JimAdams

Had Greece completed the reforms, she would have been in a position to renegotiate terms following pressure from IMF and US. Gotta play the game first, can't keep asking for a blank check. Nationalizing banks does not address of solve any of Greece underlying economy problems. If the government takes over a bank, public shares will suddenly be worthless and shareholders will lose everything. Same with depositors and institutional customers. To prevent total panic, the government will probably cover those stakeholders up to a certain level ? with taxpayers footing the bill once again. And then you have bureaucracy, corruption and plain-old clientelist appointments for the benefit of the party and not the real economy. Does that sound like Greece to you? Or, need I go on? Unless you think it will be a different (Utopian) Greece with SYRIZA and Tsipras at the helm.

What fear are you talking about? Didn't the Prime Minister and

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning.

And to a degree the previous government (New Democracy) was making progress in the right direction. Greece would have been out the deep waters in a couple of years. And then... SYRIZA happened!

Wait a minute! Tsipras just won the referendum. Somebody's gotta go out and party! What is this thing about 'preparedness' and 'responsibility' that you're bring up. Those words DO NOT exist in SYRIZA's dictionary. For them it's all about big words and trying to trick/confuse the public. These people (Greek government) are just plain-old-ridiculous.

Here's a reference: http://www.skai.gr/news/politics/article/285418/plirofories-horis-protaseis-i-ellada-sto-eurogroup-tha-tis-upovalei-tin-tetarti/'>

You're all over the place! Have an opinion, stick with it. Defend it for God's sake! It's nice 'pretending to be Greek' when you live as million miles away.

And some people in here have bought the government's crap. Glorious incompetence at full display. But then of course you have people like Irlandos that keep saying: My bad. I keep forgetting. It's always somebody else's fault. Some people don't even have the guts to stand up and defend their vote. Forget the fact that he's been advocating that Greece leave the eurozone from the beginning. I guess he thought we would just say thank you and walk out of there and start next day with a clean slate. Well, it's not going to go down like that. Get ready for an extended period of misery. Get ready for a time of injustice. Get ready for a time where democracy will seize to exist (you've seen Syriza/Anel making a dry run at it for six months now). And if that's what you wanted all along, stand up like a man and defend your opinion. Otherwise cut the chickenshit 'it's somebody else's fault' cowardly blame game.

Games are over my friend. Tsipras just drove the country off the cliff. It will take the people of Greece a few days to realize what's going on. But this is it. Let the misery begin. Those advocating for Tsipras and his referendum can now stand up and assume their part of responsibility for the suffering of a people.

I defend my opinions Bananas. With tooth and claw. I do not attack people for their opinions. I call out ignorance when somebody posts something that is not substantiated with logical arguments. And yes, I do enjoy a debate. If I crossed the line and personally insulted somebody, I apologize. If I insulted somebody's political, religious or other beliefs, then so be it. Good argument, but that's not the point. The point I'm making is that if somebody is not knowledgeable on a subject they should not try to make arguments they cannot substantiate. IT's easy to spot out ignorance on a subject. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. And so the count-down starts. Tsipras fooled the people once again, and this Greek government can kiss Europe goodbye.

Nice, very grown up. What's the next thing you will do? Stick out your tongue? Sorry to hear that (you are sick), but I don't see you jumping off the cliff (or balcony). Why, according to your logic, should Greece commit suicide?

Nobody disagrees as to what happened my dear 'let's kiss Putin's ass' friend. We disagree on how to go forward and what makes sense. Cheap slogans are not logical arguments (as athinaios correctly has pointed out)

Holy f*cking s%$#!! You're one of those guys ! How far back do you go? Bring back the Byzantine Empire? Do you know anything of those regions called Macedonia, Aegean islands, Eastern Thrace? How about Epirus? Does that ring a bell? Do you think a failed state we be able to defend itself?

How's the weather in Antrim, N. Ireland these days? Are you comfortable and far away enough not to inhale smoke from Greece going up in flames? Whatever choice the Greek people make (because let's face it, me and you are not directly affected by all this) they'll have to live with it for the next 50-100 years. That's if Greece survives as a sovereign country.

I am blaming the current government for lying to the people and knowingly driving the country off the cliff. There is a left wing agenda to take the country to an authoritarian style of government, and they will not stop at anything. No human lives, or 'collateral' cost is going to stop them.

Was that even necessary?

Everybody knows what it will mean. There have been precedents. Does the Argentine great depression of 1998?2002 ring any bells? So far, it's playing out the same way. Does anybody have any reason to believe that it's not going to turn out the same? Riots and political turmoil? I just pray that it doesn't manifest itself into a full fledged civil war. I can't predict the future, but if history is of any guidance, we (the Greeks) should brace for the worst.

They sucked away the dignity from the Greek people. All so that left wing Hugo Chavez-style politics can hang onto power and change this once proud country to a Banana Republic. For those that do read Greek, here is a very interesting article by

Now, here's on of the biggest jokes ever uttered. Officially denied? By whom? By a zero credibility government. The same government that said capital controls will never be imposed, and that the Europeans would be shaking at the thought of our departure from the EU? The same government that said " we will negotiate a better deal immediately after we win the elections!" ?

It reads: "Money or I'll shoot myself" (cover of German Magazine Handelsblatt) (Sorry Akritis_1944, but I consider this humoristic - tragically so, but still reflects reality).

The whole purpose of reforms and a 'haircut' is to avoid that senario. That's the best I can do in answering hypothetical (what-if) questions. But Greece is going to suffer either way. Whether they stay with EU or not. The only question is how much and for how long?

SYRIZA called for referendum in order to prevent government collapse - or in other words party preservation. Forget what's good for the Greek people. As long as Tsipras and SYRIZA stay in power. Read on Ethnos:

Don't know if it's true or not: Rumors have it that the Turkish speaking population of Thrace will be voting for "No" following a Turkish directed effort to inflict damage on Greece and the EU. As I said, could be bull...

If Greece played ball - which it clearly is not doing - and showed signs of cooperation and reforms, there would be huge pressure on the debt holders for a 'haircut' - debt write-off. The pressure is exerted from the IMF, US and from within the EU. Greece is not cooperating. Everything else is mute.