http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/01/29/huffington-post-bill-frezza-how-long-until-junta/

My observation is that politics is but a distraction. Politics is merely the vehicle that drives polarisation in society thus shifting the focus away from what matters.

Politicians are not allowed to touch the underlying dynamic that, ultimately, drives politics.

Throughout the past half century in particular and regardless of the political persuasion of successive incumbent governments in the West, the result has been the same across the board: i.e the constant erosion of purchasing power and the concomitant increase in the cost of living.

From the fascists in Spain to the Marxists in Portugal and all manner of Democrats of the right and of the left in Italy, the result has always been the same.

Politics is subordinate to the monetary system. There is therefore no policy that can overcome or compensate the fundamental asymmetrical exchange brought about by this monetary system.

Furthermore, I suspect that if any politicians were inclined to do something about the monetary system, he or she may not live long enough to do so.

Probably could work as Charles always seems to know what he is talking about, & there are probably other solutions that could be applied, but obviously in the present situation, it seems to only matter what the big players want & how the play they game of debt. Gotta love the IMF in all of this – a history of totally incorrect forecasts & now they are saying that – Oh dear, we didn’t realise that austerity would be so awful, which in terms of their record is like a surgeon after killing ten patients being surprised that number eleven has died from the same procedure. But never mind they have made a nice sum out of it. if the IMF were a cleaning lady they would have been sacked for incompetence a long time ago – but as we know, that’s not how this world works, especially when powerful forces profit from it.

Well said steviefinn … not sure if you caught the following novel idea a few months back, but am curious to know what you and others think of it :

What Looks Crazy at First Might Be the Ideal Solution: Meet Greece’s New Currency, the U.S. Dollar (February 9, 2015)
==> http://www.oftwominds.com/blogfeb15/USD-Greece2-15.html

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/04/01/gree-a01.html

I do not post much but check in from time to time. This post may be tad long so bear with me.

SYRIZA is backed into a corner to be honest. What many forget is SYRIZA garnered what 37% of the vote, so they won but still have other parties to deal with. The problem is over 70% of the Greeks want to continue to use the Euro as their fiat currency. If the Greeks want to continue to use the Euro this is the price they are going to have to pay to use the Euro. I think calling a vote in Greece is a smart move at least then SYRIZA will know how the Greeks currently feel about using the Euro under these terms now.

Personally I think Greece should leave the Euro and remain in the EU if that is possible.

Many here blame this on western capitalism and honestly all capitalism in all western countries died long ago. I am sure to get flamed for stating this but what we have had for over three decades is Fascism. For those that do not understand the term, please goggle it, before you flame me.

Nationalistic parties are definitely on the rise in Europe as people are used to social programs and labor protection. The same applies to the USA to a much lesser degree. We must now compete globally and debasing our currencies is not going to solve structural problems and our ability to compete around the globe.

I was living in Germany when the Euro was proposed and those that opposed the Euro were demonized and characterized as anti-European. Well they were correct in their assumptions on where this was leading and how countries in the EMU would get screwed. The producing countries are doing well and the consuming countries are getting poorer. I am not picking on Germany but honestly the Euro is great for Germany. If Germany was still on the DM where would their economy be right now and what would the exchange rate for DM be. I think many here know the answer.

A untied states of Europe will not solve your problem. Sovereign countries are not going to want to give total control to Brussels. Can you imagine the turmoil that would happen if Brussels laid down standard work weeks and retirement systems? France would definitely be crying as most of the productive countries retire at 67 and France is what 60? Tax collection and so many other issues would have to be solved before even entering into an agreement. I just cannot imagine the EU countries giving up total sovereignty, but who knows.

The producers in the EU do not want to transfer money to other troubled EU countries now. The root of the problem in my mind to solve a lot of these problems is to simply put being a member of the EU and the EMU to popular vote. Many people are upset because they got to vote to become a member to begin with and now they see their way of life disappearing.

The upper decks are overloaded with cannon, which the luxury accomodated armchair warriors are itching to fire at other forces who challenge their hegemony. They profit from this & believe that is the best purpose for what they consider as the increasingly dead weight within the ship’s belly. The chips in the giant casino are largely worthless, while the equivalent of what circles the ship, pile their booty into some of the very few lifeboats, as they also spit on the herd that is becoming ever harder to milk.

This vessels’s fuel is running out & it’s service stations maintained at huge expense with blood & currency, are being eroded by self induced chaos & the rising power of a rival fleet. So they drill & hack pieces from the superstructure of the ship, in order it seems to keep it afloat & to perpetuate it’s present course.

Around this ship are a flotilla of others kept firmly in line by fear of reprisal & huge chains of debt behind the Neoliberal flagship’s wake.Their hulls are of similar construction & cargo, steered by the same type of masters, who even if they were of a mind to change course, have sailed too far to turn back. Some as in the now tiny version of it’s former imperial glory, are only too glad to yap at it’s masters heals.

There are voices that speak of the insanity in this present navigation, some of whom are in irons for daring to speak, while others shout to be heard above the confusion & propaganda issued from the top decks. A small light of reason is growing as the evident lunatic course of this ship of fools becomes ever more apparent. Hopefully for all our sakes & despite the odds, this will eventually lead to the breakers yard for the old & the launching of a new sustainable vessel without chains – before it’s too late, & hopefully at a not too high a cost to our endangered species..

The US are sending 200 odd military trainers over to the Ukraine in April & the family firm of Kagan & Nuland are still profitting from their dream of perpetual war, fought not by themof course, but by all the expendable little people. As in the last election where they covered both bases, with Kagan acting as Romney’s foreign policy advisor, while his charming wife took Obama. I imagine that Daddy K will probably do the same for the imperial Bush dynasty. Greece is a small part in this geopolitical minefield, but I don’t like triggers that come out of the Balkans.

http://firedoglake.com/2015/03/25/pentagon-sending-troops-into-ukraine-in-april/

https://consortiumnews.com/2015/03/20/a-family-business-of-perpetual-war/

At school I was made to read Animal Farm and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. I had also seen the horrible film Big Brother. For sure, communism sounded really dreadful, but I didn’t like the exploitative power that the British ruling class had all that much either, so a little bit of socialism always seamed okay to me. The ruling class propaganda hadn’t worked on me.

One day at 14 years old I discovered that the Labour Party was a socialist party and I thought, Wow, but little did I know it was controlled by the ruling establishment.

So i was always political right from the very start, but David says that most people do not share any great ideological commitment. Where I work no one has a clue about what is going on in the world, but if they took an interest they might find out that no one needed to have died in the many of the wars that was started by our ruling class over the centuries.

Lots of people complain about the taxes and the benefits given to the poor people, but they remain are unaware how the banks create money out of thin air and lend it to our government at interest, something governments could easily do themselves. Once the loans are made they tend never to be paid off, and so, we, the tax payer, end up paying the interest for the whole of eternity – a free ride for bankers.

According to most of the alternative media we were close to WW3 with Russia very recently, but no one at my place of work had a clue what was going on, and they went about blissfully unaware. Apparently the US has backed off about the Ukraine right now fearing it was going to split much of Europe away from the US. Many EU countries have already joined the new Chinese led bank and this really worried Washington because if the dollar loses its reserve currency status then the US economy is finished. Paul Craig Roberts says that it is already on it way out.