Russia said they would consider, if asked, bailing out Greece. (This is a way of saying, “go ahead, ask”.) Given Russia’s own reserve problems, one wonders where it would find the money, BUT my guess this is a “if you default” scenario. Russia won’t pay off European banks for Greece, but if Greece defaults, it will help Greece running. (Not least, most likely, by selling them heavily discounted hydrocarbons, and probably even loaning them the rubles to buy them with.)
That takes care of one of Greek’s main problems: food, oil/gas, and medicine—what they MUST have which they MUST buy from other countries.
A few words on Greece’s negotiations with Europe are also in order. First, note that the “bailouts” given to Greece mostly weren’t — 89% just went back to lenders. Worse, the imposed austerity conditions caused an actual collapse in GDP and employment, which means that the cost of the bailouts was far more to the Greek government and economy than the actual amount of money received.
In other words, this was all just a bullshit way of bailing out banks, and as the FT notes, only because bailing them out direct was “embarrassing”. To avoid embarrassment, millions were impoverished, people set themselves on fire, and Greece was devastated.
This, people, is why I say, and mean, that Merkel is monster. A disgusting, rotting excuse for a human being, let alone a statesman. Millions suffered, not just in Greece but in the other peripheral countries, for no good reason. Austerity is just the voodoo economics of the modern day, but even more devastating.
The deal Greece wants is more than fair to “lenders”. And I mean “more than fair” literally. They deserve to be defaulted on, because they didn’t do their due diligence, and all loans since the financial crisis at the very least, should NEVER have been made.
An independent Bloc is desperately needed in the world. BRICS plus allies, with their own payment system, reserve currency and international trade and settlement system. Until it exists, countries like Greece will feel (and often be right) that they have no choice but to buckle under to whatever terms the West sets.
Enough. This suffering is not required in any world which runs on rational economics AND has as its goals the welfare of everyone. It never was required. All of the deaths, job losses, homelessness, hunger and so on was optional. It was chosen because it suited oligarchs and politicians like Merkel.
This is the world you live in. It must be changed. Since core westerners are unwilling to change it from withing in time to save millions and millions from suffering; it will have to be changed by those it is most severely impoverishing.
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