Blog entry | May 22, 2012 - 11:51am
In previous elections, the two (former) major parties, ND and PASOK failed to persuade Greek people to subscribe to the dilemma “government or chaos”.
Article | May 18, 2012 - 6:38pm
As Greece gets close to the June 17 election, the scenery gets quite clear and the prospects get easier to foresee. Greece is not an island, and thus its Eurozone future, at this very time, is determining for the future of the Eurozone itself and consequently the future of the European Union in its present format.
As Greece gets close to the June 17 election, the scenery gets quite clear and the prospects get easier to foresee. Greece is not an island, and thus its Eurozone future, at this very time, is determining for the future of the Eurozone itself and consequently the future of the European Union in its present format.
Article | May 18, 2012 - 12:09pm
With Alexis Tsipras, the young leader of the left wing party SYRIZA, predicted to win the next election, insisting on his electoral rhetoric that his country should stop paying its creditors if the Eurozone cuts Greece off the agreed soft loans, it was not a surprise that stock markets in Europe and New York keep losing ground
With Alexis Tsipras, the young leader of Greek left wing party SYRIZA, predicted to win the next election, insisting on his electoral rhetoric that his country should stop paying its creditors if the Eurozone cuts Greece off the agreed soft loans life line, it was not a surprise that stock markets in Europe and New York keep losing ground, and the G8 Summit which meets on 18 and 19 May in Camp David has Greece as its main item on the agenda.
Article | May 16, 2012 - 2:40pm
This Monday and Tuesday, withdrawals from Greek banks exceeded 800 million Euros
This Monday and Tuesday (14 and 15 May), withdrawals from Greek banks exceeded 800 million Euros (small depositors), and if this trend continues, the Greek financial system may collapse before Friday, 18 May.
Article | May 15, 2012 - 3:17pm
The new round of political talks, and final ones, in Greece, between the heads of the parties who were to form a coalition government, specifically, Antonis Samaras (head of New Democracy), Alexis Tsipras (head of Syriza), Evangelos Venizelos (head of Pasok), Panos Kamenos (head of Independent Greeks), and Fotis Kouvelis (Democratic Left) at the presidential house and under the auspices of the Greek President Karolos Papoulias, failed once more and elections are now inevitable.
Article | May 15, 2012 - 10:11am
The Greek president, Karolos Papoulias, called a new meeting of the leaders of largest four political parties that gained access to the Parliament in last Sunday's election. Aleka Papariga, head of the Greek Communist Party said she will not attend while the President didn't ask the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn to participate.
Blog entry | May 15, 2012 - 12:22pm
“They are not asking for agreement, they are asking us to be their partners in crime; we will not be their accomplices…”
“They are not asking for agreement, they are asking us to be their partners in crime; we will not be their accomplices…” said SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, who decided not to attend Monday’s second round of political leaders’ meeting under President Papoulias. A bit earlier he had urged the three leaders of ND, PASOK and Democratic Left to form a government and make use of their 168 majority MPs.
Article | May 13, 2012 - 10:51pm
The third and the last exploratory mandate to form a government was handed on 10 May from Greek President Karolos Papoulias, to the leader of the party that came third in the elections of 6 May, namely Evagelos Venizelos president of PASOK.
The third and the last exploratory mandate to form a government was handed on 10 May from Greek President Karolos Papoulias, to the leader of the party that came third in the elections of 6 May, namely Evagelos Venizelos president of PASOK.
Article | May 11, 2012 - 3:45pm
Article | May 10, 2012 - 3:40pm
The third and the last exploratory mandate to form a government was handed this afternoon of 10 May from the President of the Greek Republic Karolos Papoulias, to the leader of the party that came third in last Sunday's elections, namely Evagelos Venizelos president of Pasok.
The third and the last exploratory mandate to form a government was handed this afternoon of 10 May from the President of the Greek Republic Karolos Papoulias, to the leader of the party that came third in last Sunday's elections, namely Evagelos Venizelos president of Pasok.
Initially Venizelos has said that he will not use the mandate because he had been already contacted by the other two political leaders who took the mandate before him.
Blog entry | May 10, 2012 - 10:39am
Jeremy Kyle, a controversial chat show host is perhaps the most hated man in Britain. He presents High Stakes, the first UK quiz format to allow the quizmaster to advise contestants on answers.
Jeremy Kyle, a controversial chat show host is perhaps the most hated man in Britain. He presents High Stakes, the first UK quiz format to allow the quizmaster to advise contestants on answers. If Jeremy gets it wrong, it could lead someone losing up to half a million pounds.
Blog entry | May 8, 2012 - 9:46am
On election night, it was really hard for ND cadres to believe that their only chance to form a government was with PASOK’s blessing and in order to make this government stick
On election night, it was really hard for ND cadres to believe that their only chance to form a government was with PASOK’s blessing and in order to make this government stick, Bakoyannis’ ‘Democratic Alliance’ needed to enter parliament. Failing completely was unprecedented.
Article | May 8, 2012 - 11:14am
The formation of a government in Greece is becoming a burning issue for the entire Eurozone. The results of the Sunday 6 May elections tuned out an absolutely fragmented political scenery.
The formation of a government in Greece is becoming a burning issue for the entire Eurozone. The results of the Sunday 6 May elections tuned out an absolutely fragmented political scenery, with even a pro-Nazi group, the Golden Dawn, until last week a marginal bunch of bullies, getting 7% and 21 deputies in a house of 300. Another new extreme right-wing formation of 'Independent Greeks' got 10.6% and 33 deputies.
Article | May 7, 2012 - 3:53pm
With Greece obviously ungovernable after yesterday's elections that turned out an fragmented political landscape, and François Hollande's victory in the the presidential race in France, European capital markets opened today with heavy losses.
With Greece obviously ungovernable after yesterday's elections that turned out an fragmented political landscape, and François Hollande's victory in the the presidential race in France, European capital markets opened today with heavy losses.
The Athens stock exchange started at 8.5% down, with the rest of bourses losing up to 2%. The euro also lost some ground.
Article | May 7, 2012 - 4:53pm
With the prospects for the formation of a viable government in Athens after elections on 6 May appearing very slim, the first reaction from Berlin and Brussels was to point out to the country's obligations towards the Eurozone.
With the prospects for the formation of a viable government in Athens after elections on 6 May appearing very slim, the first reaction from Berlin and Brussels was to point out to the country's obligations towards the Eurozone.
Article | May 7, 2012 - 7:51am
Coalition partners suffer heavy loses in an election that has widely been interpreted as a rejection of the tough austerity measures that have been pursued by the main political parties.
The coalition parties in Greece have suffered heavy loses in the general election.
The election has widely been interpreted as a rejection of the tough austerity measures that have been pursued by the main political parties.
Both the centre-right New Democracy and the centre-left Pasok, who supported tough austerity measures, have seen their share of the vote cut dramatically. The two parties have been in coalition since November.
Blog entry | May 3, 2012 - 11:38am
Both major political parties in Greece were not prepared to deal with the crisis; neither were their leaders.
Both major political parties in Greece were not prepared to deal with the crisis; neither were their leaders. At the most crucial moment of their career, Samaras and Venizelos share some common characteristics: May 6 is going to be their first election as party leaders; both their predecessors resigned under pressure; both are pro-Memorandum; they are members of the elite and have both open trust issues with the party base.
Blog entry | April 30, 2012 - 10:55am
Greece is full of myths and urban legends that guide people’s public discourse in cafes and on the street.
Greece is full of myths and urban legends that guide people’s public discourse in cafes and on the street. Greece is a small country, a ‘village’, as Greeks call it when they discover common paths in life or they share friends and acquaintances. Greeks also tend to be overwhelmed by the passionate way they view reality.
Article | April 23, 2012 - 10:53am
Jonny the Lamb did not take the risk to escape from the barn and ended up in the butcher.
On 6 May, Greeks will vote for a new government. The political climate is very bad as the two, formerly leading, political parties, PASOK socialists and Nea Democracy (ND) populists, are loosing voters at an exponential rate. As new media and new campaigning techniques are being aggressively introduced and many new parties begin to appear, no credible prediction is possible except that at least five or six parties will pass the threshold of 3%, and will therefore enter the parliament.
Blog entry | April 23, 2012 - 12:31pm
The movie Monster's Ball with Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry draws its title from a custom in medieval England of referring to prisoners awaiting execution as "monsters".
The movie Monster's Ball with Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry draws its title from a custom in medieval England of referring to prisoners awaiting execution as "monsters". The night before their execution, their jailers would hold a farewell feast known as a "monster's ball."
Blog entry | April 22, 2012 - 10:32pm
The Spanish banks' over indebtedness, the Greek impotency to control government deficits, and the Italian frictions, constitute the most important problems for Eurozone. And, if they are not straightened up soon, they may just derail the entire edifice in the medium term.
Blog entry | April 22, 2012 - 10:45pm
With the Eurozone's financial firewall falling short by about €200 billion, as it was decided to set it at a round sum of €700 billion, the euro area money zone is in dire straits, between the Greek and Portuguese fiscal gaps and the recapitalisation problems of most Spanish banks.
Article | April 20, 2012 - 1:09pm
The Spanish banks' over indebtedness, the Greek impotency to control government budget deficits, and the Italian problems, constitute the most important problems for the Eurozone.
The Spanish banks' over indebtedness, the Greek impotency to control government budget deficits, and the Italian problems, constitute the most important problems for the Eurozone. And, if they are not straightened up soon, they may just derail the entire edifice in the medium term.
Article | April 18, 2012 - 12:39pm
Greek and French elections will not undermine the recovery plans although the Eurozone's financial firewall falls short by €200 billion.
With the Eurozone's financial firewall falling short by about €200 billion, it was decided to set it at a round sum of €700 billion, the euro area money zone is in dire straits, between the Greek and Portuguese fiscal gaps and the recapitalisation problems of most Spanish banks.
Blog entry | April 15, 2012 - 8:45pm
It seems that a general election is the worst enemy for any country’s economic rehabilitation programme after a crisis, like the one Greece is applying now, on instructions from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (this is the famous Memorandum of Understanding between Athens and the troika of EU-ECB-IMF).
It seems that a general election is the worst enemy for any country’s economic rehabilitation programme after a crisis, like the one Greece is applying now, on instructions from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (this is the famous Memorandum of Understanding between Athens and the troika of EU-ECB-IMF).
