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| Syriza leader's declaration that he could accept support from rightwing Independent Greeks to form government grabs lots of attention |
Athens dailies paid much attention to Radical Left Coalition (Syriza) leader Alexis Tsipras’ statement that if a leftwing coalition came close to a parliamentary majority, it could accept five votes from Panos Kammenos’ Independent Greeks (an ND splinter party) in order to form a government.
The pro-Pasok press ravaged Tsipras, almost suggesting that he was making a pact with the devil.
The leftwing leader said he would make such a compromise to achieve the paramount goal of pulling out of the bailout agreement.
Each of the two biggest parties – New Democracy and Pasok – has its own nemesis. For Pasok it is Tsipras. For ND it is Panos Kammenos. The last stretch of the campaign is chock full of alleged revelations about Kammenos (who says ND is mudslinging).
First it was the charge that one of his candidates was on the payroll of the National Intelligence Service (EYP). Today, the press featured a new charge. A former minister under the 1967-1974 Greek junta is charging that he was ghost writer of a book by Kammenos about terrorism, and that he was never paid what he was promised for his services. Obviously, the idea is to link the party leader with the junta.
“Tsipras flirts with Papariga and … Kammenos” declared Ta Nea’s headline. “Mercy!” read the title of the editorial, as the paper pretended to be scandalised by the prospect of a leftwing leader cooperating with a “new-fangled nationalist party”. The paper seems to ignore the fact that most Greeks would make a pact with the devil, in order to shake the yoke of the brutal, German-designed austerity of the bailout memorandum, which has decimated their income, social services and society.
“Eurobond no, project bond yes” read another title. Facing mounting pressure, Berlin is warming to a bond that would finance targeted development projects, but not one that would finance sovereign debt.
“Europe awakens from its lethargy” opined Ethnos in its headline. The report spoke of talk to allow EU countries saddled with bailout memorandums to extend the period of their fiscal adjustment”.
“They divide, we unite” proclaimed Avyi’s headline, quoting Tsipras. The “they” refers to Pasok and ND, and the “we” to Syriza. Tsipras is calling for a leftwing coalition government, with Syriza at the core, even if it takes the cooperation of the populist Kammenos.
“Pasok and ND garner over 50 percent combined [in surveys]: with a four percentage point spread between them” read tabloid Avriani’s headline.
“A deposition burns [incriminates] Tsochadzopoulos” read Kathimerini’s headline about the former Pasok defence minister, who is accused of getting eight million in kickbacks for arms orders. His wife’s aunt linked him to an offshore company, through which the kickbacks were laundered. He claims he read about the offshore in the papers! The paper also reported that Tsochadzopoulos' daughter, who allegedly profited by buying a large apartment through the suspect offshore, was remanded in custody pending trial.
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http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/55203
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| News bites @ 10 |
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| Great weather for young …. swans: A black swan with her three cygnets on an artificial reservoir in Agios Vissario, in Pyli municipality in Thessaly. Located at the foot of the Koziakas mountain, the reservoir was created four years ago, has a capacity of 200,000 cubic metres and is very popular with local fauna (Eurokinissi) |
1. SAMARAS IN SPARTA Citizens, and young people in particular, need to believe in Greece, the New Democracy said on Thursday, arguing that "each of us can work miracles [and] prove that Greece will succeed". Antonis Samaras was addressing an indoor audience in the Peloponnesian city of Sparta. "We shall make a leap in growth because it is this that the young people are calling for," he continued.
2. BRITISH MODEL RAILWAYS The government has said it is considering breaking up the country's railway system and selling the right to operate routes to different companies. The state had initially planned to sell rail operator TrainOSE in one piece, but on Thursday the state's privatisation agency said that to maximise the value of the sale, it was now examining a different privatisation model, similar to the one used in the United Kingdom. "Interested investors, as in Britain, will pay a cash consideration for the operation of [train] slots, using their own resources, as well as personnel," Kostas Mitropoulos, CEO of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund, said.
3. AIRCRAFT ORDERS CANCELLED We knew that the navy had German-made submarines that "tilted" underwater, but now we hear that the airforce has Italian planes that don't fly! The government decided on Thursday to cancel the purchase of four Alenia C-27J Spartan transport aircraft. It is understood that the 8 of the 12 aircraft that the state ordered from an Italian company have already been received, but only one is fully operational. In place of four additional aircraft, the government now wants the manufacturer, Alenia, to provide spare parts for the seven craft that have been received but which don't function.
4. DRILLING 'ILLEGAL' The foreign ministry on Thursday sharply condemned the exploratory drilling launched by a Turkish firm in the Sygkrasi region, off the coast of Famagusta in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. A ministry spokesman stressed that this was another illegal Turkish move, in blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions that call on all countries to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
5. DIPLOMATIC DOORS The Greek ambassador in Berlin on Thursday had to appeal for protection from the German foreign ministry after the owner of the building which houses the mission tried to move the embassy's emblem and entrance without any prior approval. Upon receiving the demarche from Ambassador Dimitris Rallis, who said the alterations constituted a violation of the Vienna Treaty on diplomatic relations, the foreign ministry immediately ordered the work to halt until the issue was examined.
6. GALLERY RESPONDS The security systems at the National Gallery were "in excellent order" when robbers broke in and stole a Picasso and other paintings in January, the institution's board said on Thursday, flatly rejecting a finding by the country's public administration watchdog that it was defective. In his report, the general inspector for public administration, Leandros Rakintzis, noted that security systems were not working, among others, because they had no batteries. In its reply, the National Gallery said that the report "did not reflect reality", arguing that the major security problem at the gallery was the lack of security personnel.
7. WAGES DOWN Private sector workers saw their income plunge by a quarter last year as the country's recession hit hard, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said, with wages falling far behind that of other eurozone countries. The average gross wage for fulltime staff dropped by 23.1 percent last year, with the decline increasing to 25.3 percent after including inflation, the report said. The average net wage dropped to 12,530 euros per year, less than half than in Germany and also falling behind its level in fellow euro zone straggler Portugal. The sharp drop took wages back to their 2006 level, but they still remain about two-thirds higher than in 2000, when the country adopted the euro.
8. SUPERMARKET CHARGES One of the country's biggest supermarket chains is likely to face charges after an investigation showed that it avoided paying VAT through a fake invoice scam with businesses based in another EU country. The chain, Carrefour-Marinopoulos, has rejected the findings of a Financial and Economic Crime Unit (SDOE) investigation, stressing that all its dealings with its suppliers were in full compliance with the laws. According to SDOE, the company Orbicom issued fake invoices to Carrefour-Marinopoulos in 2007 and 2008 for the supply of goods that never actually took place.
9. DON'T BLAME THE MONSTERS! Award-winning design group Beetroot opened an exhibition in Athens on Thursday aimed at challenging negative perceptions, including the world's view of Greece, during the financial crisis. The Greek Monsters – black and orange Styrofoam giants, helium balloons, murals, hanging masks and computer tablet images – will run at Benaki Museum (138 Pireos St) until 29 July 2012. Curious? Check out George White's video report on the exhibition:
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http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/04/greece-to-seize-money-from-suspected.html
The Greek government is to begin seizing money from the bank accounts of suspected tax evaders, Finance Minister Filippos Sachinidis told Skai TV on Thursday.
Sachinidis said that the relevant authorities have been instructed to seize the amount that account holders are suspected of owing to the state. The minister said that this would happen before suspected tax evaders go on trial.
Banks, insurance companies and the stock market will have to submit the full details of transactions by taxpayers so that the ministry can draft a property profile for each person and compare it with the tax statement submitted.
Public and private hospitals to send information about the doctors they employ and their activity.
Private insurance companies as well as social security funds must supply in electronic form all the statements they issue to their clients or beneficiaries for tax purposes, showing the taxpayers’ payments and contributions, while utilities, including cell phone networks, must supply account data such as total annual bills.
Credit card companies will also have to submit data on transactions in Greece for cards issued not just in this country but also abroad.
More Capital Flight Coming UpAnyone with any common sense has already pulled all of their money out of Greek banks. However, the unthinking masses probably have not. This move will without a doubt cause more than a few to worry about accusations, true or false, and in the case of the latter, the illegal confiscation of money.Expect to see a further plunge in money kept at Greek banks. Also expect capital flight of another kind: human capital. With this kind of crackdown, anyone capable of leaving would be wise to leave Greece immediately.
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