So what's the Greek for 'when I say NO I mean YES'?

I ask because of a startling story from 'A E-P' in today's Telegraph in which he reports that the Greek prime Minister,  Roussell Branditis - oooops, sorry, - Alexis Tsipras, actually wanted a 'YES' result in the Greek referendum despite urging his people to vote 'NO'!  I don't wish to cast aspersions, Ambrose, old chap, but you really do need to be careful out there when the ouzo starts flowing! 

                       

                                        Russell Brand                                          Greek prime minister

 

Ambrose isn't too clear on his sources but according to him:

Greek premier Alexis Tsipras never expected to win Sunday's referendum on EMU bail-out terms, let alone to preside over a blazing national revolt against foreign control. 

He called the snap vote with the expectation - and intention - of losing it. The plan was to put up a good fight, accept honourable defeat, and hand over the keys of the Maximos Mansion, leaving it to others to implement the June 25 "ultimatum" and suffer the opprobrium.

Eh?!  What?!  Oh God, pass the ouzo!  Well, like just about everyone else, I guess it is now just a matter of days until 'Grexit' occurs and then the non-fun begins.  The Greek people will suffer mightily as all the necessities of life disappear.  Not just jobs and cash but hospitals will close, medical supplies will disappear, food will become scarce particularly as winter draws on, energy supplies will become intermittent and so, gloomily, on and on.  It will not do to be old and frail in Greece over the next few years.  The only positive thing is that in Greek society the family looms large and they will need that buttress to cling to.  Meanwhile, I assume the parasites in Berlin-Brussels will be organising long-term relief supplies.

It is now clear what a monstrosity the whole idea of a single currency was and yet still the likes of Clegg and Kenneth Clarke defend it to the death, er, that's Greek deaths, of course!

 

Comments

[backofanenvelope]

Well, look on the bright side. The Franco-German racket is hitting the buffers. Or is it buggers?

[backofanenvelope]

I just watched Nigel Farage making the speech YMD should make.

[Whitewall]

I wonder how soon before the Greek generals take over...again?

[Whitewall]

BOE....I just listened to Farage. Hard to disagree with him. The Greek PM was stoic.

[jimmy glesga]

Whitewall the Colonels regime was brutal and employed torture against its own citizens. Let us hope it does not happen again.

[Penseivat]

I understand that Nepal, Ethiopia, and several Central African countries are on standby to deliver tents, blankets, food and medical aid. Meanwhile, Bono is said to be writing a song (tax deductible of course) about the crisis.

[JK]

"I wonder how soon before the Greek generals take over...again?"

Won't be the Generals Whitewall - at least any Greek Generals. It'll be a former Colonel. Specifically a former Colonel of the KGB in the form of a *bailout* by the Russians.

Tit-for-Tat. NATO/Ukraine - Russia/Greece.
_____________

Think that's hogwash? Just wait 'n see.

[Whitewall]

Jimmy and JK, surely by now those Colonels have been promoted.

I'm also betting that James Taylor could be called upon to sing a feel good song for the Greeks in a pinch.

[JK]

After Whitewall, I placed that comment the first place I checked next (and I expect you can guess where) was to see whether John had any thoughts resembling my own.

Can't say I was surprised - though I haven't (yet) had time to read his link to see whether its in-line with my prognostications.

http://20committee.com/2015/07/08/is-putin-playing-puppetmaster-in-greece/

[backofanenvelope]

I see the American emperor is intervening. Does he know where Greece is?

[JK]

Well BOE ...

You might remember from back in September of 2014

http://dailysignal.com/2014/09/12/esson-for-top-obama-aide-syria-doesnt-border-saudi-arabia/

I'm figuring our Emperor reckons Greece to be near Djibouti.

[Backofanenvelope]

I spent a night in Djibouti once. French air base, so we dined on horse and red cabbage. No frites and the wine was thinly disguised paint strpper.

[Lawrence Duff]

After the ECB pulls the plug, if Syriza nationalizes the BOG they can print electronic Euros - and Greece has Euro note printing facilities for the wrinklies who don't have bank cards.

As there is no official Euro exit procedure, Greece would have a strong and interminable case in the ECJ for continued membership of the Euro and malfeasance by the Euro authorities for not stabilizing the currency. All the while they can gracefully flood the world with Euros.

And, excluding debt interest, they were in current account surplus before the very recent events, so with the Eu330bn debt all ratted onto the French and German reserves there'll be no interest to pay. I'd say the Greeks will do just fine.

Plus, with a boom business in illegal immigrant trafficking from Africa to the EU ("Leave your wallet on the table Mohamed, and I'll fill your belly and drive you North to the border"), Greece will be the place to be in the Med - no Hairies hanging around (only those passing through), and dirt cheap assets, services, and holidays as the Euro tanks and disappears up its own Jacksie!

SoD

[JK]

Well BOE, if your night was spent in 1977 the wine wasn't actually disguised, it was actual paint-stripper! (That is, if your night coincided with the Ranger being in the Gulf of Aden.)
_______________

Lawrence? You're actually right - the Greeks themselves should be perfectly fine, so much of their "actual economy" being grey-market and off-the-books anyway - of course the Press needing to sell papers all "everybody sees" is the chaos.

Or the, purported chaos. 'Smoothed-to-fit' the Preferred Narrative.

[Cuffleyburgers]

Agree with SoD.

There's a lot of scaremongering. The EU can't possibly allow Greece to leave and thrive so will be aiming ti bring it to it's knees.

An ugly episode, but almost certainly the end of the beginning if not the beginning of the end (see my note about Stalingrad)

[Backofanenvelope]

I like your last paragraph Lawrence. Just imagine all those black and brown "Greeks" arriving at Calais. And being waved straight thru'!!

[Backofanenvelope]

One good thing about all this Greek crap is that my favourite Tory, Lady Thatcher (pbuh) is getting lots of air time with her quote about socialists and other people's money.

[Lawrence Duff]

And what a cracking budget today, eh?

The Living Wage might be the final nail in the coffin of the Welfare State, 20th century Social Democracy, that slow failing experiment, the parallel to the quick failing experiment of full blown Socialism.

So the initial idea of the Living Wage is keep increasing it as you simultaneously decrease in-work benefits to zero, and decrease corporation tax as far as you can go.

But there's more.

What are the essentials in modern life, "Without which harm will come to you", as John Stuart Mill put it? I think they are: -

Food
Clothing
Shelter
Health
Education
Energy
Information
Transport

If you've got just enough of those for need, not want, then you're alright. No-one need help you with anything more.

And how much does it cost to keep one human being in just enough of the "Social 8"?

I once added it up and it came to £14 grand a year, from cradle to grave, for Mr or Mrs Average (average in terms of health). So rather than "Living Wage" this is "Life Wage". When you're a kid, say 0-18, the wedge gets paid to your parents from the state, and when you're retired, the state pays direct to you. When you're at work, the employers must pay £14k as a minimum.

The deal is, you must work from 18-67. You must buy health insurance and school for your kids.

Perhaps D&N readers might try totting it up and see if I'm out?

So a family of 4 would be on £56K per annum.

And we fund it by SACKING THE ENTIRE PUBLIC SECTOR, 45% of GDP, and turning them all over to privatized, charitized, mutualized, not-for-profit organisations in a competitive market.

So no tax on your first £14K, and freedom from the Public Sector, the Public Sector that's spent most of the last 70 years murdering our old folks, abusing our kids, and dumbing down our students (when it wasn't building shit cars and failing to run trains, dig coal out of the ground, and manufacture steel).

And corporation tax, VAT, and higher rate tax lowered to the point where it is sufficient for Police and Defence.

SoD

[JK]

Well SoD, I figure your and your Dad's soon-to-be-new-neighbors might just argue only your point on devoting any *extra money* on either the Police or Defence.

From some of the videos I've seen the new neighbors seem more than a little enthusiastic about running those enterprises for themselves.

[backofanenvelope]

The problem with the Greeks is that they have more in common with the Turks than they have with the Germans. Not surprising considering that for 400 years they were part of the Ottoman empire.

[Lawrence Duff]

Hey JK, you reminded me, "Not So Dim Dave" has also committed to keeping the defence budget at the NATO agreed 2%.

I think this budget might be even better than the best of the Golden Haired Thatcher's (pbuh), eh, BOE?

SoD

[Cuffleyburgers]

SoD - I cannot agree on your approval of the budget. Real govt spending is set to increase further.

It is true that it is a well crafted item and it's proposals are doubtless realistic, but the direction of travel is still wrong.

If the UK is set to embark on a period of growth the the chances are that moderate inflation of 2-3% sets in this was a golden oportunity to cut real govt spending while pointing to sustained nominal increases.

Until that is achieved this cannot be regarded as a Conservative budget just another lot of lily livered social democrats.

[David Duff]

I quite agree, Cuffers, and the chances of 2-3% growth is a gamble with Europe, our biggest customer about to go tits up and China learning the hard way about 'free' markets.

[jimmy glesga]

Whitewall I just came across a June 1862 Confederate 1 dollar bill tucked inside my grandas masonic wallet. Should I tear it up in sympathy with those idiots that are removing the confederate flag.

[JK]

To get the answer Jimmy, to your question - enter the comment thread here:

http://www.theroot.com/index.html

(Don't mention you're white though. Just include the Glesga part.)

[Whitewall]

Jimmy, nah, keep it as a part of history. I have some currency from now dead countries myself. The Confederacy was an alignment of states that wanted to depart. The citizens within each state were a different matter. Many families had unionists and secessionists within house holds. Still more had members who didn't care. They just wanted to be left the hell alone. Both my family and my wife's had some of all. Some of mine were even Quakers.

[Lawrence Duff]

The percentage of GDP through the state is falling, and set to keep falling: -

http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5326/economics/government-spending/

And that chart shows real spending peaking and then starting to reduce.

SoD

[Lawrence Duff]

Good 'eavens, the Greeks are castrati and Grand Dame Helen has thrown in the towel, landing it neatly on a sun lounger: -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11732926/Crippled-Greece-yields-to-overwhelming-power-as-deal-looms.html

Now we wait to see if the Jerries will revert to type and not take prisoners, in other words no debt relief, up against the wall, bang.

Most likely whatever debt relief the Jerries grant Greece will not be enough to save Greece, so it's going to be more like they transfer the prisoner to Belsen for a long torture before death.

Either way, I think, regrettably, this might well be Dunkirk, not D-Day.

SoD

[David Duff]

It might look like Dunkirk when all those Greek immigrants queue up at Calais!