Political, financial turmoil in Greece

Oh look, it's Earth's Most Hated:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-24/george-soros-warns-greece-going-down-drain


“Right now we are at the cusp," billionaire George Soros tells Bloomberg TV in this brief clip, the chances of Greece leaving the euro area are now 50-50 and the country could go "down the drain." The 84-year-old fears that talks between Greece and 'the institutions' could "break down," adding that "Greece is a long-festering problem that was mishandled from the beginning by all parties," concluding that the chances of Greece leaving the euro area are now 50-50 and the country could go "down the drain." Finally, Soros notes, what worries him the most is Ukraine.

What, is there still a blade of grass he hasn't stolen in Greece or Ukraine?

I think we know who the long festering problem is......

A fairly sensible take on the current situation:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-08/putin-and-tsipras-are-meeting-here-are-main-highlights

Worth reading up on the background to all this; it was NOT caused by ordinary Greek citizens - less than 10% of all these euros ever reached them.

Enter our old friends, Goldman Sachs:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/greek-debt-crisis-how-goldman-sachs-helped-greece-to-mask-its-true-debt-a-676634.html

They cooked the books to make the Greek economy look less of a mess - and the EU is just as at fault for being so eager to find an excuse to let Greece join. The Greek economy was a mess, but the Greek economy has always been a mess. The difference is, in the past, it was THEIR mess.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-15/dratghi-attacked-protester-ecb-press-conference?page=1



Banksters are frozen in horror as female peasant revolts.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-16/dutch-central-banker-fired-being-nazi-cross-dressing-nymphomaniac-dominatrix-prostit


In retrospect few will be surprised by any of the above: after all for the past 8 years, central bankers have been fornicating with the general population on a far more massive scale than what Conchita did, and they didn't even have to paid for it: they just printed the money.

In fact, some may say this particular central banking hooker acted with far more integrity than all of her colleagues: at least every sexual activity was consensual, not the forced and involuntary variety that her business suit-dressed peers perform on the broader population every single day.

Ba Boom!!  

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-17/ecb-considering-parallel-greek-currency

Quote from a long post:

Today, to our dismay, we find that the ECB has not only considered a "parallel currency" alternative but for Greece this may be a reality before long. According to Reuters, the ECB "has analyzed a scenario in which Greece runs out of money and starts paying civil servants with IOUs, creating a virtual second currency within the euro bloc, people with knowledge of the exercise told Reuters."

What? Que? IOUs instead of money?

Oh, don't ask me, the entire world has had a nervous breakdown and gone totally round the bend.

A reminder of what drachmas sort-of used to look like.

I'm sure I have some old escudos and pesetas kicking around somewhere, knew they'd come in handy eventually.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-17/clash-wealth-redistributing-titans-caption-contest


When Barry met Yanis... "honest broker" Barack Obama left Greek FinMin Yanis Varoufakis disappointed yesterday when, as Bild reports, the US will not give financial aid to Greece (but will send advisers to Athens to compile a list of possible savings measures).

Really?



I don't think they're the best people to be advising anyone on 'savings measures'.

PS - I took that a few minutes ago, it goes up every SECOND.

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

I know it does, Bonny.  The IMF and the uber banksters who supply them need that interest more than you can believe....  No wonder they require debt. 

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-17/compare-and-contrast-putin-vs-draghi



A topless protester gets "two thumbs up" and a smile from Vladimir Putin.
A terrified Mario Draghi reels from a fully-clothed female protester.



I have the terrible feeling Obama would also faint with terror if confronted an irate laydee protester. Cameron would probably laugh, and Nicola Sturgeon would tell her to put her clothes on before she caught a chill.

I shudder to think what Clinton (Bill) would do....Oh, and possibly Killary too, given some of the rumours

Too funny!  

http://news.sky.com/story/1487632/barclays-and-rbs-fined-over-forex-abuses

Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and three US banks have been fined almost £4bn over the manipulation of foreign exchange rates.

Four of the institutions - JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Barclays and RBS - agreed to plead guilty to US criminal charges over manipulation of foreign exchange rates, the US Department of Justice said.

The fifth bank, UBS, will plead guilty to rigging benchmark interest rates, the Justice Department said.

Barclays will pay $650m (£418m) in criminal penalties and RBS $395m (£254m).

JPMorgan Chase will pay $550m (£353m) and Citigroup will pay $925m (£595m) in criminal fines as part of their guilty pleas.

Barclays also will pay an additional $1.3bn (£836m) to settle with the New York state Department of Financial Services, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, authorities said.

As part of the New York banking regulator's agreement, Barclays will fire eight bank employees involved with rigging foreign exchange rates, the New York regulator said.

More at link, and a more detailed report here:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-20/5-banks-plead-guilty-criminal-rigging-charges-pay-56-billion-manipulating-markets

Anyone still think Greece really does owe all that money?

It makes a person really think about it...........

Iceland had the right idea about crooked bankers.

My god.  They sure were right.

Grexit within the next few days looms.

Is that again or will it be for real?

It's looking very much like it might be real this time, Lily. Greece appears to be in chaos, the Greek people have taken any money they have out of banks, and are doubtless trying to convert it into dollars, sterling, etc - ZeroHedge:

http://www.zerohedge.com/

Oh, and the Greek PM is in Moscow, having talks about pipelines, etc. But he's not setting up a new financial deal with that new bank, perish the very thought, as if!

Oh my word!  What a thing......and who could blame them....

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-06-19/greek-pm-tsipras-speaks-st-petersburg-forum-russia-live-webcast

Greece has signed the pipeline deal with Russia - oh, and BP has made some deal over oil exploration in Russia, too.

Much speculation going on about what it will mean if Greece simply goes to the Troika, cuts a deal with Russia to keep functioning as a nation, in return for a nice, warm water port.

I do realise, of course, that all this is bad news for Goldman Sachs, which helped with the fakery that got Greece into the eurozone in the first place, and Deutsche Bank, which is up to its grubby neck in the whole business - oh, and for Soros.

So, it's all good, really! I gather that, if Greece wasn't trying to repay dodgy loans to the international equivalent of Wonga, it would actually be running a small surplus.

We need to hear more of that and it serves the greedy whatsits right.

If Greece manages to go , then Italy, Portugal and Spain are likely to follow.....which may be rather exciting.

What's that Chinese curse about living in interesting times?

There will be some very unhappy campers?