Thursday, November 3, 2011

Φαρισσαίοι


Γιάννης Σιδέρης01/11/2011 | 11:55
Skai.gr

Ηταν μια κίνηση απρόσμενη αυτή του πρωθυπουργού για το Δημοψήφισμα, που αναδιατάσσει το πολιτικό τοπίο και ορίζει νέες συντεταγμένες.

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.

Opinion: A risky Greek gambit with few alternatives



From DW  World.DE

The Greek referendum on the EU bailout plan proposed by premier George Papandreou has stunned EU leaders and markets. But DW's Spiros Muskovou says Papandreou had few options left.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Greece Faces Grilling at G-20



Fears of Political Chaos Tank Global Markets as Europe's Bailout Plan Teeters
The Wall Street Journal

By MARCUS WALKER And ALKMAN GRANITSAS

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, fighting for political survival at home, faced a grilling from euro-zone leaders over his plan to put Greece's international bailout to a referendum.

Ο μονόδρομος και τα διλήμματα



Του Πάσχου Μανδραβέλη
Τετάρτη, 02 Νοέμβριος 2011 09:13
Ανθ' ημών Καϊλή. Τελικώς, αντί να αποφανθεί ο λαός μίλησαν οι κυρίες της Βουλής, Μιλένα Αποστολάκη, Εύα Καϊλή, Βάσω Παπανδρέου και δεν ξέρουμε ποιος άλλος μέχρι να γραφτούν αυτές οι γραμμές. Ολα δείχνουν ότι η αναγγελία του δημοψηφίσματος ήταν μια απεγνωσμένη κίνηση του κ. Παπανδρέου να προλάβει τις πολιτικές εξελίξεις. Μάλλον τις επιτάχυνε.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Πατριώτες με το αζημίωτο



Πάσχος Μανδραβέλης
Κυριακή, 30 Οκτώβριος 2011 10:22
Να συμφωνήσουμε ότι το ιδανικό θα ήταν να διαγράψουν όλο το χρέος, να μάς έδιναν περί τα διακόσια δισ. για τα έξοδά μας μέχρι το 2020 και χωρίς να ρωτάνε πολλά, πολλά. Το τελευταίο είναι πολύ σημαντικό για την εθνική μας κυριαρχία, η οποία πλήττεται αφάνταστα κάθε φορά που η τρόικα ρωτάει τι κάναμε την προηγούμενη δόση και ζητάει συγκεκριμένες ενέργειες για τα λεφτά της επόμενης. Για πολλούς -πολύ αριστερούς, ή πολύ δεξιούς- η εθνική κυριαρχία δεν πλήττεται όταν έχεις απλωμένο το δεξί χέρι στη ζητιανιά· ενισχύεται με το αριστερό υψωμένο σε γροθιά.

Greek Vote Threatens Bailout



Premier Calls for Surprise Referendum Days After European Leaders OK Aid Deal
The Wall Street Journal
ATHENS—Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou stunned Europe by announcing a referendum on his country's latest bailout—a high-stakes gamble that could undermine the international effort to preserve the euro.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

EU Sets 50% Greek Writedown, $1.4T in Rescue Fund



Bloomberg
By James G. Neuger and Stephanie Bodoni - Oct 27, 2011 9:11 AM GMT+0300
European leaders persuaded bondholders to take 50 percent losses on Greek debt and boosted the firepower of the rescue fund to 1 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion), responding to global pressure to step up the fight against the financial crisis.

Statement for the EU agreement on debt crisis

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A Greek Short Back and Sides

Would a 50% cut in the value of Greek debt be enough?
The wall street journal

That depends on who’s losing out.

If Greece’s obligations to the European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund are considered inviolable, while Greece at the same time uses existing resources to recapitalize its banks, a 50% default will result in only a quarter of Greece’s debt load being lifted, according to a recent UBS note.

EU Signals Fund Leverage Needs More Talks



Bloomberg
By Brian Parkin and Rainer Buergin - Oct 25, 2011 9:57 AM GMT+0300Boosting the effectiveness of Europe’s bailout fund will require further talks with investors as German lawmakers prepare to vote on its new powers tomorrow, a European Union document showed.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Capitalism and its critics



Rage against the machine
The Economist
People are right to be angry. But it is also right to be worried about where populism could take politicsFROM Seattle to Sydney, protesters have taken to the streets. Whether they are inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York or by the indignados in Madrid, they burn with dissatisfaction about the state of the economy, about the unfair way that the poor are paying for the sins of rich bankers, and in some cases about capitalism itself.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Germany, France Delay Euro Rescue Plan



Leaders of Currency Zone's Two Largest Economies, at Odds Over Rescue Plans, Say No Pact Possible by Sunday Deadline
The Wall Street Journal
BERLIN—Europe's efforts to deliver a comprehensive plan to resolve the euro-zone debt crisis were in danger of unraveling Thursday as disagreement between Germany and France over virtually every point forced the 27-nation bloc to concede a much-anticipated summit of European Union leaders on Sunday won't produce an agreement.

China’s economy: Hitting the kerb



A squeeze on lending hits China’s entrepreneurial heartland
TAXI drivers, to the puzzlement of economists, often work long hours on slow days and clock off early in busy periods. In Wenzhou, a city in China’s Zhejiang province famous for its entrepreneurs, drivers are cannier. At busy times, they keep their “For hire” lights on even after picking up a passenger, hoping to find another fare going in the same direction. That way, they double their money—although only one fare registers on the meter. With lots of bustle and a little hustle, Wenzhou businessmen have contributed enormously to China’s economic progress. That success continued in the third quarter, when China’s output grew by 9.1% compared with a year earlier (see chart 1). But the threats to growth are mounting, and Wenzhou symbolises one of the dangers.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Wanted: Plans for the Euro's Demise



A £250,000 reward for the least-bad euro-zone doomsday scenario.
A breakup of the euro zone has been the political and economic nightmare for European policy makers since Greece's troubles began in the spring of 2010. EU leaders are holding yet another summit this weekend in a bid to keep the euro zone together. Yet given the way the crisis has been mishandled so far, failure can't be ruled out.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Το χρέος, η τρόικα και οι ελληνικοί μύθοι


Πάσχος Μανδραβέλης
Κυριακή, 16 Οκτώβριος 2011 13:05
Τα παλιά χρόνια τα πράγματα ήταν σχετικώς απλά. Αν κάποιος δεν μπορούσε να αποπληρώσει τα δάνειά του, άρπαζαν τη γυναίκα και τα παιδιά για να τα πουλήσουν στα σκλαβοπάζαρα ώστε να αποπληρωθεί το χρέος. Ή, έστω, έστελναν τις κανονιοφόρους στον Πειραιά και υπαγόρευαν τους όρους αποπληρωμής των δανείων.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

We are the 99%



Straining for the populist mandate
The Economist
Oct 14th 2011, 13:21 by W.W. | IOWA CITY
A SERIES of tweets yesterday from Chris Hayes, presenter of MSNBC's "Up With Chris Hayes", about the "We are the 99%" rhetoric associated with the Occupy Wall Street movement led me to a perhaps obvious thought I think is nonetheless worth pursuing toward some non-obvious conclusions.

Merkel Tempers EU Summit Hopes



By TOM FAIRLESS And RIVA FROYMOVICH
The Wall Street Journal
As investors look toward a Sunday meeting of European leaders for a sweeping solution to Europe's debt crisis, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday warned against hoping that all the euro-zone's debt woes would be resolved by then.

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;

Monday, October 17, 2011

G-20 Gives EU One Week to Fix Debt Crisis



Bloomberg
By Simon Kennedy, Theophilos Argitis and James G. Neuger - Oct 17, 2011 5:58 AM GMT+0300
European leaders have one week to settle differences and flesh out a strategy to terminate their sovereign debt crisis as global finance chiefs warn failure to do so would endanger the world economy.