Opinion of Alexis Tsipras

[Antonio the Sixth]

FF (not a braindead austericrat)

[Antonio the Sixth]

supposed Tsipras' wife has threatened to leave him if he strikes a deal with to remain in the Eurozone?  wtf?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/greek-pm-alexis-tsipras-faces-partners-departure-should-he-agree-to-eu-terms-over-greek-debt-crisis-10327912.html

EDIT: supposedly the rumor came DIRECTLY from the mouth of Francois Hollande.  it's probably just some stupid pro-ECB mudslinging BS

Well, Hollande knows something about getting in trouble with your partner.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Who cares whose fault it is? Does whatever the Papandreou governments may have done in the 80s justify literally starving the Greeks now? Since when has paying back debt become more important that fulfilling basic human needs?

The way this discussion is framed is sick. Just sick.

[Antonio the Sixth]

The "reforms" that the EC, ECB, and especially the IMF, are trying to force down Greece's throat would not actually do anything to resolve the current issues. They would only make things worse, as the previous "reforms" have for the past five years.

And there was no hyperbole in my comments. Some people are literally starving, or living in houses without water or electricity, or don't have a house at all. That's mere reality.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Tsipras is even more of a FF after today's move. This is the referendum Greece should have had years ago.

The "reforms" that the EC, ECB, and especially the IMF, are trying to force down Greece's throat would not actually do anything to resolve the current issues. They would only make things worse, as the previous "reforms" have for the past five years.

And there was no hyperbole in my comments. Some people are literally starving, or living in houses without water or electricity, or don't have a house at all. That's mere reality.

Sorry Antonio but there has been no reforms all these years by our governments. They just named reforms the cutting of salaries and pensions. Our public service remains as bloated and corrupt as in 2009 and nobody dares to touch it because they are afraid of the electoral consequences.

Papandreou was the only Prime Minister who dares to take on the special interests and he was toppled by them.

But these cuts were what the Troika asked for! Even now, the negotiations stalled largely before the IMF was bent on imposing yet another cut on pensions! The Troika has no interest in actual structural reforms that would allow Greece to perform its duties as a State while durably resolving its debt issue. All they're interested in is in enforcing the ideology of austerity, in the face of all evidence that points to it being a complete failure.

[Antonio the Sixth]

_{*A political question worth asking I suspect: why were all these bullsh!t featherbedding arrangements (relatively) protected?}

Protected by whom, Tsipras or the creditors?

[Antonio the Sixth]

_{*A political question worth asking I suspect: why were all these bullsh!t featherbedding arrangements (relatively) protected?}

Protected by whom? Tsipras or the creditors?

I mean why are they only on the proposed chopping block now given that actually important government services were hit badly long before? You'd think that regionally variable VAT that's obviously used as a way of dodging tax would be one of the first things to go.

As I said twice already, it's abundantly clear that structural reform was never the intent of creditors. Neither was it the intent of Samaras or Venizelos, obviously.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Troika just asked for us to achieve some fiscal targets. They left to us how we d'achieve that.

This is patently false. All the accounts I have heard of the talks (coming from mainstream media sources, not some random leftist hackblog) pointed out that the creditors had asked for very specific reforms. The IMF in particular was hellbent on imposing cuts to pensions.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Troika just asked for us to achieve some fiscal targets. They left to us how we d'achieve that.

This is patently false. All the accounts I have heard of the talks (coming from mainstream media sources, not some random leftist hackblog) pointed out that the creditors had asked for very specific reforms. The IMF in particular was hellbent on imposing cuts to pensions.

Juncker has explicitly stated that he was fine with cutting the military instead.

What they did not want were the measures they did not believe would achieve the goals.

Anyway, the goals were, probably, politically unfeasible.

Maybe Juncker said so, but the IMF never dropped their demands. In fact, I heard at some point that Greece wanted the IMF out of the negotiation and sought to strike a deal with the more cooperative EC and Central Bank, but the latter refused.