As usual we are hearing few specifics but there is a lot of talk that Tsipras is 'off to a bad start' in the summit and not making enough concessions.
"Euro area heads of government are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the situation following the referendum in Greece."
"The Greek government is expected to present creditors with new proposals for a bailout agreement, but German newspaperSuddeutsche Zeitung said they contained few concessions"
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102811275
How many concessions are they really expecting considering that their previous proposal chock full of 'concessions' by the Greeks was voted down by a supermajority? I know it's distasteful to the whole premise of the EU-which is Scott Sumner's neoliberalism-to even consider what the Greek people want.
Interestingly, when this point has been made Eurocrat pundits have tried to change the frame of reference from the democratic rights of the Greeks to the democratic rights of the EU ministers.
Because that's true democracy right? Not what millions of Greek people think but what a dozen or so Eurocratic ministers think.
Anyway with all the talk that today is a hard deadline there is already talk of another summit-or a meeting anyway of all 28 members of the EU whether or not you want to call it a summit.
As to the narrative of 'Greece isn't serious' this is the narrative of the Eurocratic pundits. This same group thought that the election on Sunday was too close to call. Now the narrative is that Greece has to show it's serious and hasn't offered a proposal.
However, there is a difference between not offering a proposal and offering one that the EU doesn't like.
"A Greek government official retorted: "Some are maintaining 'we don't have proposals'... Is it really that 'we don't have proposals' or is it that they don't like our proposals?"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/07/us-eurozone-greece-idUSKBN0P40EO20150707
What chance if there of finding common ground if the EU can't even admit that Greece has offered many proposals?
"Euro area heads of government are meeting in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss the situation following the referendum in Greece."
"The Greek government is expected to present creditors with new proposals for a bailout agreement, but German newspaperSuddeutsche Zeitung said they contained few concessions"
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102811275
How many concessions are they really expecting considering that their previous proposal chock full of 'concessions' by the Greeks was voted down by a supermajority? I know it's distasteful to the whole premise of the EU-which is Scott Sumner's neoliberalism-to even consider what the Greek people want.
Interestingly, when this point has been made Eurocrat pundits have tried to change the frame of reference from the democratic rights of the Greeks to the democratic rights of the EU ministers.
Because that's true democracy right? Not what millions of Greek people think but what a dozen or so Eurocratic ministers think.
Anyway with all the talk that today is a hard deadline there is already talk of another summit-or a meeting anyway of all 28 members of the EU whether or not you want to call it a summit.
As to the narrative of 'Greece isn't serious' this is the narrative of the Eurocratic pundits. This same group thought that the election on Sunday was too close to call. Now the narrative is that Greece has to show it's serious and hasn't offered a proposal.
However, there is a difference between not offering a proposal and offering one that the EU doesn't like.
"A Greek government official retorted: "Some are maintaining 'we don't have proposals'... Is it really that 'we don't have proposals' or is it that they don't like our proposals?"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/07/us-eurozone-greece-idUSKBN0P40EO20150707
What chance if there of finding common ground if the EU can't even admit that Greece has offered many proposals?
Ezra Klein makes a great point-since the EU loved the pre Tsipras, pre Syrzia Greek leadership they so much they could have given them a better deal.
http://www.vox.com/2015/7/6/8902087/greece-syriza-eurozone
Seriously. I mean let;s remember what happened to their friends-they were swept out of office. So they were doing what the EU wanted but the EU was unable to throw them a bone that might give them the slightest political cover. With friends like the EU who would ever need enemies?
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