Greece General Discussion

[Bacon King]

Tsipras will be at the Presidential Palace at 3:30 PM local time (2 hours, 10 minutes from now) to officially announce cabinet and take office as PM

[politicus]

Two important names leaked: Dragasakis as Deputy PM overlooking the finance & economy ministries and leading negotiations with the Eurozone and Yanis Varaufakis as finance minister.

[Bacon King]

Tsipras's first act as Prime Minister: laying a wreath at a memorial where Nazis killed 200 Greeks

I'M SURE THIS IS NOT SYMBOLIC AT ALL

[they don't love you like i love you]

Ha already sticking it to Golden Dawn.

[Adam Griffin]

I don't follow the internal machinations of Greek political parties as much as I should, but with that being said: why haven't Syriza and KKE formed a coalition? Does KKE view Syriza as "neoliberal" et al?

[politicus]

I don't follow the internal machinations of Greek political parties as much as I should, but with that being said: why haven't Syriza and KKE formed a coalition? Does KKE view Syriza as "neoliberal" et al?

"Traitors to the working class" etc.

[Murica!]

I don't follow the internal machinations of Greek political parties as much as I should, but with that being said: why haven't Syriza and KKE formed a coalition? Does KKE view Syriza as "neoliberal" et al?

"Traitors to the working class" etc.

Let's just say that Marxist-Leninsts and Left-wing Radicals have a "tense" relationship.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Syriza was formed from people and factions that were expelled (at various different points over the decades) from the KKE for lacking sufficient ideological purity.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

View the KKE as less of a "party" in the traditional sense, and more as just a statement.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Sounds like a fun government.

Any bets when early elections will occur? Maybe this summer?

[Lief 🗽]

Ha already sticking it to Golden Dawn.

Mostly to Merkel, I would think.

[politicus]

Sounds like a fun government.

Any bets when early elections will occur? Maybe this summer?

An early election isn't likely if the government breaks up because Syriza almost has a majority and will lose support after they start governing. You need a situation in which Syriza break up along factional lines and they start hating each other to the point where no cooperation is possible for an early election to make sense - which could happen of course, but is far from certain.

(a left wing breakaway from Syriza could very well remain neutral in votes of confidence if they still thought "Tsipras is better than the alternative")

Otherwise a Syriza-Anel breakdown just means a Syriza minority government with a new partner as tacit support or a new coalition.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

So what, if anything, do we know about this Aristeidis Baltas character?

Also, was it expected that the new cabinet would be this much of a dudefest?

[Foucaulf]

BK and I specifically advanced the SYRIZA blackmail theory of debt negotiations a while back. Turns out Dan Davies, a former BoE guy, got to that idea first and with much more detail.

Here's an argument: the only way SYRIZA can launch a massive stimulus program would be to drop out of the Eurozone, since every Greek government agency and bank will be squeezed out of the credit markets and the Europeans wouldn't keep funding. Ditto for any of their attempts to repatch the Greek labour system. The Greek government has been forced to keep a primary surplus, but that may not last very long as Greek tax revenues are already falling.

The only reasonable concessions I see SYRIZA getting is a lowering of the primary surplus to allow for a smoother transition in the crumbling health sector, and maybe some for migration policy. But that won't be enough for voters.

[y]

does anyone have a link to a list of the full members of the cabinet?
it would also be interesting to which factions in syriza the ministers and parlamentarians belong or come from.

edit: I found some lists myself:
hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Alexis_Tsipras
hxxp://blockupy-goes-athens.tumblr.com/post/109332357655/kurzer-blick-auf-das-ministeriumskabinett with some additional information (in german), so the Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy seems to have a "post-autonomous" background.

and do you know which kind of electoral reform syriza proposes, esp. concerning the threshold?

[jaichind]

does anyone have a link to a list of the full members of the cabinet?
it would also be interesting to which factions in syriza the ministers and parlamentarians belong or come from.
and do you know which kind of electoral reform syriza proposes, esp. concerning the threshold?

The list which I got from Greek news wire ANA. 

New government announced
Jan. 27 (ANA-MPA) -- The new SYRIZA government on Tuesday announced the composition of its first cabinet.

The new government is as follows:

Prime Minister: Alexis Tsipras

Government Vice-President: Yiannis Dragasakis

Interior - Administration Reconstruction Minister: Nikos Voutsis

Alternate Minister for Administrative Reform: George Katrougalos

Alternate Minister for Civil Protection: Yiannis Panousis

Alternate Minister for Migration Policy: Tasia Christodoulopoulou

Deputy Minister for Macedonia-Thrace: Maria Kollia-Tsarouha

Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Minister: George Stathakis

Alternate Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Networks: Christos Spirtzis

Alternate Shipping Minister: Thodoris Dritsas

Alternate Tourism Minister: Elena Kountoura

Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister: Panagiotis Lafazanis

Alternate Minister for the Environment: Yiannis Tsironis

Alternate Minister for Rural Development: Vangelis Apostolou

Deputy Minister for Rural Development: Panagiotis Sgouridis

Finance Minister: Yanis Varoufakis

Alternate Minister: Nadia Valavani

Alternate Minister: Costas Mardas

Education, Culture and Religious Affairs Minister: Aristidis Baltas

Alternate Minister for Culture: Nikos Xydakis

Alternate Minister for Education: Tasos Kourakis

Alternate Minister for Research and Innovation: Costas Fotakis

Deputy Minister for Sports: Stavros Kontonis

Labour Minister: Panos Skourletis

Alternate Minister for Social Solidarity: Theano Fotiou

Deputy Minister for Combatting Unemployment: Rania Antonopoulou

Health and Social Insurance Minister: Panagiotis Kouroumblis

Alternate Minister for Health: Andreas Xanthos

Alternate Minister for Social Insurance: Dimitris Stratoulis

Foreign Minister: Nikos Kotzias

Alternate Minister for European Affairs: Nikos Chountis

Alternate Minister for International Economic Relations: Efklidis Tsakalotos

National Defence Minister: Panos Kammenos

Alternate Minister: Costas Isychos

Deputy Minister: Nikos Toskas

Justice Minister: Nikos Paraskevopoulos

Minister of State for Combatting Corruption: Panagiotis Nikoloudis

Minister of State for Coordinating Government Operations: Alekos Flambouraris

Deputy Minister: Terens Quick

Minister of State: Nikos Pappas

Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and Government spokesman: Gavriil Sakellaridis

Proposed Parliament President: Zoi Constantopoulou

[rob in cal]

The new government announced some measures today, but didn't see anything about its income tax hike to 75% on incomes beyond 500k euros.  Has it said anything about this yet?

[jaichind]

The situation is getting pretty serious.  Greek Banks have lost over 40% of their value in 3 days since SYRIZA won the Sunday elections.  Billion has been pulled out of Greek banks since November, according to Moody’s, with more withdrawals likely amid fears that the life support from the European Central Bank will be extinguished.  Greece bank-deposit withdrawals accelerated in the run-up to the Jan. 25 election, reaching $11bn. Moody’s predicts that ECB funding will rise from $84bn to $98bn this month.  Total deposits in Greek banks stood at $185bn in Nov., according to the latest available data from Bank of Greece and as I mention above it has gone down since. 

Tsipras seems to indicate they will avoid "catastrophic clashes" with creditors but also claimed he cannot disappoint the voters.  Sounds like he is trapped then.  Also the new regime froze plans to privatize the public power utility PPC. It also said it had cancelled the privatization of national train operating company Trainose and the sale of a 67-per-cent stake in the Piraeus Port - Greece's largest - for which PRC's Cosco Group and four other companies had been shortlisted.  Yes, another good way to start by angering the PRC which would be another source of funds if negotiations with EU falls apart.

The government said it would immediately pass legislation to increase the minimum wage to 751 euros per month, raise pensions for those on low incomes and rehire thousands of sacked public sector employees.  Sigh.  This will make the funding needs even more acute and make the Greek negotiation position with EU even more desperate. 

I am eager to see what takes place now and see if Tsipras backs down or takes this whole thing supernova.  I am betting on him backing down.  I am already monitoring Greek ETFs for a time to get in just when it seems the whole situation will blow up before Tsipras backs down, which I am pretty sure will come.

[jaichind]

Just so we are clear.  The FTSE/Athex Banks Index is now at 54.  In May Jun 2012 when the last Greek crisis was at its peak it was 160 at the lowest.   Greek bank funding and capital flight seems to be the biggest risk right now.

[Bacon King]

The new government announced some measures today, but didn't see anything about its income tax hike to 75% on incomes beyond 500k euros.  Has it said anything about this yet?

That proposal was in their May 2012 platform and they have not mentioned it since. There was zero mention of tax increases in the platform they ran on in 2015

[ag]

The new government announced some measures today, but didn't see anything about its income tax hike to 75% on incomes beyond 500k euros.  Has it said anything about this yet?

That proposal was in their May 2012 platform and they have not mentioned it since. There was zero mention of tax increases in the platform they ran on in 2015

Well, unless they raise SOME taxes, how are they going to fund their spending - especially, as they are refusing to sell things off.

Honestly, if I were them, I would sell Western Thrace to the Turks. Erdogan would pay a fortune

[MaxQue]

The new government announced some measures today, but didn't see anything about its income tax hike to 75% on incomes beyond 500k euros.  Has it said anything about this yet?

That proposal was in their May 2012 platform and they have not mentioned it since. There was zero mention of tax increases in the platform they ran on in 2015

Well, unless they raise SOME taxes, how are they going to fund their spending - especially, as they are refusing to sell things off.

Honestly, if I were them, I would sell Western Thrace to the Turks. Erdogan would pay a fortune

Well, raising taxes have no use with the widespread tax evasion. Raising taxes on people not paying any won't make any change.

[ag]

The new government announced some measures today, but didn't see anything about its income tax hike to 75% on incomes beyond 500k euros.  Has it said anything about this yet?

That proposal was in their May 2012 platform and they have not mentioned it since. There was zero mention of tax increases in the platform they ran on in 2015

Well, unless they raise SOME taxes, how are they going to fund their spending - especially, as they are refusing to sell things off.

Honestly, if I were them, I would sell Western Thrace to the Turks. Erdogan would pay a fortune

Well, raising taxes have no use with the widespread tax evasion. Raising taxes on people not paying any won't make any change.

Well, he could take their kids hostage, or something.

[MaxQue]

The new government announced some measures today, but didn't see anything about its income tax hike to 75% on incomes beyond 500k euros.  Has it said anything about this yet?

That proposal was in their May 2012 platform and they have not mentioned it since. There was zero mention of tax increases in the platform they ran on in 2015

Well, unless they raise SOME taxes, how are they going to fund their spending - especially, as they are refusing to sell things off.

Honestly, if I were them, I would sell Western Thrace to the Turks. Erdogan would pay a fortune

Well, raising taxes have no use with the widespread tax evasion. Raising taxes on people not paying any won't make any change.

Well, he could take their kids hostage, or something.

Well, yes, something has to be done about widespread tax evasion. I happen to think it's more logical to build a solid system preventing it and then raising taxes than the reverse. Doing it the other way would punish people paying taxes and would likely increase tax evasion.

[ag]

The new government announced some measures today, but didn't see anything about its income tax hike to 75% on incomes beyond 500k euros.  Has it said anything about this yet?

That proposal was in their May 2012 platform and they have not mentioned it since. There was zero mention of tax increases in the platform they ran on in 2015

Well, unless they raise SOME taxes, how are they going to fund their spending - especially, as they are refusing to sell things off.

Honestly, if I were them, I would sell Western Thrace to the Turks. Erdogan would pay a fortune

Well, raising taxes have no use with the widespread tax evasion. Raising taxes on people not paying any won't make any change.

Well, he could take their kids hostage, or something.

Well, yes, something has to be done about widespread tax evasion. I happen to think it's more logical to build a solid system preventing it and then raising taxes than the reverse. Doing it the other way would punish people paying taxes and would likely increase tax evasion.

Ok, fine. Do Germans have to coninue financing Greek government in the interim?