And if someone did an actual survey, no two women in public life would have worn blue pantsuits as many times, per capita and expressed as net percentage of ther lives....guiness book of recoreds, are you listening?
Oh and I do believe and it's been said and thus heard, widely and regarded as some sort of go-spell ( :-) :-) Seek truth, my dear Christian friend, are you spell bound by the Bi Bull?)...ahhh...digressions, like tangents at Right angles....
ahhh yes...so what has been said and gwaked and grokked...that HIPS DON"T LIE....
Aaaarghhh, double aaargh....
So, can you see it?
MercKillery....the great trans-atlantic sister-hood.
And a master stroke by....cui?
Bono? ..hey MBE.....I mean MayBE....
:-)
Folllow me, where I go...I think you'll laugh a bit with me...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR69S4_-Xvs
Schaeuble appears to have taken a beating from Tsipras and Varoufakis and is portrayed with bruises and a bloody nose at Yanis's fb fun club page
http://www.toxwni.gr/xoni-apokleistika/item/58321-nok-aout-o-soimple-apo...
That kind of bullshit can't be even from a paid Putin troll. That what you wrote is a truly idiotic stuff betraying a mental illnes on your part.
Truly elegance, truly. Very very truly.
It does.
I am in Sane.
You on the other hand, are insane ;-)
Edit... What is this, JUGGALO night on the hedge? ;-)
Well, I'll laugh a lot when Greece defaults and german banks go down in flames a second later. Talking about a shot in the head, schaueaeieable should be called shoteaeaeble.
Actually, Hitler did have a son, Jean-Marie Loret, and grandchildren.
Now ain't that a bitch?!
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission..
Screwbli should have been commited to assisted living for seniors 15 years ago. For f***'s sake the guy looks like a zombie.
I have no lost love for Merkel, but Schlaeuble is a putz indeed ! He is also the main reason why "the rest of Europe" is starting to hate Germans with a passion... again. What is it in the German genome that cause them to get into an open fight with everbody else, on a regular basis ? They should figure it out, if only because they have a well established record of losing these fights...
Both are putzes for the lover affair with anything with the term "Euro" attached to it.
Merkel is a bigger putz for being so slutty with my money.
Good on Schäuble on this one.
I voted for AfD last time, but I think the party is done (with a lot of help from our friends). Merkel is opportunistic and her policy is driven by sentiment within the german populace (which is very good unless you think about the influence of MSM). Latest opinion poll within Germany showed that an absolute majority of Germans are sick of this negotiating farce and wants Greece to leave for good. Of course Tsipras knows about this poll, so Schäuble (and IMF) can play the good cop and bad cop scenario and are going to put pressure on Greece. The stakes are: New elections in Greece vs a default. Let the dice roll.
Never heard of this newspaper Speigel. i wonder if it's in competition with the well known daily Der Spiegel, or if it's owned by the same group?
Merkel has been spied upon by the NSA since at least 2002 and is completely compromised. She will do what her American masters tell her to do. That possibly explains her disagreements with Schauble who wants to take a tougher stand.
Grexit has the possibility to create a global bond market collapse as people realize that the value of their bonds are based on Central Bankster lies and manipulations. It is hard to believe that 14 to 15 countries in this world have NIRP which makes no sense at all. And in this environment of zero and negative rates, gold is struggling.
Grexit will reveal who has been swimming naked at the beach as the tide of confidence in banksters recedes.
Unless she engaged in some truly odious activity of Moral Turpitude1, why can't she just come out and say that she and all top EU officials and politicians have been spied on by the US (NSA and CIA) for years, and have thus become totally compromised over time? Does she lack brains or courage/character?
The only two choice that the German and EU voters thus have, it to (a) throw out all elected politicians who have been thus compromised and hope that their successors have not and will not be, or (b) ignore said 'compromised' status and allow them to "Do the right thing" for their country.
You can bet your ass(ets) that 90% of the voters would stand behind them, and tell the Yankees to "Go Home". It comes down to having a more compelling and robust Argument than the US Globalists/Ziocons, and the Nerves and Audacity to follow through. I suspect that this is the part, that Merkel falls woefully short: Lack of Nerves & Audacity.
She was never raise to be a true Ruler. She's a spineless, consensus-driven technocrat. And TPTB know this. Too bad the Germans don't. Yet.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_turpitude
If only for the Moral Turpitude ™, you should get an upvote. Shame about the "Zio" thingumajig (yawn), though. A country that's led by WASPs and that cannot understand the trouble comes from its own WASP culture is like a doctor who'll never cure an illness because he cannot diagnose to save his life (let alone his patient's).
Don't forget that she is an East German, raised and educated under a strict commie regime. Let's just say that character is not her forte, by design...
"realise" LOL!
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a law creating a Texas Bullion Depository where the state — and even ordinary residents — can store gold.
The Republican said Friday that the measure will "repatriate $1 billion of gold bullion from the Federal Reserve in New York to Texas." The state's gold reserves are controlled by various agencies, including investment funds tied to its public universities.
The depository would be a secure facility administered by the Texas comptroller. Its location has yet to be been determined.
http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/texas/article/Abbott-signs-law-cr...
Comrade Erika was "compromised" a long time ago. They have her Stasi file in reserve---her real one---just in case.
every serious investor knows this already
why do you think anyone is trusting sovereign bonds
but letting Greece default or negotiating a 40% haircut are one and the same
You betting any Money on that? Punk
everything else aside...this is interesting from a negotiating perspective.
It's gone on too long now for both to walk away winners. Both are still playing the "I'm not bluffing" card. But at this point, the ego's will get in the way. The Greeks need money to finance their deficit spending...that's just the bottom line. If they don't get it, then the deficit spending ends, and a lot of Greeks take a haircut with who knows who deciding on where to start. That will trigger much internal strife and the current greek.gov may get tossed.
interesting to watch...I think the game must go on though so the extend/pretend shell game will still come...at least to buy some time. Time for the VIPs to dump onto the sheeple.
Shaeuble, 63 billion ain't nothing. Draghi print you up that no problem. BTW maybe you can have some doctors remove that lump in Lagarde's throat so you can walk again.
<-- Beware of the Trojan Horse
<-- Beware of the Berliners* in a Giftbox
* German filled donuts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_(doughnut)
ich bin ein berliner
I am a jelly filled donut
JFK's greatest pronouncement...
Banks not tanks! Schaeubes not Stuka's! IMF's not Panzers!
ECB not the Waffen SS! Goldman Sachs not the Gestapo!
"...the embodiment of the despicable German..."
I just wonder what EU People think when it comes down to Germany Sending this man to beat on Greece. I don't sense this man Respecting anyone, let alone a non-German, or Greek. Even if he has Priceless Greek Artifacts safely ensconced in his home, seems like he is not human.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees this whether I am right or wrong here.
Why join the EU just to be disrespected this way.
If Greece gets away with it, then so too Spain, and Portugal, etc. Therefore, Greece is a line in the sand. What happens there cascades.
That's why TPTB (US Globalists/Ziocons) will do ANYHTING to prevent that from happening.
Both the German and Greek leadership are under tremendous pressure from... 'Outside', i.e. the IMF and BIS.
That's why, I could imagine, the PIIGS Debt Forgivenss can only happen under the umbrella of the Unholy Trinity (TPP1, TiSA2, TTIP3), which will lock in all panicky or non-conforming countries to endure the same coordinated Reset.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Pacific_Partnership
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_in_Services_Agreement
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_Trade_and_Investment_Partner...
The Unholy Trinity TPP1 + TiSA2 + TTIP3 = TRINITY SITE 2.0 for Global Finance and Economies. Ka-Boom!
Some place in the Unholy Trinity they probably Normalize Campaign Contributions or Lobbying so that people & Interest Groups can legally contribute between all countries, across borders.
I wouldn't be surprised if USA hasn't been active in keeping Frau Merkel in Office.
http://www.theodora.com/pipelines/spain_portugal_pipelines.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maghreb%E2%80%93Europe_Gas_Pipeline
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Mediterranean_Pipeline
That is why neither Spain and Italy will be allowed to leave the EU. Spain is covered just in case, Brits are sitting on the transit route in Gibraltar. Italy wrote the textbook on political corruption so you can get a government change at any time to keep status quo.
Brits can influence EU policy without being in the Euro in this manner.
If someone wants to really stick the shiv into the heart of the ECB/Eurozone, Arab Spring 3.0/AQIM/ISIS etc will act up in Algeria and the Hassi R'mel field and junction point gets shut down for an extended period of time while the place is Libyiazed. Italy and Spain lose any strategical significance as as being key gas pipeline corridors. Can't justify bailing them out them or keeping them in the union at that point. This is where LNG comes in aka Qatar who wants to do individual contracts to maximize profit.
Greece is a big problem for the EU/ECB and their Zionist masters, as it sits on the pipeline route from Israel to Europe, and is a large food source for Europe. The powers that be cannot, will not, let their Greek fiefdom fall into the hands of Russia and/or China.
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission..
Trade, even in food and petroleum, is not why Greece matters, imo. The real problem is the daisy chain of derivatives tied to Greek debt, which threatens the current financial structure globally. Right now, European central banks can pretend that the Greek bonds on their books are worth par. If Greece defaults, those "assets" will have to be marked down to reality. Several major players will be insolvent, because (A) their reserve ratios will be shot to hell and (B) because their CDOs will blow up.
Judging by last week's news stories, it may be that DeutscheBank has already seen its derivative book fatally wounded, which would explain why the co-CEOs had to exit stage left.
Not quite Norman Rockwellian characters eh, WB7?
That hard down mouth is hilarious!
As is the Star SpRangled Pitchfork....
O caaaaant you Ccccc?
About the stars... I guess you have never seen the EU flag.
It was intended to be obtusely funny elegance...
Damn it! Now you have the theme from Green Acres stuck in my head.
"Greece Acres is the place to be..."
Oh, make it stop.
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umS3XM3xAPk
I have to agree with Shaeuble. Is that woman stupid or what, only naive idiot will pour more good money after bad at this point.
She's anything but stupid. You do NOT get a PhD in Chemistry and then climb the political ladder by being "dumb or stupid".
Her problem is one of Moral and Civil Courage -- and lack thereof.
To elabote... As a German, she has been raised (in former communist/socialist East Germany) as a person who either kowtows to Authority, or who seeks Consensus. She fits into the latter camp. And it is in this Camp Consensus, that she is made to dance and spin to the tune of her masters, TPTB in Brussels, London, NY and DC.
To summarize... Merkel is clever, but a creature of her culture and circumstances. Her cultural and personal vanity traps her into the delusion that she can simply 'talk & posture' her way towards success and victory -- because it has always worked this far.
No matter how clever she may be, as the NSA has her compromised balls in a vice after 10 years of evidence collection she will do whatever she is told to do in order that the MIC Ziocons protect their investment in Ukraine and the Middle East (with Greece as the refuelling point for NATO airforce and navy) so that Russia remains 'isolated'.
To be honest I used to think same but not anymore. I do understand your point and certainly consensus was a big factor but then again, intelligent people cant do such a stupid things thats my point. They can make a bad decisions but this is not it, because she did not made her homework like actual *math* whether greece even have any probability to overcome crysis etc. and surely did not took into account strikes. The way she acted back then(and still today) is beyond naive. And as I see it she actually believe in it.
I, as many others knew from day one it cant work and I dont have any PhD title - not even close to that. Chemistry certainly did not made her intelligent. But more importantly, intelligent person would learn from the past and recognize mistakes, this is the biggest proof she lack it as I see it. So it *may* have been ok before to try it, but not today when we all already know it wont work. Also, if it was a moral cause she would consider taxpayers money, but we actually know that was not the case because she said clearly once to Nigel Farage that only reason she want to keep greece in is of fear of other countries leaving. Also, if it was moral she would again consider taxpayers money instead of banks and institutions money she tried to save. She definitelly did not tried to save greek people thats for sure.
Btw IMO yes one CAN get a PhD and climb political ladder and still remain dumb. Because being educated doesnt equal being smart nor intelligent. And frankly politics are anything but that. ;)
...a lot depends on whether the ussa is pulling her chain.
imo the ussa has a lot to lose if GR leaves the EU.
And this is why the Deutsche Mark was -the- currency of choice for most and why the Euro is the second coming. A Euro made up of Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, etc. and all dead beats eliminated would be something to behold.
Imagine if the world wakes up and realizes that the Europeans mean business and they start tossing out the deadbeats.
Greece leaving is Euro positive. Eliminating the cancerous sores of dead beats from a currency union should not be seen as a bad thing.
Failed State in Europe. Fuck 'em.
You want failed states in Europe? Germany will be an Islamic state by 2050 if Frankfurt has its way. The Germans are dying out.
The ECB is the local banksters' way of cashing out. Trust me---in a free market a literally dying nation like Germany couldn't raise money at zero interest rates.
Regarding Schauble's chocolate euros - There is an old saying that a German joke is no laughing matter.
+ 42 for that...
Time for a joke:
There are three ways of doing things.
The right way.
The wrong way.
And the Greek way.
What is the Greek way?
It's the wrong way but only faster.
+1.
I take your post as a summary on these letest Greek drama news.
RMolineaux, they also say that Wagner's music isn't as bad as it sounds.
Good one ! I'll have to remember that.
So Schäuble is bitter because Frankfurt passed him over for the top job in favour of that little Ossi minx. A Clinton/Obama style feud.
He's probably too old to be Chancellor now, but he'll settle for dragging Germany into another recession and/or Balkan war, just for the satisfaction of ending Mutti's career. Cleaning up the mess in Greece willbe someone else's problem.
It's rarely appreciated how much of the doings of the PTB are motivated by petty feuds and grudges among themselves. George W. Bush didn't need asking twice to do the House of Saud's dirty work in Iraq. That overthrowing Saddam was in nobody's interest but Riyadh's didn't matter. He hated Saddam Hussein and wanted him overthrown and killed, at any price.
George W. Bush didn't need asking twice to do the House of Saud's dirty work in Iraq.
Speaking of petty feuds and grudges. Simpler reason for the Iraqi war under shrub. Lest people forget.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/10/1365294/-Close-Calls-Presidenti...
...
Reagan's successor, President George HW Bush, was not the target of any attacks while in office. But in April 1993, after leaving office, Bush and several former members of his administration made a trip overseas to give a speech at Kuwait University, commemorating Operation Desert Storm against Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Just before the visit, Kuwaiti police uncovered a plan to kill Bush during his speech with a car bomb, consisting of 200 pounds of plastic explosives hidden inside a Toyota Landcruiser. When the FBI examined the car bomb and questioned the suspects, they determined that the bomb components were of Iraqi origin. Two of the suspects also told the FBI that they were acting under the direction of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, though both later retracted their confession. In response to the assassination attempt, President Bill Clinton ordered a cruise missile strike against the Iraqi Intelligence Service building in Baghdad.
...
Families like the Bush Family and tribal clans are different how?
I rest my case.
People, who else is sick of this cock-teasing. Just impose a total blackout on Greece reporting until either Greece officially defaults or the IMF prints them up another 20 bill euros on its Dell laptop.
With all the hot air blowing between Schaeuble and Mutti, they'd better watch out for The Meltemi.
When a patient has been very badly injured they often induce a coma. So too with Greece they must freeze debt repayments and let Greece either find its own way to the surface or else drown in its own shit.
The reality is that the debt will not be repaid and Greece will find it incredibly hard to breathe on its own given its demographic slide, its lack of systems and its lack of industry.
My personal solution is for haircuts in savings and equivalent haircuts on loans to reflect the destruction of property values as a first step.
Second step is for a massive cleansing of the bureaucratic nightmare that suffocates the functioning of both business and society.
Third step, drop VAT rates and increase tax rates as it is clear that high rates encourage evasion.
Fourth step is to "hand over" collection of taxes to a European controlled body as it is clear that the Greek system has never worked.
Fifth, stop the tax free status of shipping owners.
Sixth, return the Olympics to Greece on a permanent basis to greece and any profit from broadcasting and advertising to go towards debt servicing.
finally, Europe to guarantee Greece's territorial sovereignty against Turkey etc so that Greece does not have to have one of the highest military budgets in the world as a percentage of its GDP.
And beore I forget, introduce hand lopping for any politician found to have stolen public monies or taking bribes.
If we would have 'austeritied' Germany after WWII we would be looking at WWIII in the back mirror. Instead we absolved their war debts and helped make them a strong economy. Now Germany is doing the WWI pain onto Greece. Your suggestions make sense - but none of the EU leaders see it!
What if you have no debts? Still haircut in savings?
One sees... One hopes.,.
If you believe the title I've got a palace on the moon you can have half price.
The word spar will eventually be replaced by the word spew.
Why does he have to keep trying to restrain his right arm from moving upward involuntarily?
Because that would release the brake on his wheelchair.
"the troika will not be held hostage by debtor countries seeking to win austerity concessions by threatening to shatter the idea of euro indissolubility. "
the troika is now a hostage from one perspective. if it wasn't it would have won this one long ago. if it wasn't then schauble and mutti merkle would not be at odds.
if spain, italy and portugal follow greece there will be nothing left to shatter re. the €
where is RU and CN in all of this.
strangely quiet.
wonder what the story would be if sanctions on RU were not in place?
"F*ck the EU" - see it in real-time lol
Didnt they say "24 hours or else" like 38 hours ago?
Germany just showed its hand, it needs Greece in the Euro more than Greece needs to stay in the Euro.
Greece is holding all the cards.
The 24 hours expired midnight Friday...
Lenders give Greece 24 hours to come up with proposals
"Athens has been asked to present its ideas by Friday night. The request was made during a meeting of eurozone officials in Brussels on Thursday."
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_12/06/2015_550981
It's funny how the Greek government can't even see that they are being setup to be made "the example" of what happens when you don't pay your bills.
Basically, they're going to put their own people through economic purgatory so that everyone can see what happens when a country defaults. It's almost like they're saying "Bring it on,bitches!"
CAREFUL WHAT U WISH FOR
PUNK
For christ's sake just print up some drachma's and say fuck you to brussels and go about your business. Pay your debts in drachmas and move on. It was a science fair project that didn't work.
Why are the evil Nazis attempting to decide what is right for a completely different country? The evil Nazis should invade with tanks or mind their own business.
"Schäuble is extremely good at shrugging off conflict with gallows humor"
just as well....
I would have told Varoufuckis to go back to Sydney Uni for another lesson in Economic Game Theory a long time ago.
I would have told the Greek Government to go suck a Lemon in 2010 already.
Now they don't even have any more Lemons left to suck on !
WR;)
To all ZH Members,
Michael Lewis' Boomerang - his Tour of the new Third World - should provide for a nice reading over the weekend or a week at the nightstand. We've read here how things have been FUBAR'd; but it was nice to see his own Interviews confirm a few concerns.
It may be prudent to have GRC (and the others - PRT, IRL, ESP, and ITA) leave the Monetary Union. Better yet, just disband the EUR or allow it to run independent of National Currencies; and keep the Trade Zone.
It's looking like DEU is going to be bearing a heavy burden bailing out the Members with weak/corrupt financials (hint, they're getting weaker and are not making things); and if I were German, I'd opt for the aforementioned options or a Deutsch Exit from the EUR.