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Greece’s new anti-austerity government set on collision course with Brussels
UK Gaurdian ^ | 1-26-2015 | Helena Smith in Athens, Julian Borger in Brussels and Katie Allen in London

Posted on 01/26/2015 12:57:20 PM PST by tcrlaf

Greek radicals sought on Monday to redraw the political map of Europe, forming a coalition government of left and right, united only by their desire to defy the European financial establishment and shrug off the constraints of austerity.

The coalition, led by 40-year-old Alexis Tsipras, was expected to dispatch its new finance minister to Brussels in the next few days to seek a fundamental renegotiation of Greece’s economic bailout package, vowing that “the end of humiliation has come”. Tsipras and his Syriza party have promised to replace the austerity programmes imposed by Greece’s international creditors with policies aimed at helping the third of the population now living in poverty.

Finance ministers from the eurozone, meeting at EU headquarters, responded cautiously, acknowledging the new political realities in Greece and offering to negotiate, while ruling out the straight debt write-off Tsipras is demanding.

A spokesman for the German government, which would have to approve and largely finance any new debt relief, said its position was unchanged by the Greek election.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: albania; alexistsipras; bulgaria; elections; eu; euro; europeanunion; greece; macedonia; syriza; turkey
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This is gonna twist the Euro's into a real knot.

His FIRST official act was to visit the graves of 200 Greeks killed in a WW2 Nazi Massacre.

His first official meeting was with the Ambassador to Russia.

One of his first official statements is that Greece will stand against any new sanctions.

This is spooking the Euros so much that France's Hollande has extended an invitation for Tsipras to vist Paris for a meeting "Quickly".

1 posted on 01/26/2015 12:57:20 PM PST by tcrlaf
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To: tcrlaf

Tectonic plates shifting again?


2 posted on 01/26/2015 12:57:59 PM PST by WayneS (Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.)
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To: tcrlaf

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy.” —Alexander Fraser Tytler


3 posted on 01/26/2015 1:01:14 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (Government is the religion of the fascists.)
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To: tcrlaf

I’m not sure how Merkel’s government feels about it, but the German people are essentially fed up with being the “pay master” for the Euro zone dead beats such as Greece. It’s from their pockets that the money is coming to pay for the “free lunches” dispensed for years throughout Greece.


4 posted on 01/26/2015 1:02:02 PM PST by House Atreides (CRUZ or lose!)
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To: tcrlaf

The Greeks aren’t Mooslims, so don’t look for any help from The Won....


5 posted on 01/26/2015 1:02:40 PM PST by tgusa (gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger .......)
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To: tcrlaf

Toga party in Athens!


6 posted on 01/26/2015 1:04:43 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: tcrlaf

The only remaining European leader with familiarity of throwing good money after bad is the KGB colonel, Putin.


7 posted on 01/26/2015 1:07:46 PM PST by Zuben Elgenubi (NOPe to GOPe)
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To: tcrlaf

Yep. Our NEW demands are that we don’t have to back all of that money you gave us that we’ve already spent, PLUS we want you to give us a BUNCH more! Oh, and free ponies for all!


8 posted on 01/26/2015 1:08:04 PM PST by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: House Atreides

They can do like Obama and simply print more money.


9 posted on 01/26/2015 1:08:54 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Good Muslims, like good Nazis or good liberals, are terrible human beings.)
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To: tcrlaf

This is excellent news.

Not for Greece, of course - sux to be them.

But debt as money has run its course, has to stop somewhere - why not here and now?


10 posted on 01/26/2015 1:12:01 PM PST by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Except that nobody would take that printed Greek money. It would become about as worthless as Zimbabwe currency...if that’s possible.


11 posted on 01/26/2015 1:12:48 PM PST by House Atreides (CRUZ or lose!)
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To: Jim Noble

Per Forbes, French Banks are holding $93 Billion Dollars in Greek Debt.

If Greece defaults, the French banks go belly-up.


12 posted on 01/26/2015 1:13:48 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: tcrlaf

The new communists in Greece wanting to crash the socialists/progressive EU/EURO project

popcorn please.


13 posted on 01/26/2015 1:15:36 PM PST by PGR88
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To: WayneS

This won’t end well.


14 posted on 01/26/2015 1:15:42 PM PST by EQAndyBuzz (Islam is the military wing of the Communist party.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

“They can do like Obama and simply print more money.”

As many have noted today, Tsipras now leads the Greek Central bank. They are authorized to print Euros.

If he decides to fire up the presses and print Euros as some kind of a stimulus, it could really crash the Euro. A real “Nuclear Option”.

And Greece doesn’t actually have to start making any payments on it’s latest zero-interest debt until 2022.


15 posted on 01/26/2015 1:16:35 PM PST by tcrlaf (They told me it could never happen in America. And then it did....)
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To: tcrlaf
If Greece defaults, the French banks go belly-up.

The European Central Bank just announced $1 Trillion (equivalent) in QE. They will buy up so many bonds from banks and pension funds, even after the PIIGS, the majority will be German bonds. Their QE (just like ours in the USA) is a big bail-out for the politicized big banks of the EU.

16 posted on 01/26/2015 1:17:55 PM PST by PGR88
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To: tcrlaf

I will take your word for it.

I can appreciate the precedent that a nation leaving the EU would imply, but I think, rather than fully freak out over Greece which is an absolutely delightful country, (one of the coolest places I have ever visited but an economic basket case) they will preserve whatever it is they are trying to preserve and in deed and in fact not care. They will let Greece go. I could be wrong.


17 posted on 01/26/2015 1:19:18 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (At no time was the Obama administration aware of what the Obama administration was doing)
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To: House Atreides

Supposedly they are authorized to print Euros.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3250890/posts?page=15#15


18 posted on 01/26/2015 1:20:38 PM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Good Muslims, like good Nazis or good liberals, are terrible human beings.)
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To: tcrlaf

Dear Europe -

There will be a war. Fight amongst yourselves. We’re staying out of this one.

Best of Luck,
Your Pal,

The United States of America


19 posted on 01/26/2015 1:22:23 PM PST by kidd
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To: tcrlaf
If Greece defaults, the French banks go belly-up

So?

Face it.

The debts will never be repaid, the banks are all insolvent. Right now, this is the "global economy"


20 posted on 01/26/2015 1:26:43 PM PST by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
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