Quote from the BBC website (they admit its stretching the truth);

There are more porche drivers in Greece than there are poeple decalring an incomre over euro50k!

Remember how the Greeks got to this point everyone. The last time they had an election Papandreou came in, his guys went through the books and they found a huge hole in the national finances, the previous lot knew they had spent way more than they could afford but wouldnt admit it.

That’s Conservatives for you, they are the same the world over, and Greek Conservatives are no exception.

how do they know how big the Greek Shadow economy is? i’m sure it is as big as they claim (if not bigger) but how do they get seemingly accurate figuer on its size?

Apparently with the “dymimic and currency demand method” – nope, I have no idea either

http://www.asecu.gr/Seeje/issue06/katsios.pdf

What I don’t get is why no-one is up on fraud charges. The previous administration got Goldman Sachs in to cook their books. Thus making them look credit-worthy when they clearly weren’t. Then borrowing shed-loads of money they could never have a hope of paying back. It was calculated, and pre-meditated

If me or thee pulled a stunt like that we’d be done for fraud. Pure and simple. Yet I have not even heard the merest suggestion that anyone be charged with anything. Perhaps if they hauled somebody into court it may dissuade other people pulling similar stunts. At the moment, like the bankers before them, the people who caused this whole mess are walking away not only scot free, but having done quite nicely out of the whole charade

That’s Conservatives for you, they are the same the world over, and Greek Conservatives are no exception.

Right Ernie thats exactly what happened here. We all remember spending getting out of control under the Tories and Labour stepping in to clear up the mess.

Whats the Leninist view on the way ahead for Greece and Italy?

Sorry mcboo, I thought you were making the point that the previous Greek Conservative government had created the economic mess that Greece is in today. And I was just agreeing with you. But it seems I might have got that wrong.

What was the point you were making then ?

And why is there a comparison with Britain…..are you saying that we are in the same mess as Greece ? Did the last UK government mess up the economy in the same way as the last Greek government ?

Oh my point? That it is no-one’s fault but the Greeks alone. No-one forced them to spend and no-one forced them borrow. I dont think Socialist and Conservative labels really mean a whole lot when the political class is colluding in a national ponzi scheme.

Oh my point? That it is no-one’s fault but the Greeks alone.

So why did you make that point by saying :

“Remember how the Greeks got to this point everyone. The last time they had an election Papandreou came in, his guys went through the books and they found a huge hole in the national finances, the previous lot knew they had spent way more than they could afford but wouldnt admit it.”

❓

It’s very clear that you are blaming the previous Greek government – not “the Greeks”.

Oh believe me, I’m blaming the Greek people too. So are all the Greeks in my office.

What is the Communist solution remind me?

Whats the Leninist view on the way ahead for Greece and Italy?

What is the Communist solution remind me?

That’s quite pathetic you know. It places you firmly at the intellectual level of a red-neck Teaparty supporter.

Really? I love Barack Obama.

What is the Communist solution remind me?

Kill 20% of the population comrade.

ernie_lynch said

I generally describe myself as a Leninist

So I asked

Whats the Leninist view on the way ahead for Greece and Italy?

So ernie has a massive strop, calls me a redneck then trawls up some pathetic garbage from the very depths of internet-hate with a woeful swing and miss at the Straw-Man.

Really? I love Barack Obama

And yet your ‘politics’ remains at the level of a semiliterate tabloid-reading redneck. Do you want to rise above silly childish taunting, or is that as much as you can manage ?

I guess you needed to resort to that sort of quite pathetic response, when you realised that you had completely contradicted yourself, and that you hadn’t fully understood who was responsible for the economic policies which led Greece into this mess.

And well done 5thElefant for your contribution in keeping debate on STW firmly in the playground.

🙄

trawls up some pathetic garbage

Let’s remind ourselves again what you said :

“Remember how the Greeks got to this point everyone. The last time they had an election Papandreou came in, his guys went through the books and they found a huge hole in the national finances, the previous lot knew they had spent way more than they could afford but wouldnt admit”

It is absolutely crystal clear who you are blaming for the Greek economic mess – the, quote : “previous lot”. Yes you are right, the last Greek Conservative government holds a lot of responsibility for the situation in Greece today.

Unfortunately for you, you attempted to use the situation in Greece as some sort of bizarre stick with which to beat the last Labour government in the UK with.

Having realised the stupidity of your comment, you then engage in calling me a communist, which is completely irrelevant to anything being discussed.

I win ! 😀

Oh yes, a modern day Cicero that’s you! Who amongst us…..!

…..but let me ask again….

What is the Communist/Leninist solution to our problems?

…..but let me ask again….

What is the Communist/Leninist solution to our problems?

Nice McCarthyist smear. Well done.

McCarthy made groundless acusations correct?

oh my days..

I take it the OP isn’t aware of the euphemism…

in greece they call it turkish…
like that which is spanish in italy is cuban in spain..gets complicated.or that which is french in england is not what is french in spain..

Oh so it was nothing to do with the awful corrupt crunts at Goldman Sachs et al eh?

If you believe the propaganda spitting out of mainstream newspapers and television channels then you deserve that great fat cock rammed up your jacksie that is surely coming your way sometime soon as more of the real wealth creating jobs are lost to China……

Our only industry of the last 15 years or so was house prices.

Banks lend money they do not have.

God bless the Greeks. Viva la revolution.

I also thought it was pretty poor but persevered to the end.

Something that struck me was the attitude of the consultants wife who was mortified by the “financial advisor” and the apparent “grubbiness” of the whole thing but seemed happy to take a £70k salary as her husbands assistant. Or did I miss something?

Im enjoying this article http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2010/10/greeks-bearing-bonds-201010#

that richc posted earlier.

Its worth noting the author, Martin Lewis, is he who wrote Liars Poker and The Big Short two very engaging reads about the financial sector, its players and failures.

It’s also telling that it was published over a year ago.

That’s a fascinating article. The TV program puts the greek economy in a distinctly favourable light in comparison.

Right Ernie thats exactly what happened here. We all remember spending getting out of control under the Tories and Labour stepping in to clear up the mess.

I agree: Labour substantially reduced the enormous national debt they inherited in 1997.