Germans expressed fury and frustration at Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou’s shock decision to call a referendum on the latest aid package, with some saying the gamble would push Greece out of the euro zone.
“You can’t help thinking that they should be grateful as Europe is trying to help,” said Konstanze Pilge, a 26-year old student, walking near the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin. “Now it looks like they are going to mess things up.”
Papandreou dropped his bombshell on Monday evening, less than a week after European leaders agreed the outlines of a second bailout for Athens.
Looking at a map it’s as if the outer fringes of the European continent are fiscally cleaving off – Greece, Ireland, Portugal, with Spain and even Italy somewhat threatened. This move by some Greeks seems almost petulantly defiant, yet something they may think they can carry off since they are strategically important to Europe’s security also. It seems to be formerly marine-oriented economies, Ireland included, that are ‘tanking’ so to speak, nations with histories of sea-faring trade, long harbor-indented coastlines, exposure to seas some of which are calmer than the North and the North Atlantic, but with drought-affected interiors and populations dispersed world-wide over recent centuries. One commenter at the NYT debate on this Greek cheek(iness) suggested it won’t ultimately scuttle the euro deal, but might just mean Greece leaves the union. I wonder if that wouldn’t be better for all concerned.
My goodness. Such an angry reaction to a vote! Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?