Vocal Voices

PM Alex Tsipras is going to hold a referendum on whether Greece should take on more debt and make ever more swinging cuts. Is he playing a trump card here?

He is not saying that the referendum will be binding, but if it goes the way he expects to - a rejection of any more loans/debt he will have a strong hand to play. He will be able to walk away from anything the Troika want and he will have the backing of the Greek people.

It could go the other way, of course, but then he could claim that put everything on the shoulders of the Greeks, they will, after all, have voted for Christmas.

I think, actually, that it was a very astute move! "The will of the people" certainly ratchets up the stakes ......

I'd vote against the creditors' current proposals without a doubt, just to see what would happen next.

He is a very shrewd man!

The Greeks wanted an extension to the period the next payment was due, June 30th, so the referendum could take place on July 5th. That has been refused by the Troika.

Now the fun starts.

The Greeks are either in deep 5hit or even deeper 5hit.... but so are the creditors. The end game is nigh - at last.

'parrently the "Organs" of the EU are betrayed by Greece.

Personally I tend to find a policy of listening and understainding is a good basis of political negotiations.

So when Greece says "Doing what you as is a betrayal of our voters and our democratic process"

Best bet is to actually believe that this is a true statement. Not "our ass is for hire so long as you promise enough dosh".

It might make a good basis for future negotiations within the EU. Not that I'm hopeful.

BTW weather in Barcelona is excellent. I don't expect that to change or the ability to go there to change much even if the UK leaves the EU. Just that the Euro (can't find the symbol on a spanish keyboard in US Mode), peso, will be much better value for Pound (simlilar issue to the Euro symbol), holders.

Let the games begin...... My bet is on the Greeks 2:0 to the EU.... Pain in the immediate future, prosperity in the long term future. Somewhat the opposite of the Euro options...

Looks like the turkeys will vote for Christmas now that capital controls have been implemented. They seem to think any price is worth paying in the future to ensure immediate access to money out of cash machines. Currently the Yes campaign is winning on 47%.

It will be inexpressibly sad if the Greeks are browbeaten into 100 years of pain. They will wake up and find they are a member state of the EU, 100 years from now, with no debt, no assets and no country. They will be a vassal state of a huge undemocratic monolith.

On the upside those who have grown up in it won't have known freedom. So what's the difference????