Report: Greek Official Says 60% Vote No To Austerity

Greece’s interior ministry has released an official prediction for Sunday’s referendum on the bailout, declaring that more than 60 percent of voters will reject creditor demands. The government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has pushed for voters to choose “No” as they claim it will help them during negotiations with creditors. Those opposing Tsipras have argued that a “No” vote will make a Greek exit from the euro likely. So far, roughly a quarter of the votes have been counted.

BREAKING: Senior German conservative Fuchs says he sees no chance that a solution on Greece can be agreed in the next 48 hours.

http://beta.counterpunch.org/2015/07/06/...austerity/

Quote:As the Greek banks are closed and evidently cannot reopen without a resolution of the issue, EU inflexibility would force Greece to leave the euro and return to its own currency in order to reopen the banks.  This would not require Greece’s departure from the EU as the UK and one or two other EU member states have their own currencies. However, most likely the EU and Washington and Washington’s Japanese, Canadian, and Australian vassals would attack the new Greek currency and drive its value in exchange markets to such a low value that Greece could not import and wealth held in Greek currency would be worthless abroad.

http://beta.counterpunch.org/2015/07/06/...he-troika/

Quote:Just after 7 PM Greek time on Sunday, I was told that the “No” vote (Gk. Oxi) was winning approximately 60/40. The “opinion polls” showing a dead heat evidently were wrong. Bookies across Europe are reported to be losing their shirts for betting that the financial right wing could fool most Greeks into voting against their self-interest. The margin of victory shows that Greek voters were immune to the mainstream media’s misrepresentation during the week-long run-up as to whether to accept the troika’s demand for austerity to be conducted on anti-labor lines. (James Galbraith summarizes the misrepresentation in “9 Myths About the Greek Crisis,” Politico.)

It should not have been so great a surprise. Voting age for the referendum was lowered to 18 years, and included army members. Faced with an unemployment rate of over 50 percent, Greek youth understandably wanted no more of euro-austerity.

The Troika’s demand was for austerity to be deepened solely by taxing labor and reducing pensions. Its policy makers had vetoed Syriza’s proposed taxes the wealthy, vetoed steps to stop their tax avoidance, and that the IMF had vetoed cutbacks in Greek military spending (far above the 2% of GDP demanded by NATO), despite even the European Central Bank (ECB) and German Chancellor Merkel agreeing to this. Instead, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, threatened that the EU would expel Greece from Europe – despite there being no law permitting this to occur. And instead of doing what a central bank is supposed to do – provide liquidity (and paper currency) to banks, ECB head Mario “Whatever it takes” Draghi forced them to shut down even their ATM machines for lack of cash. Evidently this was intended to frighten Greek voters to think that this would be their country’s future if they voted No.