Alexis Tsipras: bailout a ‘bad deal’ but the best Greece could get

[brooklynite]

Source: The Guardian

The Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, has defended the bailout agreed at Sunday’s eurozone summit and ruled out resigning, saying that the “bad deal” was the best available under the circumstances.

“I am fully assuming my responsibilities, for mistakes and for oversights, and for the responsibility of signing a text that I do not believe in, but that I am obliged to implement,” Tsipras told Greek public television on Tuesday.

In an hour-long interview that mixed a defence of his abrupt change of course over the bailout deal with barbs aimed at Greece’s European partners, Tsipras said he had fought a battle not to cut wages and pensions.

He said Greece must stick to the deficit reductions agreed in the deal, which he said were milder than previously agreed cuts.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/15/alexis-tsipras-bailout-greece-debt-crisis

[geek tragedy]

1. Except for the deal he idiotically put to a referendum vote nt

[herding cats]

2. He thought he'd have a shot of another country bailing them out?

There was all the talk of Russia, or to a lesser extent, China stepping in to rescue them. The reality is, that's not how they work. They'll wait until Greece has expended all other options then swoop in for the fire sale. The peoples suffering means nothing to either nation, it actually is a good bargaining chip for both if the economy is well and truly broken beyond repair.

In the end, I won't be surprised to see Greece selling off their oil and gas potential to either Russia or China in bits and pieces, but even as I say this, I am still wary it's worth what the Greek government has claimed it may possibly be worth. If this scenario were to come to pass, I also suspect we'll see an increase in the tensions between Turkey and Greece over the eastern Mediterranean region again.

It's a terrible situation, with no easy solution.

[Recursion]

3. Particularly since Greece has *still* apparently made 0 preparations for a new currency

None. How the #($* can you hold that referendum and not have a Drachma ready?

[geek tragedy]

4. I think the actual Mr. Bean would have handled it better nt