"Merkel came to [G]reece to support the Merkelists of [G]reece. She came to support them, but instead she gave Greece and our allies the chance to say to all that the democratic legacy of [E]urope will not allow Greece to become the lab rat of the crisis." - Syriza Party opposition leader Alexis Tsipras (Athens News 10/09/2012 Angela Merkel visits Athens: Live blog
As expected, large crowds came out to demonstrate against Merkel despite extensive restrictions on demonstrations. Plenty of tear gas was on hand to greet demonstrators, as well. (Liveticker: Merkel in Athen - Polizei setzt Tränengas gegen Demonstranten ein Spiegel Online 09.10.2012)
After her meeting with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, he told the press that he would meekly follow Angie's orders to further impoverish his own country with destructive austerity measures. He's not exactly taking the viewpoint of protesters who use slogans like "No To The Fourth Reich" and who burned swastika flags in the demonstrations outside.
Angie for her part said, yeah, people are hurting but they have to take their medicine and suffer more. Someday in the sweet by-and-by they'll see that it's all been worth it.
It's important to remember, as Patrick Bernau points out in Merkel in Griechenland: Wir zahlen nur noch für uns selbst FAZ 09.10.2012), the Greece's primary deficit - income versus expense without interest payments - is basically zero. A Greek bankruptcy along the Argentinian model of 2001-2 would allow an end to the growth-killing austerity measures and open the way for the Greek economy to eventually return to a healthy state. But in the current euro trap and under Merkel's genuinely cruel and unnecessary austerity policies in Greece, they have only a future of poverty and marginalization to look forward to.
Tags: angela merkel, austerity economics, eu, euro, european union, greece
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