Yesterday will be a day remembered in History.
A lot, almost everything was revealed, plans and threats.
First off, Tsipras’ proposal to manage the great financial crisis became know, which, truth be told, is the first Greek proposal submitted in the negotiations with the creditors and partners.
However, it is not painless. It is full of taxes and restrictive measures, which may give the impression of redistributing the burden, but it neither eliminates the recession, nor does it facilitate growth or tackle the crisis.
Almost simultaneously the proposal of creditors and partners was also presented, which follows in line with the previous problematic choices, however it is brutal and one could ay clear, as it highlights the major problem with the pensions, which the government is avoiding addressing in a meaningful way, despite being aware of its severity.
Along with the revelation of the two proposals, the government suddenly asked to group the loan payments towards the International Monetary Fund, in order to help the government in the payments and earn some time to negotiate, until the end of June.
This move is anything but indifferent. It fueled concerns over a potential Greek default, both within and outside of Greece and they are likely to become more intense in the next few days, if in the discussion in Parliament – which was announced yesterday – reveals the government’s inability to reach an agreement and the scenarios of early elections prevail.
Already, in the international media, many treat the discussion as a precursor for major changes.
The threat of an international disruption from a potential non-payment of the IMF is visible, but the dangers threatening Greece are more prominent.
As more people become more concerned, the risk of an accident increases.
The risk of a panic prevailing and the people attempting to withdraw their deposits en masse increases in circumstances of major political and financial uncertainty. Our already suffering Banks cannot manage such a situation. Therefore, this long negotiation game may collapse at any moment from the so-called collateral damage.
In any case, many myths and delusions were dispelled in the past 24 hours. The first Left government was exposed by presenting a tax plan as a solution to the Greek people, revealing the major management and political weaknesses. The illusion that all that is needed to tackle the Greek financial problem is a political change literally shattered.
In other words, the post-dictatorship political cycle is complete. All political factions – the right, center left and let – tried different ideas, abilities and divs, without any distinct or significant result. From now on, nobody can claim to be innocent of the crisis.
Just like nobody can claim that there is a simple solution to the Greek problem, without sacrifices and hard efforts.
Yesterday marked the end of delusions. And populism too.
From now on, only the parties and leaders who serve the truth and promise real efforts, full of struggles and sacrifices, will prevail.
Antonis Karakousis
