If I were a Syriza fan, of which I absolutely am not, I would see this line as the saddest letdown ever. From Bloomberg, and it’s really, really pathetic. I almost feel for these sad Greeks. Not for Tsipras, but for the people. Just sad.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is trying to access European bailout funds for Greece without completely ditching the anti-austerity agenda that won him election seven weeks ago. So far he’s dropped demands for a writedown on Greek debt, abandoned his plan to halt privatizations and accepted that he won’t get “bridge financing” without signing up to conditions.
In return he’s won concessions to shift some meetings to Brussels and persuaded European officials to describe the country’s official creditors as “institutions” rather than “the troika.”
So that’s it then. All Tsipras and Varoufakis have been able to get out of the EZ overlords is to change their name a bit so it doesn’t sound as bad. And move some meetings to Brussels. Wow.
But even sadder, is they couldn’t get even that.
Greek officials are not hiding their frustration at the reappearance of the dreaded word “Troika” in statements made by several euro zone finance ministers today, reports Helena Smith.
The German finance minister Wolfgang Schauble, no less, used it four or five times – in what some are calling a deliberate act of spite.
Why is a worthless name change for the same freaking people and their sophisticated bailout acronyms so damn important? I don’t think it’s just an emotional thing, though that is part of it.
They want to be able to lie more convincingly to their sad Greek people that they did something positive, that the “Troika” is no more, that there are “different” people auditing us now, that everything is different.
But if the Germans keep calling a spade a spade, they can’t pass the lie.
Syriza did nothing, as expected. And Varoufakis cowers along. His fire is gone.
In retrospect, I should have seen this coming. Varoufakis wanted a writedown and to stay on the Eurozone. He was never going to get both. He can have a full writedown of course, but the ECB will never give Greece another Euro cent in that case.
The Jewish Libertarian 
Ha. As a Greek I see things very possitive for Greece, And Grexit? Honestly could be the best thing that could happen to Greece. I Don’t know about the rest of Europe though? Why? Because Greeks know how to live even when they are poor, even when they don’t have electrical power nor water, Because with “their” austertity meassures…Greeks have learned to survive. And we will help eachother to survive, Nobody can break the spirit of a Greek you see. AND THIS IS WHAT IS BOTHERING THEM!!! The fact that they can’t break our souls!
I am a Greek. A Christian Orthodox.I Love my country and I truly want Grexit…by the way? This is the word they love to use to threaten us. Bunch of malakes!
It’s an honor to have someone from ground zero comment on what could collapse the entire financial system in a matter of days. Feel free to write something here from your perspective as a greek and I’ll publish it.
I would be interested in hearing your thought on Bennett (you called him the most disgusting minister once- I would be interested in hearing why). I also am wondering what you think will happen with the upcoming elections.
OK, I’ll write something today
It is very sad. The problem is, they’re socialists at heart. They could give the Troika the finger, adopt a currency board with the euro as legal tender, and shrink considerably. The inept government ability to collect taxes gives them huge potential. Especially if they stopped enforcing regulations. Getting them off the books would be hard, but they could openly declare their lack of interest in enforcing them. With first world amenities and third world prices, the tourism industry would likely do very well and could bootstrap them to some semblance of a functioning economy. They all know the drachma is the path to ruin. But they just don’t want to accept realistic terms for staying within the euro and walking away from debt. And the next government will likely be far worse.
The Troika is clearly acting as if they expect Greece to bolt at some point. Or, they don’t expect any further bailouts voted on by the German legislature. So might as squeeze as much treasure out of them as possible.