The new Greek government program | 171 comments (171 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Greece's fate: In Angela Merkel's hands? - Fortune

For Galbraith, the lack of coordination on the European side was shocking. "I'm an old Congressional staffer," he says. "To watch an official body function in this slipshod and ad hoc way, to watch the Eurogroup and the way things were done, was really a revelation."

by generic on Wed Feb 25th, 2015 at 06:03:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (none / 0)

They encountered the first contrarian test, real tense negotiations in years.

by das monde on Wed Feb 25th, 2015 at 06:28:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 2)

Dijsselbloem has always seemed to me to be a complete idiot when it comes to the business of actually negotiating an agreement whilst I was impressed by Tspiras and Varoufakis intellectual skills if unsure about their negotiating prowess. I would characterize the outcome as an away draw for the Greeks, with the return leg to be fought on territory Syriza will be more comfortable with - the actual implementation of practical measures to improve tax collection and economic growth.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Feb 25th, 2015 at 07:16:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 8)

I was impressed by Tspiras and Varoufakis intellectual skills if unsure about their negotiating prowess

I beg to disagree. It was guerilla warfare and the way Varoufakis used the press was brilliant. A thousand ambushes where you kill two at a time and the run away. You can't afford to lose two as well. To others it seems like tou retreated, hence a loss, when in fact over the long run attrition takes a bigger toll on the other side.
On the other hand, Tsipras stayed in the shadows and lo and behold, a 40yr old untested politician gained statesman status in the eyes of his people and many others.

by Euroliberal on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 04:17:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 2)

Varoufakis certainly seemed to nonplus Dijsselbloem et al. But negotiating prowess is all about building up relationships over the longer term - not just a few quick wins gained by guerrilla tactics. In the longer term they will be waiting for him in the long grass if he has made any enemies. The next phase is about building trust, not ambushing people.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 04:27:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (none / 0)

The next phase is about building trust, not ambushing people.

Which is why

The next phase is about building trust, not ambushing people.

Right.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 04:56:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (none / 0)

I'm not sure I understand this post

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 11:43:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (none / 1)

Of course not, I meant

The next phase is about building trust, not ambushing people.

because

In the longer term they will be waiting for him in the long grass if he has made any enemies.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 11:51:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 6)

The problem is that Greece has been negotiating for 5 years already. And losing. They have never taken to the press.

Whereas the press has received thousands of leaks about the negotiations from the Eurogroup.

Also, the person who was most in charge in those years, Yanis Stournaras (though he belongs to another party) is actually close friends with people like Varoufakis. They are academic colleagues in the same department. Even better, Stournaras actually gave Varoufakis his first job out of his advanced degree.

In other words, Varoufakis had inside information about the actual fault lines.

Greece had played things under the vest for 5 years. Going public with your arguments was the exact thing that put fear into the Eurogroup, it was something out of their control.

I don't actually believe Schauble revels in his image, and his uncharacteristic schaudenfreude of the last week (which was weird, since the Greek public really approves of Syriza) was a sign that the public battles were evidently making a difference.

by Upstate NY on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 09:25:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 3)

It seems to me that Schäuble is Merkel's designated attack dog. She called him off at the end, to enable an agreement to be signed. If that's the case, he has played the role with remarkable abnegation.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 09:28:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 4)

I don't know the German political scene at all, but I could imagine there being acute embarrassment, even in conservative circles, at being seen as the enforcers of Greek impoverishment. The whole point of austerenomics is to be at one remove from the real action - with local todies carrying the blame - and when Varoufakis went public, they knew that game was up.

Index of Frank's Diaries

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 11:42:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 4)

The Greek government has a huge advantage in that they are complete outsiders. Insurgents who have come from nowhere, ill-dressed and ill-mannered, and who don't feel constrained by the rules.

I feel that they have been remarkably disciplined in not publicly dissing previous governments who got Greece into its current pickle. This is no doubt important for the home audience, and of course because it won't get them any credit in negotiations. Still, it must be hard. However, their interlocutors have seemed surprised (or have faked surprise) at the fact that they should dare to repudiate elements contractualised with their predecessors.

A new generation of Euro politicians... let's hope there are more coming.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 12:00:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 4)

The point about the EU elite being used to operating through leaks and being thrown off by Varoufakis going public was also made by Paul Mason last week: Leak and counter-leak: how not to achieve a Greek deal.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 09:47:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Who did what? (4.00 / 3)

In the longer term they will be waiting for him in the long grass if he has made any enemies. The next phase is about building trust, not ambushing people.

Varoufakis needs tactical victories right here, right now, or he won't have any "long term" to worry about.

In the long term, Greece can afford to have Varoufakis take the fall for their guerrilla tactics, as long as he wins enough fights first.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Thu Feb 26th, 2015 at 05:34:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The new Greek government program | 171 comments (171 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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