|
Imagine you are asked
to sign a document but three pages were missing. Further imagine the documents
you were asked to sign were written in English but you only speak Greek.
Would you sign?
That is exactly the predicament Greek officials were placed in by the Troika.
Here is the story sent to me by Demetri Kofinas at Capital Account.
Hello Mish
George Karatzaferis leader of LOAS political party
gave a speech today addressing why he refused to sign this latest agreement.
In his speech, he said that he asked for a translated document of the
agreement so that he could read it and sign it since his English is not as
good as Papademos'.
When he got a copy, it was not only smaller than the English version, but was
also missing pieces, including the last paragraph! He refused to sign it
because he felt pressured and wants more time.
Youtube has a video of Karatzaferis where he compares
the documents. At the 11:35 mark he translates the last paragraph for the
listeners, which was not provided to him in the translated copy that he was
to read.
The video is in Greek
so not many can understand it. Moreover, the video was somewhat garbled and
some things do not easily translate, so I do not have a good account of the
missing paragraphs, but it is clearly absurd that anything should be missing.
"I Would Rather Starve Than be Under German Jackboot"
Facing down protests, dissent, Greece vows to push through
austerity warns of default 'chaos'
Greece's future in
the eurozone came under renewed threat Friday as
popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers
after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts.
The country's beleaguered coalition government promised to push through the
tough new austerity measures and rescue a crucial euro130 billion ($170
billion) bailout deal after six members of the Cabinet resigned.
Prime Minister Lucas Papademos promised to "do
everything necessary" to ensure parliament passes the new austerity
measures that would slap Greeks with a minimum wage cut during a fifth year
of recession. He also promised to replace any other Cabinet members who did
not fully back his efforts.
Earlier Friday, the small right-wing LAOS party in Papademos'
coalition said it would not back the new measures and four of its officials
in the cabinet resigned, including the country's transport minister. Two
Socialists cabinet members have also quit.
LAOS leader George Karatzaferis
said rescue creditors had humiliated Greece.
"Of course we do not want to be outside the EU, but we can get by
without being under the German jackboot," he said. "I would rather
starve."
6 Cabinet Members
Resign
Reuters reports Anger in Greece as parliament
to vote on bailout
Greek lawmakers will
vote this weekend on a controversial austerity bill that Athens needs to
avoid a messy default but which is fuelling a domestic political and social
crisis that has brought thousands of Greeks out on the streets in protest.
The cabinet approved the draft bill late on Friday - paving the way for a new
multi-billion euro bailout and a debt-cut plan - after another day of rocky
politics where six cabinet members resigned over the additional austerity
demands.
Violent Protests in
Greece
Please consider Greek premier says default
would lead to 'chaos'
Greece's future in
the eurozone came under renewed threat Friday as
popular protests again turned violent and dissent grew among its lawmakers
after European leaders demanded deeper spending cuts.
In central Athens, clashes erupted outside Parliament between dozens of
hooded youths and police in riot gear. Police said eight officers and two
members of the public were injured, while six suspected rioters were
arrested.
The violence broke as more than 15,000 people took to the streets of the
capital after unions launched a two-day general strike that disrupted
transport and other public services and left state hospitals running on
emergency staff.
Scores of youths, some in gas masks, used sledge hammers to smash up marble
paving stones in Athens' main Syntagma Square
before hurling the rubble at riot police.
Note the irony of that last headline. It should be
perfectly clear Greece is already in a state of dysfunctional chaos. That
said, things can always get worse, and they will.
|
