Greece

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

With the Poles that is just a temp situation until they come up to speed, as with the Baltic States, they are N European by nature, they will become part of the core. With the Southern and the new Balkan and Black Sea states they will never come up to speed, it is not in their nature.

[Lindsayt]

In these summer nights they've decided that the one that they want is to dropout of the Euro faster than greased lightning. There will be tears on my pillow if those magic changes don't leave that sandy country in a better state.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Everyone has heard the term a "Greek Tragedy" which was a thespian speciality of the Ancient Greeks. But the real Greek tragedy is modern Greece i.e. since they broke away from the Ottoman Empire. They are their own worst enemies, they get good ideas or get a chance to get their country back on its feet and they just *have* to declare war on someone and then they start fighting amoungst themselves, it has happened so many times it is daft. This latest one is declaration of war on Europe (but really the Germans who they traditionally hate with a vengence). Now wait and see it will turn into civil war, it always does, usually Communists v Fascist, as they just love being extremists, which will lead to the army taking power AGAIN!! and the Greek tragedy will go full circle yet again.

They may have been the cradle for civilisation but it seems they learned nothing from it themselves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_modern_Greece

[joe]

Plus of course ancient Greece was never a single state, but a group of separate states, usually at war with each other and only occasionally joining together to fight a common enemy before falling out again.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

It is time for common sense. Greece should never have been in the Euro or the EU (apart from the free trade group). It is a cash economy based on tourism and that is what it should specialise in. FFS who is going to go to a Muslim country on holiday now, they will need their heads tested. So Egypt, Tunisia, Morroco are out, and even Turkey is bordering on dodgy. Greece (and Spain) have a marvelous opportunity to get back control of the N European holiday market, and out of the Euro Greek holidays would be a bargain.

And the other thing no one wants to talk about, like the Elephant in the room, is Putin. Russia and Greece even in Soviet times had a different relationship to the rest of Europe, they share (almost) a common language or at least (almost) alphabet, they share (almost) the same religion. Out of the EU and with then no restrictions on Russian travel and the low prices, the Russians who have been invading Turkey and Egypt over the last few years would be all over Greece. And if you think English drunken yobs are bad and Germans are pushy, just wait until you experience the Russian hoards.

[jammy395]

Ruskie's are a bunch of arogant bastards....think the Bosch bad.

Personally they both need their arse kicked again pronto....

As for the greasy Greek fukers......bomb em ...!!

And dont get me started on those muslim monkey's.

Yep im not in a very good mood this morning.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Jammy you are a one off

[slinger]

In these summer nights they've decided that the one that they want is to dropout of the Euro faster than greased lightning. There will be tears on my pillow if those magic changes don't leave that sandy country in a better state.

I understand where you're coming from Lindsay, even if nobody else does, and There Are Worse Things I Could Do. Not that I'm Hopelessly Devoted To You or anything, but let's face it Greece IS the word.

[jammy395]

Clever Lindsay.....Afraid it went right over me ed.
Very astute Slinger...

[alfafan123]

Reflecting on this I struggle to see how the EU believes it can do business with Tsipras when during the referendum he was asking the Greek people to vote no but at the same time had written to the EU to accept the last bailout offer which BTW was no longer on the table. One minute he says one thing the next he does another.

To cap it all I understand he and his new finance minister have just turned up in Brussels for the EU leaders summit without any new bailout proposals. Surely if you were a member of that senior forum you would see this as at the very least showing a marked lack of respect to the very people Tsipras wants to to give Greece a new and more favourable bailout deal with if reports are true a 30% haircut for creditors and a 20 year grace period to repay the current debt mountain.

Surely enough is enough.