Tsipras in Parliament: Choice between Greekment and disorderly default

Greek Prime Minister Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras from Parliament — after midnight on Thursday — that the choice is an agreement between creditors and disorderly bankruptcy, or, a third choice: the Schauble plan. “If we want that, there’s time to ask for it, they offered it to us.”

He spoke at the end of debate on an omnibus draft bill approving a third bailout of the crisis-plagued country with creditors.

In repeating his previous “catch 22-like” dilemma, Tsipras reminded that his government does not believe in the majority of measures entailed in the agreement, “but we are obliged to implement them, because today this is the European framework.”

An increasingly embattled Tsipras, who’s facing opposition now mostly from within his ruling leftist party, told the plenum that we’re “at a time of crisis and responsibility. I heard many of you talking about a blackmail. Foreign media are writing the same thing,” he said.

“I am a politician that never believed that foreigners are at fault for all the ills that befall us. The biggest opponent for the forces of the left and progress is within our walls; it’s the forces of the cartels and oligarchs.”

In looking to the future and the prospect of debt relief, he emphasized that the “supreme solidarity was given by small Greece to German after WWII with a debt write-off”.

“What’s being given to us these past years are loans, not solidarity”.

Finally, he admitted that mistakes and omissions were made during the five-months of negotiations with creditors, although he again assumed responsibility.

Meimarakis

In speaking after Tsipras, main opposition leader Vangelis Meimarakis stressed that his center-right party is the guarantor of the country European course.

“This agreement, of course, will bear the signatures Tsipras and Kammenos, you own it and you must implement it.”

“ND gives you its backing for the European prospect, but it does not give you a ‘blank check’. It is our political strength to say ‘yes, proceed with Europe’, don’t misunderstand bourgeois good manners.”

“You pilfered the people’s vote with fake promises,” he charged.

The government’s rapporteur, in the face of opposition by a significant group of ruling SYRIZA MPs, was Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, who took over from Yan_is Varoufakis days earlier in an urgent bid to seal a deal and avert a further meltdown of the Greek economy.

In using a more political tone, with a view towards SYRIZA’s far-left “dissidents”, said the Greek Left must crush the “old establishment” or else there is no future for Greece.

Theodorakis

While he initially said he would not address the plenum, centrist Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis directly pointed to a “drachma lobby” in the country and its henchmen, while daring any SYRIZA MP or minister — as well as those in the junior coalition AN.EL party — that opposes the agreement to also resign their seat. He referred to “hypocrites and the parasites” in his address.