excuse me but..., page-18

roberto - OK slightly off GTE topic, but I'll play, while I'm sitting here watching everything go pear shaped...

Here's the thing - at it's core, the Euro stops countries going to war with each other. European countries, regions, city states and even villages down the road from each other have been going to war with each other for most of recorded history in Europe - it's just what they like to do. Economic union is so important a concept to the French and Germans, they will in the end do anything to avoid a break up, because they know it represents the only stabilising factor anyone has come up with to avoid such conflicts - it really is that fundamental.

The two traditional parties in Greece are New Democracy (Samaras) and the Socialists (Jabba the Huq). They are polar opposites economically and politically, yet both support their Eurozone memebrship, indeed jointly negotiated the bail out terms. If either can form a govt, end of the problem. The new kid on the block from the far left has no party, he represents a disparate grouping of independents who have no formed an alliance to oppose the bail out - however even he wants to do so only to remain in the Euro. So nobody in Greece is suggesting exiting the Euro. Even if he wins and forms govt, he will find Greece cannot negotiate the terms of the bail out - it is non negotiable. Yes there will be a game of poker and he could be forced to call the bluff of Merkel and Hollande by threatening to exit the Euro, but would lose popular support by doing so, as he has not stood on a platform to do so, only to renegotiate the bailout - eventually he might win some concessions, because, as I said above, the alternative is unthinkable. But Euro is all about compromise at the end of the day and in the end, that's what will happen.


Now are we going to dig up some goodies in Khaz already?