Η ελληνική δυναστική κομματοκρατία

Γιώργος Κοντογιώργης, Η ελληνική δυναστική κομματοκρατία "συστημικός κίνδυνος" για την Ευρώπη και τον κόσμο. Να συλληφθεί ο πρωθυπουργός ως πολιτικός εγκληματίας[1].

Ο Γ.Παπανδρέου κέρδισε τις εκλογές με απάτη διακηρύσσοντας ότι "λεφτά υπάρχουν", ενώ γνώριζε ότι η χώρα ευρίσκετο ένα βήμα πριν από το αδιέξοδο, έχοντας επί μακρόν, με συστηματικό τρόπο, λεηλατηθεί ο δημόσιος πλούτος και το κράτος διαφθαρεί από την πολιτική τάξη. 

Democracy’s Cradle, Rocking the World

The New York Times

By MARK MAZOWER

Published: June 29, 2011

YESTERDAY, the whole world was watching Greece as its Parliament voted to pass a divisive package of austerity measures that could have critical ramifications for the global financial system. It may come as a surprise that this tiny tip of the Balkan Peninsula could command such attention. We usually think of Greece as the home of Plato and Pericles, its real importance lying deep in antiquity. But this is hardly the first time that to understand Europe’s future, you need to turn away from the big powers at the center of the continent and look closely at what is happening in Athens. For the past 200 years, Greece has been at the forefront of Europe’s evolution.

Χορός αυτοκαταστροφής

Του Aλεξη Παπαχελα

Hμερομηνία :  02-11-11

Η μόνη μου ελπίδα είναι ότι η άφρων και ανεύθυνη πράξη του κ. Παπανδρέου θα μας κάνει ΟΛΟΥΣ να έλθουμε στα λογικά μας….

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Θα προσπαθήσω να είμαι σαφής, ψύχραιμος και δίκαιος.

Ο Γεωργιος Ραλλης ειχε προειδοποιήσει…

 του Ανδρέα Ανδριανόπουλου

Μια χώρα μικρή, σχετικά φτωχή, αλλά νοικοκυρεμένη, με μικρές σχετικά δυνατότητες αλλά με αισιοδοξία, σχέδια, αυτοπεποίθηση και προοπτικές. Αυτή ήταν η Ελλάδα του 1981. Μια χώρα κατεστραμμένη, διεθνώς ανυπόληπτη, με καταρρακωμένη υπερηφάνεια και δίχως σχεδόν καθόλου αυτοεκτίμηση κι εμπιστοσύνη στον εαυτό της. Αυτή η περιγραφή σκιαγραφεί την Ελλάδα του σήμερα – του 2011. Μέσα σε τριάντα χρόνια τα φιλόδοξο ταξίδι προς την ευημερία κατέληξε σε εφιάλτη βγαλμένο μέσα από τις σελίδες μυθιστορήματος φρίκης. Τι πήγε στραβά; Τι ακριβώς έφταιξε;

Συντηρητικοί μύθοι που αναπαράγουν την κρίση

Κυριακή, 09 Οκτώβριος 2011 11:13

Πάσχος Μανδραβέλης

Αν έκανε κάτι καλό το έκτακτο τέλος για τα ακίνητα είναι ότι λειτούργησε σαν ταχύρρυθμο και αναγκαστικό φροντιστήριο δημοσιονομικής επιστήμης. Ολοι συνειδητοποίησαν ότι το Δημόσιο δεν είναι κάτι που χρηματοδοτείται από τον ουρανό. Είναι ο Γαργαντούας που τρέφεται από τις τσέπες μας. Ετσι, ακόμη και οι πιο δύσπιστοι ψευδοκεϋνσιανοί άρχισαν να μιλούν για περιορισμό του κράτους μόλις συνειδητοποίησαν τι θα πληρώσουν για τις ακριβές τους κατοικίες.

Το ερώτημα των εκλογών

Πάσχος Μανδραβέελης

Κυριακή, 25 Σεπτέμβριος 2011 11:31

Η χώρα δεν μπορεί να συνεχίσει με ελλείμματα κι αυτό δεν είναι θέμα πολιτικής διαπραγμάτευσης ή απολιτικής απόφασης. Θα τα μηδενίσει θέλει, δεν θέλει, ακόμη κι αν 99,9% του λαού ψηφίσει υπέρ της διατήρησής των.

Εκτός χρόνου ο κ. Σαμαράς

Του Πάσχου Μανδραβέλη

 Τετάρτη, 21 Σεπτέμβριος 2011 08:28

Το πρόβλημα του με τον κ. Σαμαρά δεν  είναι ότι πιθανώς θα προσπαθήσει και δεν θα τα καταφέρει να σώσει τη χώρα. Υπόσχεται από τώρα ότι θα την οδηγήσει με μαθηματική ακρίβεια στον αυτοχειριασμό.

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Δεν ξέρουμε πόσο εκτός τόπου είναι όσα είπε ο κ. Αντώνης Σαμαράς στη Θεσσαλονίκη. Οι υποσχέσεις περί μαγικής ανάπτυξης δίχως κόπους και θυσίες, το χάιδεμα της ακροδεξιάς για το μεταναστευτικό, οι συναισθηματικές κορώνες περί εορτής της «οικονομικής ελευθερίας» το 2021 κ. λπ. μπορεί να αποδειχθούν στις εκλογές εντός τόπου. Οπως τραγουδούσε ο Διονύσης Σαββόπουλος, «στα ρεζιλίκια μας τοκίζοντας ποτέ κανείς δεν χάνει...».

Γιατί αποτυγχάνουν οι ελληνικές μεταρρυθμίσεις;

Από την μία υπάρχει «ροπή προς την αμυντική ακινησία, προς διασφάλιση των κεκτημένων... Από την άλλη, βουβή συσσώρευση ενός άμορφου αιτήματος μεταρρυθμίσεων».

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Το ερώτημα «Γιατί αποτυγχάνουν οι μεταρρυθμίσεις;» τέθηκε από τον κ. Νίκο Μουζέλη τον Ιούνιο του 2003. Το άρθρο γράφτηκε σε μια περίεργη συγκυρία. Κατ’ αρχήν οι μεταρρυθμίσεις της προηγούμενης δεκαετίας απέδιδαν καρπούς: η χώρα με την κολοβή, έστω, απελευθέρωση της

Bad News Could Force Some Real Decisions

The Wall Street Journal

Sometimes the really bad news is good.

Jürgen Stark's decision to resign from the board of the European Central Bank, not too long after Axel Weber quit as Bundesbank president, just might put paid to the dithering that has characterized euro-zone policy making for too long. And the equally disturbing news that the Greek economy is in virtual collapse, shrinking by 7.3% in the last quarter, puts more than a little pressure on euro-zone politicians to abandon the notion that press releases are synonymous with action, and austerity with prudence.

Greek Central Banker Seeks Faster Effort From Athens

The Wall Street Journal

By ALKMAN GRANITSAS

ATHENS—Greece's top central banker called on the government to speed up efforts to close the budget gap amid growing concerns elsewhere in Europe that Athens can't pull itself out of its debt spiral.

Bank of Greece Governor George Provopoulos said that the lack of fiscal and other reforms were deepening Greece's recession.

Moving On From Greece?

The Wall street Journal

By RICHARD BARLEY

Will what happens in Greece, finally stay in Greece?

A host of doubts still surround the second bailout for the country. The economy is in tatters, there is doubt over the bond swap at the heart of the deal, and a spat over collateral for Finnish loans is continuing. But while Greek bond yields have surged to fresh highs, with the yield to maturity on two-year notes at 46%, the rest of the euro-zone government-bond market hasn't taken fright. That marks a step forward in the crisis.

In liberalized Greek workplace, dancers swirl freely

(Reuters) - If you want to be a dancer in Greece, you can now swirl freely into your new career. But if your heart is set on opening a pharmacy, things are not that easy.

As part of its overhaul of the economy to send investors a message it is making changes to tackle its debt crisis, the Greek government is opening up professions but the jobs market is still far from an even playing field.

Athens has promised international lenders to untangle a web of rules on about 135 "closed" professions, allowing anyone who wants to drive a Greek taxi, open a bakery or guide tourists on the Acropolis to do so without restriction as of July 2.

The Clash of Generations

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: July 16, 2011

I REALIZE that I should be in Washington watching the debt drama there, but I’ve opted instead to be in Greece to observe the off-Broadway version. There are a lot of things about this global debt tragedy that you can see better from here, in miniature, starting with the raw plot, which no one has described better than the Carnegie Endowment scholar David Rothkopf: “When the cold war ended, we thought we were going to have a clash of civilizations. It turns out we’re having a clash of generations.”

Europe shifts to examine broad, radical steps on Greece

Reuters

Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:59am EDT

 Threat to Italy, Spain causes change in approach

* Greece, Ireland see shift towards "comprehensive" solution

* Way cleared to have private sector pay

* But this might still not cut debt to manageable level

* New emphasis on defending banks, stimulating growth

By John O'Donnell - BRUSSELS, July 14 (Reuters) - Alarmed by a worsening of the euro zone debt crisis, policymakers and bankers are examining radical proposals to rescue Greece that include a sharp cut in its debt burden, ways to prop up banks and a new emphasis on boosting Greek growth, official and banking sources say.

Europe, IMF need to act soon to avoid contagion: IIF

By John O'Donnell

BRUSSELS | Tue Jul 12, 2011 1:07pm EDT

(Reuters) - Euro zone countries and the IMF need to show they can deliver a rescue plan for Greece, including a debt buyback, in coming days to avoid financial markets "spinning out of control," a bank lobby group said.

The Institute of International Finance (IIF), which is leading negotiations on behalf of banks and insurers with billions of euros of exposure to Greekbonds, made the warning in a draft paper delivered to European finance ministers, dated July 10 and seen by Reuters.

The way to end the Greek farce

JUL 12, 2011 10:10 EDT

Reuters 

By Hugo Dixon

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

The Greek crisis is fast descending into farce. The position of Germany, the euro zone’s main lender, is increasingly absurd. It is adamant that there will be no restructuring of Greek debt — at least, until 2013. And yet it is equally insistent that Athens’ private-sector creditors should contribute up to 30 billion euros to a new, 120 billion euro bailout. That would effectively amount to a half-cocked restructuring.

Greek fire

The Economist

Jul 12th 2011, 15:08 by Charlemagne | BRUSSELS

ONE CAN understand the anger of George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister. He has faced down riots, mass protests and party rebellion to push through a second austerity and reform package. But a second bail-out from the euro zone that was supposed to tide Greece over until 2014 has yet to materialise (although it did get a €12 billion ($17 billion) tranche of loans to keep going until September).

Last night's euro-zone statement was filled with promises of action, but the details remain slippery (see my post). Indecision is causing contagion; contagion is affecting bigger countries, like Italy. And the contagion of Italy threatens to ravage all of the euro zone, including Greece.

Mr Papandreou's letter to Jean-Claude Juncker, who presides over the Eurogroup of finance ministers, sums up the mismanagement of the euro-zone crisis more eloquently than most. It is worth reading. A long excerpt below:

Letter to the Greeks

JUN 29, 2011 09:38 EDT

By Hugo Dixon
The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Dear Greeks,The anger you feel about your plight is understandable. You are staring at several unpalatable alternatives, all of which will involve big cuts in living standards for years to come. But the options you face are not all equally bad. You must avoid an emotional reaction that leaves you in an even worse state — and you must ostracise those who resort to violence.

Hedge Funds Move Past Greece With Bets That Sovereign Debt Crisis Expands

By Katherine Burton and Saijel Kishan - Jul 7, 2011 7:00 AM GMT+0300

Hedge funds that trade bonds and loans are increasing bets that Europe’s sovereign debt crisis will spread to Portugal, Spain and Italy, even after Greece won a temporary reprieve with 12 billion euros in aid.

“Nothing you’ve seen so far has dealt with solvency, just liquidity,” said Simon Finch, head of credit trading at CQS UK LLP, a London-based hedge fund that oversees $11 billion.

Finch, who has bought and sold corporate bonds and loans for 18 years, has stepped up trading in mobile-phone, utility and toll-road companies in the three countries. He expects their governments will be forced to slash spending to pay off lenders, slowing growth and reducing discretionary consumer outlays.

CQS is among the hedge funds that say investors are underestimating the odds of distress or even default not only by Portugal, whose credit rating was downgraded this week to junk status by Moody’s, but also by the bigger Italy and Spain. The funds are moving beyond a direct wager that sovereign debt values will tumble, targeting potential fallout in the corporate-debt market and the banking industry.

German Move Roils Talks on Greece

Revived Proposal for Bond Swaps Raises Question on Plans for Encouraging Private-Sector Creditors to Help in Bailout

By STEPHEN FIDLER in Brussels, SEBASTIAN MOFFETT in Paris and BRIAN BLACKSTONE in Frankfurt

European governments' plan for private-sector creditors to help Greece's next bailout without triggering a default were thrown into doubt Wednesday, as senior German officials resurrected a once-rejected proposal that would cost investors more.