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Posts: 1,839 | Thanked: 2,432 times | Joined on May 2009
#21
Originally Posted by solidvox View Post
We are planning to spend our honeymoon in Greece so I hope these strikes will be over soon.
The question is, which kind of EU do we want to have? If we think of it as a community of states working together I think it's our duty to help out. But of course there have to be rules equal to each and everyone, and a system of corruption and people not paying taxes doesn't fit in.
Not much talk about that here in Sweden anyway.
The thing that irritates me the most about this whole matter is that Greece should have not even gotten the whole euro in the first place.
 
Posts: 1,400 | Thanked: 3,751 times | Joined on Sep 2009 @ Arctic cold of northern .fi
#22
To anybody accusing bankers on making risky loans to Greece:

1. Greece is a member of the European Monetary Union (euro)
2. Greece had good credit ratings.

1+2 meant that greek goverment bonds were guaranteed by ECB's (European Central Bank) repo window. This made Greek goverment bonds look like extremly safe investments.

1 and 2 were possible only because greek goverment kept forgering and engineering information about Greece's financial data.

Last edited by Rauha; 2010-05-04 at 17:59. Reason: Typos
 
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Posts: 140 | Thanked: 38 times | Joined on Mar 2010 @ Earth
#23
Originally Posted by moi View Post
is the least you can do. After all, you central and northern european still come on summer to our coasts and enjoy our sun, but also our Public Health System, which pays what you don't want to pay in your homecountry. If you don't get it is just because you're not retired yet. They'll explain, don't you worry.


Yup.....thats certainly some kind've joke
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Posts: 170 | Thanked: 75 times | Joined on Jun 2008 @ NYC
#24
It seems that more important than any implied Greek mentality, is the fact that the Euro is, and does rest on Greece as one of it's contributors (for better or worse).

Is helping Greece, helping the rest of the Euro bearing nations?

How would a scenario where Greece withdrew (somehow), from the Euro play out?

How about a scenario where Greece received a bailout and continued alleged improper behavior?

More importantly, when should I invest in the Euro after it hits a low price!
 
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#25
Originally Posted by jnwi View Post
Us northern countries don't get away with breaking a single directive without it being a huge scandal. Any crap that comes our way is excused with "the EU says so, nothing we can do". We even have a "president" and "foreign minister" no one voted for!

Meanwhile the southern countries get away with murder. People are getting increasingly frustrated with the EU, and this kind of favoritism isn't helping.
This is certainly the perception in some parts of northern Europe but its not true. Most countries break directives habitually when it suits them. In terms of scale I imagine the poorer countries are the worst offenders but this is more to do with opportunity rather than character.

I can only speak about countries I know well but of all northern and central European countries I have lived in in (France, England and Ireland) the corruption is clear to see, even if it has occasionally been legalised and partly legitimised.

I would imagine the nature and visibility of this changes according to culture but I have never seen a country that was not run for the benefit of a small ruling class. I cannot imagine Germany is different to Greece in this respect.
 
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#26
i'm appalled that they have the cheek of going on strike

look at the irish and learn
 
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#27
Originally Posted by orcocan View Post

look at the irish and learn
This.

Greece invented democracy. That was great, but the thing has evolved a bit during the past 2000 years. Get on with the program.
 
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#28
Well, if you are living on 700 Euros for the rest of your life without the prosper of a raise in the near future, that`s what makes an individual not go to work everyday....he/she becomes passive.....that`s what happened to the Greek people; total ignorance for the future.....that, and the tax evasion doctors and laywers, a poor job managment combined with the economic crisis that Mr Bush created....1+1=2

Last edited by sophocha; 2010-05-04 at 18:35.
 
Posts: 66 | Thanked: 70 times | Joined on Apr 2010 @ Paris
#29
Originally Posted by orcocan View Post
look at the irish and learn
Im curious. What exactly should they learn from the Irish?
 
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#30
Originally Posted by orcocan View Post
i'm appalled that they have the cheek of going on strike

look at the irish and learn
Estonia is very good example. While of course small nation they have done remarkable job at not increasing their depth at all in these hard times.
They have done some very hard cuts, but i believe they got bright future ahead.
 
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