looks like Tsipras has folded

[The Last Northerner]

   I think it would be hilarious if the votes of Golden Dawn MP's are decisive in defeating the Tsipras govt proposals.  How about Golden Dawn, ANEL, KKE and the heart of the Syriza bloc against the Troika and the bankers, an intriguing political lineup.

I don't see the numbers adding up. The best case scenerio save defectors would be - 70 Left-SYRIZAs + 17 XA + 15 KKE + 13 ANEL.  That's 115 out of the 300 MPs. I'm honestly suprised at Tspiras' actions.

The real question is who the anti-EU/austerity buck will pass to. A break-away SYRIZA left? An ANEL resurgence? Hopefully not Golden Dawn or the Communists...

[The Last Northerner]

nor does it really redeem eating-the-seed-corn measures like selling off $50 billion in assets

THAT, is, actually, simply ridiculous. Government has no business owning that stuff in the first place.

And, mind it, I find it extraordinarily lenient that the Greeks have not been forced to sell the Parthenon, the contents of the National Arqueological Museum, or, say, a few islands, instead.

SERIOUSLY? Should Germany sold their castles after the World Wars to pay its debt? Should Colonge Cathedral be stripped apart and moved to France for the occupation?

Your claims of not being anti-Greek seem very shoddy here.

[The Last Northerner]

nor does it really redeem eating-the-seed-corn measures like selling off $50 billion in assets

THAT, is, actually, simply ridiculous. Government has no business owning that stuff in the first place.

And, mind it, I find it extraordinarily lenient that the Greeks have not been forced to sell the Parthenon, the contents of the National Arqueological Museum, or, say, a few islands, instead.

SERIOUSLY? Should Germany have sold their castles after the World Wars to pay its debt? Should Colonge Castle be stripped apart and moved to France for the occupation?

Your claims of not being anti-Greek seem very shoddy here.

Well, if we were back in 1921 or 1947, I would not be particularly averse to any of that. Hey, if anything got spared in bombing, that was already a mitzvah, was it not? And, most definitely, shipping of bits of arquitecture would have had a lot less of an impact on German economy than the reparations they were, actually, forced to pay post WWI.

The Cloisters in NY, BTW, is a masterpiece of museum work. And even in Mexico City, right next to where I live, there is a Spanish Chapel from the 12th century. Enjoy the view almost daily. Love it.

The economic impact of selling national monuments is minimal relative to the debt. It's the idea of selling your country's history and identity to a foreign country is immense. It would be tantamount to saying "you own us", which frankly on everyone's mind already.

It's not an economic option, it's national humuliation.