Syriza

By Mehul Srivastava & Nikos Chrysoloras

How much should be the sales tax for a beer and kebab in an Athens taverna? How much for a carton of milk at the local shop? Or bought on an island instead of the mainland?

“The institutions want to annihilate the country and our people,” was the high-pitched statement uttered on Thursday by one top SYRIZA government minister who heads up the ruling party’s “internal opposition”.

Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis repeated to protothema.gr his standing triptych: “the country cannot tolerate more austerity; needs greater liquidity and a deep debt cut”.

A Parliament deputy of the rightist-populist Independent Greeks (AN.EL) party, Dimitris Kammenos, received a tsunami of negative reaction over his post on Facebook, which depicts the infamous main gate of Auschwitz photoshopped to read “Menoume Evropi” (We’re staying in Europe) instead of the insanely cruel “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work frees you), which greeted people as they were transported into

European shares fell for a second straight session on Thursday, with lingering concerns of a Greek debt default following a lack of progress in negotiations with its creditors prompting investors to cut their exposure to riskier assets like equities.

By George Georgiopoulos & Renee Maltezou

Greece's ruling Syriza party dismissed reform demands from the country's international creditors as "blackmail" on Thursday as crisis talks to avert a debt default and a eurozone exit entered a critical phase.

Bloomberg reports that the future looks glum with the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government of Greece holding firm to its pre-election pledges to end austerity during a flurry of meetings in Brussels on Wednesday. Technical experts are now preparing the ground for fresh talks.

“It’s not a (counter) proposal, it’s Armageddon; they sent it to us at 5 in the morning”, was the response by a high-ranking but unnamed Greek government spokesman to reported demands for a higher (23 percent) VAT rate on most goods as a well as an end to practically all early retirement schemes in the country.

Political percolation within the Greek opposition appeared to pick this week amid the increasingly frustrating “last stretch” negotiations between Athens and its institutional creditors, as well as a budding pro-Europe movement that has recently emerged on the pavement.

Angry Greek pensioners took to the streets of Athens on Tuesday to protest against the new austerity plan submitted by the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government on Monday. Feeling betrayed by the measures that further burn into their already meager pensions the silver-haired army of giagades and pappoudes (grannies and grand-pahs) rallied with placards.

Economy Minister George Stathakis told private MEGA TV on Wednesday that the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government “achieved the most balaned agreement (with creditors) taking into account the circumstances.”

The minister said that “lenders initially demanded direct pension and wage cuts and an overall VAT hike in certain categories.”