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Greek Parliament Approves Third Bailout As Tsipras Support Tumbles, Snap Elections Imminent
Moments ago the Greek parliament, after a dramatic, most likely on purpose, overnight session - because when you are a puppet government of Belgium/Brussels you have to put in extra effort to prove you are "independent" - gave its approval for the third Greek bailout when Tsipras secured votes of more than 151 lawmakers in country’s 300-seat parliament. As on previous cases, the vote passed with substantial opposition support.
Earlier Tsipras urged lawmakers to approve an 85-billion-euro bailout agreement with creditors on Friday, calling it a "necessary choice" for the nation. Addressing parliament before lawmakers vote on the deal, Tsipras said Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos faced a battle at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers later on Friday to avert the threat of a bridge loan - which he called a return to a "crisis without end" - being offered to Greece instead of bailout aid.
In terms of numbers, the rebel faction within Syriza is now up to 42, with 43 being seen as the threshold beyond which Tsipras has no choice but to call elections. In other words the Tsipras government now hangs in the fate of just one person.
Greek Parliament like Church. Extremely silent. They all fear support to gov't is dwindling. They all fear elections. #Greece
— Dim Rapidis (@rapidis) August 14, 2015
According to other sources, Tsipras may no longer even have the required minimum support to pass a confidence vote, suggesting snap elections are imminent:
Skai TV puts gov't MPs who voted for 3rd bailout at 118. Below min of 120 needed to survive confidence vote & may lead to snap polls #Greece
— Nick Malkoutzis (@NickMalkoutzis) August 14, 2015
As has been extensively covered before, the legislation spells out the economic overhaul measures govt committed to in exchange for as much as EU86b of loans. And as Kathimerini reported, the third wave of pain in Greece is about to be unleashed: "a barrage of new tax measures are contained in the new bill presented to Greece’s Parliament as a part of the country’s new memorandum. The bill concerns measures which are to be implemented immediately as well as those to be adopted by October 2015 and in the framework of the 2016 budget.
[T]he measures to be passed immediately include diesel fuel tax for farmers going from 66 euros per 1,000 liters to 200 euros/1,000 liters from October 1, 2015, and to 330 euros by October 1, 2016. Farmers’ income tax to be paid in advance will rise from 27.5 percent to 55 percent. Income tax for farmers is set to rise from 13 to 20 percent for 2016 and to 26 percent for 2017.
Freelancers will be subject to a gradual increase from 55 to 75 percent in advanced tax payments for income earned in 2015, increasing to 100 percent in 2016. The 2 percent tax break for single payments on income tax is also being abolished from January 1, 2015.
Private education, previously untaxed, will be taxed at 23 percent, including the tutoring schools (frontistiria) that most Greeks send their children to but excluding preschools. Reduced value-added tax rates for islands are to be abolished completely by the end of 2016, with enforcement staggered across three groups of islands from October 1, 2015 to January 1, 2017.
Interest on expired debts to the state that are payable in 100 installments is to rise from 3 percent to 5 percent on amounts over 5,000 euros. Amounts below 5,000 euros are not subject to interest provided they meet certain conditions.
And so on: once the shock and euphoria from the lingering capital controls passes, and once the Greeks realize that their plight was just dramatically worsened, new elections are assured, and another victory for an "anti-austerity" party is in the cards.
In the meantime, expect some more pre-scripted drama when the German parliament votes to also approve the third bailout as early as next Tuesday.
Finally, even after the German government passes the bailout, which it will, Greece may be without a government as early as next week:
Gov't sources tell @lidabola that after vote, Tsipras will conclude talks with lenders & then ask for confidence vote in Parliament #Greece
— Nick Malkoutzis (@NickMalkoutzis) August 14, 2015
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Holy fucking shit, that list of tax increases is a true monkey hammering. Greece and voting can't be taken seriously in the same sentence any longer. Tsipras is in my opinion, the Obama of Greece, only there to reign in further destruction under the pretense of positive change.
Oh, Snap!
Syriza = New PODEMOS.
So you're going to have Left Platforum & KKE either team up, or form an uneasy coalition, while Golden Dawn gobbles up votes as New Democracy, to Potami, Syriza & PODEMOS fight with each other to show why they are at all different from on another.
Biggest winner here, provided they didn't vote for this is Independent Greeks. I haven't seen vote count yet. Any of ZH's Greek readers want to comment?
In one sense...Greece is so insignificant in the big global economy. But the fact such an insignificant nation and it's debt can't be resolved without imploding global finance shows how fragile and frail it's all become.
Of course, China is done and that means global demand is done...so we can stop worrying about Greece. Bigger fish to fry...order up. Read the fucking linked article...doesn't get much clearer but you can substitute ipod or car or whatever for the portion about declining oil consumption in the article.
http://econimica.blogspot.com/2015/08/chinas-collapse-is-last-straw-of-global.html
*I meant PASOK not PODEMOS.
What the fuck shit they are approving.
something for nothing> how i can own your soul < the human delema.
DARWIN PLEASE DONT ALLOW GREEKS TO BREED...S/
for that matter, darwin please don't allow the fsa to multiply, not enough workers with good hearts.
WHAT CANT GO ON WILLL NOT GO ON...
I am not a Greek reader but I have followed the Greek imbroglio with great interest since 2010.
The independent Greeks will go by the way of LAOS and Democratic Left, both smaller parties who supported pro-austerity governments and vanished as a result of it.
Sentiment in Greece has changed significantly since the banks closed and capital controls were introduced, along with the blatant Tsipras betrayal. The resounding NO in the referendum was a big indication of that. Greek now view this latest MoU as a clear attempt to turn their country into a German colony and they will oppose that, violently if they have to. They are prepared to bare the pain of returning to a national currency now in my opinion.
The person who benefited from the Tsipras betrayal is none other the the current president of Greek parliament, Zoe Konstandopoulou. She came across as a genuine fighter for the people, especially the weaker of Greek society who are been made to suffer even more with the latest atrocity of a memorandum. In my view, she may very we'll be the next Prime Minister of Greece in a none coalition government (possibly two years down the road).
All and all, something that is vastly underestimated even by what I consider and astute ZH reader community is the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis in Greece and what is taking place now will make that even worse. What is allowed to happen in Greece is absolutely shameful, I would even argue a willful genocide.
If this vote did in fact pass with only 118 votes, that means he lost a *massive* chunk of not only Syriza but opposition voted "no" as well.
Given this, I assume that ND is saying "we could have gotten a better deal and thus we voted "no") and are using Tsipras' schtick against him.
I get the feeling that Tsipras wants out. I can't really blame him.
As far as I know there were no ND MPs who voted against the Tsipras MoU.
Your read of Tsipras is wrong in my view. He is an ambitious politician who forced the collapse of the Samaras governmnet prematurely, over the appointment of the President of the Republic issue, so that he get into power. He should have resigned when he turned the NO result of the referendum into a YES virtually overnight or for even basically failing to deliver any of his pre-election promises. Instead of resigñing he opted to hang on to power by spewing more lies, obfuscation and cheap political smear aimed at his opponents, even against members of his own party who supported him in the past. He instead rammed down the throat of already austerity impoverished Greeks an even more onerous memorandum of understanding and agreed to turn the country's running over to Troika+1 as well as sell the family heirlooms.
The man is a political charlatan who loves power. He is not about to leave that power without doing everything possible, by whatever means, to hang on it.
If he only got 118 votes AND all of ND voted for it, then Syriza has completely abandoned him. He's done if he calls a NC vote.
He lost 43 votes from within his own party. Tsipras can only survive a condfiedence vote with votes from ND, PASOK and Potami. He is counting on them to give him a vote of confidence by not wanting an early election (they are still suffering from lack of public trust). Tsipras may in fact be maneuvering for an early election before the dissenting MPs from his own party organize as a separate party in parliament and before the ill effects of this austerity MoU begin to bite.
Like I said, he is a political charlatan that will scheme and try everything to hang on to power.
I cant argue he is a charlatan (albeit an unconscious one).I share the same view about him since 2007.
But resigning after the referendum with no stable loan line, a cross default on ice,not enough money in the banks to keep even a transitional government was NOT an option.
The "NO" votes were preknown and preplanned. For appearances they voted no but only to the extent that the outcome would be yes. That protects some of the politicians but when and if needed they will switch to vote yes for future plundering of greece.
It is staged, including the overnight theater to make it look like a great drama. The fix is in.
And that,dear world, is how Greece's situation is.Everyone tries to use the current situation to profit or to promote his agenda but the only certain result is that the Greek people is the biggest loser.
Greece is so last week, who cares.
Since Greeks for the most part aren't paying taxes anyway, why not raise them to 98%?
Headline in spiegel yesterday: 'Syriza wants to try again this time without the radicals'
they're a bunch of sellouts just like the previous ruling parties and political european left in general.
Greece is fleeced and stripped off everything. This will kill off agriculture and SME. Greece will be a debt slave for the next coming generations. All this to keep the illusion of 'all is well in Europe' alive and to secure German hegemony and savings on interests on German bonds.
Make no mistake, this is an experiment and a blueprint for a hostile corporate take over of a continent.
The sale of government assets and means of revenues like tolls and airport fees (not to mention the airports themselves lol) to corporate entities, especially I-banks... it is no doubt that the intended goal is the corporate replacement of gubernatorial duties and gradual or sudden displacement of gubbamin until it is no more. It almost seems like certain nations are picked for certain experiments to generate outcomes that can be modeled elsewhere...
"It almost seems like certain nations are picked for certain experiments to generate outcomes that can be modeled elsewhere..."
Make no mistake; this is no experiment, this is the real thing. Each and every productive Greek citizen is to be punished from now on. Starts with the farmers (the lifeline of any society), and continues with the freelancers (most likely dissidents) ... and so on.
Rebellion and revolution is the only way for Greeks from now on.
Soon there'll be blood on the streets, thats for sure.
rebellion against who? In case you have not noticed no greek politician is the least bit trustworthy nowadays.
Some have their blind admirers but they are holding them with sham dreams and vague ideas -they have nothing remotely close to a plan!
Rebellion and/or revolution needs a clear cut enemy,within reach if I might add.
There are no real sides, only fanboys and fangirls.And that is a recipe for a disaster or an impromptu free-for-all.
"Freelancers will be subject to a gradual increase from 55 to 75 percent in advanced tax payments for income earned in 2015, increasing to 100 percent in 2016. "
Wait. Does this mean that some Government bureaucrat is going to make a guess as to what 'Freelancers' are going to make next year and demand 100% of this be paid in Taxes?
How can anyone know what a Freelancer is going to make next year?
How can anyone posssibly be taxed at 100% percent of their income and then be expected to live on 0% of their income?
IF the Freelancers weren't dissidents before these unpayable taxations they sure as hell will be to a person now...
"It almost seems like certain nations are picked for certain experiments to generate outcomes that can be modeled elsewhere..."
Yes. I came to the same conclusion, but based upon things that have been done to/in Ireland.
It also seems to me that with regards to the population replacement experiment in Europe, 3rd world countries are paired with 1st world ones.
"adopt a highway program": Welcome to the Citibank expressway! (next 150 miles) Drive Friendly!
I hate pols and crats. I literally would not piss on one if they were on fire, but instead would seek out some marshmallows. I believe that they are ALL psychopaths of varying degree doing tyranny's work. With that said, I do believe that Tsipras is indeed trying to save Greece and the Greeks from the wrath of Zion.
Pols and crats everywhere are nothing but thieving con men. They enjoy stealing under cover of a good story and yarn; Lining their pockets, and the pockets of family, friends, and cronies, with the fruits of their cons. As such, the pols and crats of indebted nations have a huge incentive NOT to repay debts, as they then can use the "savings" to fund more pocket lining schemes. Mexico, and Argentina, and recently Puerto Rico, come immediately to mind.
So, why has Tsipras not told Europe and Europe's Zionist minders to get bent, and then used the debt service to line his and his cronies' pockets? I believe that he has been told straight out that Greece will not be allowed to leave, as Greece, among other things, sits on Zion's vital pipeline route to Europe from Israel. I believe that he has been told that if Greece defaults, and tries to go it alone, that Greece will be invaded, "coup-ed," or "color revolution-ed."
I truly believe that he is trying to save Greece, and the Greeks from their continued exploitation and plundering by Zion, and Zion's grifting banksters, but is failing. I suppose that he is now moving toward being seen as kowtowing to Zion so as to then have himself tossed in elections, and then leave the next guy to deal with the coming violence--and there will be violence.
I still wouldn't piss on a burning Tsipras, but I do see the tragedy and irony in his noble attempt to save Greece and the Greeks from the clutches of Zion.
The saddest part of it all is that my American country and fellow Americans are in for so much worse as the Zionist crimes of empire and fiat-dollar chickens come home to roost.
I am sad for Greece. I weep for America.
Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission..
You say "return." We say go.
Wow that government sucks!
Muppet show - Greece does not exit anymore.
The typo is also true.
Typo--I meant does not EXIST anymore
Time for a New Dawn in Greece
Golden Dawn
Would be hilarious to see the Greeks Sieg Heil Schäuble.
pathetic
I don't understand why people think that Tsipras could possibly be trying to "save Greece" or any other such nonsense. Only those people who the elite want in power ever get in power, and if they then develop a conscience and try to go against what the elite have planned for the country, they get JFK'd. It's never been about one side versus the other. That's all just theatrics. I honestly thought that people who read this website would know this by now, but apparently not. Nearly every political article that's on here that I read, there's always people expressing support for or trying to explain a politician/would-be-politician's actions in a positive light (the most notable recent example being Donald Trump). If you still fall for the divide and conquer rhetoric expertly weaved by the major political parties, regardless of country, you need to go back to square one and rethink your political worldview, because it doesn't reflect the truth of what's going on behind the scenes.
Extremists parties will take power and tell Europe to suck it. Then Erdogan will do something stupid. Then we'll have war between two nato nations and Putin will laugh his ass off while he invades the baltics.
Urgebegone has already done something stupid, which is turning a secular state into a yet another Islamic joke, albeit the Kurds probably don't see the humor.
I don't get the idea that Mr. Putin is bent on gobbling up (as Obama's security mavens no doubt phrase it) any Baltic real estate let alone being bent on world conquest. He might find it amusing to send a Bolshoi troupe to Syria with some SA300 systems. If he sent 1,000th of what military the U.S. has outside our borders into another country it wouldn't be the Greek Parliament who would be pulling the all nighters. With luck he knows that we have exclusive rights on all foreign military adventure, including all action figures and movie rights.
Putin in Syria, that again? Right now Putin is having his representative betray Assad. RIGHT NOW.
Just one outlet - happens to be RT:
"Lavrov met with Syrian National Coalition leader Khaled Khoja on Thursday to look for consensus on a political settlement in Syria. The minister stressed that the talks on tackling terrorism, particularly the fight against Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS/ISIL), should be transformed into concrete action. One of the main sticking points remained the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad."
Scary ol Putin is trying to negotiate with those who are about to overrun Assad. Putin/Russia has betrayed another allie. Putin is so weak he attempts to weasel a deal with the butchers of Syria and is totally impotent to stop anything (as if he really wants to).
Where are the SA300 systems Russia contracted to provide Syria many, many years ago. Or the ones contracted for by Iran many, many years ago.
Putin either is just playing his part for the NWO, is compromised and only serves the elite of Russia (highly jewish) or is impotent to the extent of being a loud paper tiger.
Watch out Iran, watch out ---- With Friends Like Putin/Russia ...........
"Putin will laugh his ass off while he invades the baltics"
CUE: "newsoutlet" reporting columns of Russian tanks, APCs, heavy artillery and foot soldiers are pouring into Latvia and wrecking the potato crop.
They're going to keep having elections every couple of months until they get a Government the EU wants, which is a Government the Greek people don't want.
62% No. Parliament votes Yes. Parliamentary dictatorship at full swing.
Politician A: "our people are hungry and kinda stupid."
Politician B: "I have a idea. Let's tax food and education."
Politician A: "That's brilliant! I'll vote for it."
You can't make up shit that stupid.
Sadly closer to reality than not...
5 years: greece still fucked and stupid. Zh comments still buggy as shit on mobile. Commenting still undoable.
Nothing ever changes.
It's hard.
GREEK WANT AD:
"Greek patriots need guns, ammunition and other small arms to overthrow Fourth Reich oppressors."
It's only a matter until the New Bader-Meinhoff Gang, New Red Brigades, etc., strikes terror among the Fourth Reich's elites.
A little history:
For a start, throughout most of history there has been no such thing as Greece. There were a bunch of city states, Athens, Sparta and so on that only really got together to fight off the Persians, united as one country or people for two or three hundred years before being taken over by the Romans in 164 BC and then…………nothing until the 1820’s.
There was no such thing as a country called Greece. There were Greeks, but they were part of the Roman, then Byzantine and finally Otttoman Empires.
Greeks started to agitate for independence from the Ottomans in the 1820’s and a raft of wealthy and influential English, American, Russian and French intellectuals, blinded by the romanticism of a mythical ‘Ancient Greece’ , began to stick their oar in, led by no less a titan of military strategy than Lord Byron. Yes that Lord Byron.
The independence fighters needed money to fund their campaign and the London Stock Exchange kindly contributed with a war loan in 1824 for £400,000 and another in 1825 for over a million. Due to Lord Byron’s heroic death in Greece these war loans were oversubscribed many times over. Unfortunately for the Greek freedom fighters, the promoters of the war loans, solicitors, speculators and the lovely bankers all took their cuts and very little of it made it’s way to Greece.
So the newly independent Greece , a country in its own right for the first time in almost 2,000 years immediately found itself in debt to British speculators. The British solution was to offer more money in 1832, impose a Bavarian king, Otto, on them and raise taxes. Within a year of independence Greece found itself ruled by German politicians, the Bavarian prince was a minor and had three German ministers administer his reign, and in debt to other European governments and banks.
The Greeks now found themselves ruled by a German prince instead of an Ottoman Sultan, but were paying higher taxes than ever. The loan of 1832 was spent on the upkeep of a Bavarian prince that had been a condition of the loan and expanding their military, in order to keep them all in check and stop them rebelling against ‘their’ new king. They defaulted in 1843, 1893, 1932 and now.
________________________________________________________________
Tsipras is a criminal collaborator. But he will get away with it. Until his kind, all of them, are scrubbed fromt the human race, there will never be real democracy or genuine freedom.
The Central Bankers are the true rulers of the world.
Isn't this how the French revolution started?
"And it's gone"
PM Tsipras' representative had said before the vote in parliament something like "if the government support drops below 120 MPs (out of 300), then there is obviously a problem, the government cannot continue, elections are needed". But knowing how honest this government has been in the previous months, we can safely assume that it is again lying, even in this case no elections are imminent. It will continue to pass laws with the votes of some of Syriza's MP and of the other, pro-euro, pro-memorandum "opposition" parties. All this because of reasons of "national emergency" of course.
Austerity Schmerity! I wish I only paid 20 cents tax per litre on my diesel fuel. I wish I didn't have to make income tax installments during the year. I wish I didn't pay tax on my school fees. I wish I didn't have to pay interest on amounts owing to the government. I wish, I wish. I wish... Oh poor me. Oh poor me. Oh poor poor me.
118 people voted for it: WHO and WHY?
Imagine you have a deadbeat brother-in-law. You agree to open a joint bank account with him. After he withdraws all the money, surprise surprise, you repo his house and car.
GOLDEN DAWN could give my people of Greece dignity back! It's like Ron Paul without class Golden dawn.. It's too late and unfortunately for Greece it's the beginning of the end.. The mainstream media bullshit there is actually even worse then here in the USA..Golden Dawn was ready to prosecute/execute the banksters and crooked politicians.. The Greek main stream bullshit media character assassinated Golden Dawn even had a few members in jail awaiting trail only to be released after the election were Syriza already won.. Samaras New Democracy party had them locked up(GOLDEN DAWN) but the clown underestimated Syriza a communist party was going to beat him.. That is how elections in Greece are won.. The IMF is not done extracting any and everything of value from Greece!! I see people rising up and storming the parliament and burning it down to ashes. once you lose everything you lose it! Varoufakis was threaten by the IMF mafia to resign I have my sources..Tsipras is a coward and a communist what do you expect?