What’s Up in Greece on Jan 22/12? tagged: , , , , ,

What’s Up in Greece on Jan 22/12?

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Very Mix

The sun is up, brightening up the PSI fog and the new loan agreement misery. But it’s chilly as it’s\s all about economy and fiscal discipline, the haircut conditioners and Greece’s lenders out of control. The blackmail has started regarding the new loan agreement, i.e. second bailout, with the Troika having tabled the Greek side a long list of must DO’s. Fact is that the Greek officials delay as much as they can to fulfil their duties towards Greece’s lenders, even though they continusly repeat theat they will stick to the first bailout agreement. In reality, very little progress is done. So everytime a new aid tranche is due the Troika blakcmails: Fiscal Discipline or No Money.

We’ve seen this film before and now things seem much worst as the second bailout – estimated to be €130 billion- is being used as a tool for blackmail.

1. bailout €110 billion

2. bailout €130 billion

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Total        €240 billion that Greek taxpayers will have to pay back. My generation will be two-feet-under when these loans will be paid back.

Some Greek media claimed that the Troika demands as a precondition for the second bailout that the ‘supplementary pensions’ are cut by 15-40%.

Health Minister Andreas Loverdos and the Troika apparently agree that there must be decrease in the pharmaceutical expenditure. Of course, there should be. As of 1.1.12, a friend has to go around and cross Athens horizontally and vertically to get the expensive medicine for her mother’s chemotherapy. My friend suspects that procedures have become more difficult so that people get fed up and pay their prescription medicine form their own pockets. The latest example: Mother is hospital for an emergency, hospital doctor is not allowed to prescribe for mother’s insurance fund, friend needs to go find a doctor outside the hospital. At the end the two women went to the nearest pharmacy and paid cash what should be a prescription medicine.

The director of the Psychiatric State Hospital in Tripolis complained about the lack of heating and poor nutrition for the patients. The heating is on just for 6 hours per day, while temepratures went down at -10 degrees Celsius, the director told the local press.

I perosnally received an e-mail by a mother, complaining that there is no heating in her daughter’s elementary school in Malia, Crete.

I think, the Troika prescription “Memorandum of Understanding” is killing the Greek patient – literally and metaphorically.

Greece’s farmers have scheduled to start several protests from Jan 23 to Feb 4, 2012, mainly in the city of Thessaloniki. I don’t know whether there will be any road blockades. The farmers complain about the contribution increases in their insurance funds. they also demand to be compensated at 100% in case of natural disasters and illness of their crops.

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