Greece is the word

[Emf#53]

They should never have been in the EU in the first place - the books were well and truly cooked to make it look like they had less debt than they actually had - and the powers that be in the EU, IMF, ECB etc all knew this.

Greedy banks lent money to a country that they know couldn't afford it. Then sold that debt on to the likes of the IMF etc and now everything's gone to rat shit.

Sound familiar ?? It's not dissimilar to the sub prime mortgage scandal in America - banks lent money to people that could barely read or right and then packaged that debt up and sold it to other financial institutions.

Yes the Greeks haven't covered them selves in glory but they are no means 100% responsible for this - the banks should take some blame as well.

[simonw]

I am glad I haven't got a clue what all this means

And therein lies the inherent problem with democracy - the vast majority of voters are not able to understand the complexity of the issues on which they are invited to vote. (This doesn't mean they're "bad", "thick", "unimportant" or anything like that. It just means that they aren't capable of understanding all of the complexity, in the same way that lots of those who are capable of understanding all of the complexity aren't capable of pitching a roof, or flying a plane, or building a house, or deep sea fishing etc.) So politicians (and others) have to, or want to, water complex issues down into simpler language and concepts so that more voters are able to understand. And that's what voters vote for - simple ideas like "pay less tax", "retire at 45" and so on and so forth.

Thus, a nation votes not on the complex national and global economic (and related and resulting equally complex socio-economic) matters, but on not having less of a pension. Not having less of a pension and not accepting austerity measures are two very different things, but rather frighteningly I suspect that most of the Greek people who voted do not understand this.

[Rust]

.......banks lent money to people that could barely read or right

I love Irony

[kev.t]

:laugh: ^^^

[onslowe]

.......banks lent money to people that could barely read or right

I love Irony

Priceless... :laugh: :laugh: (thumbs)

[SteveW]

I think national stereotyping isn't that PC......we are all European brothers. But, is anyone really surprised?
The madness of linking Northwestern European Conservative, responsible fiscal systems with Tax dodging Mediterranean chancers was flawed from the off.
Haha! I haven't got a clue what it all means but.....The Germans have tried to rule Europe twice before in the last 100 years and failed, looks like it's going to be third time unlucky.

[johnnyboxer]

.......banks lent money to people that could barely read or right

I love Irony

Brilliant

[Redmurty]

what I didn't understand was the partying after the vote as if it was going to be alright just because they had voted.

It matters not what you vote for if there is no more money in your wallet.

cheers Spud

[Tonibe63]

Now the Greek Finance Minister has resigned :whistle: I can foresee the IMF/Merkel putting one of their own in place as part of any further lending deal and that way austerity will continue regardless of the 'No' vote.

[Emf#53]

.......banks lent money to people that could barely read or right

I love Irony

I can't believe I wrote that - I don't think I could be that ironic even if I tried

Just goes to show that I'm a prime candidate to be lent oodles of money :woohoo: :woohoo: