– Caught On Tape: Dijsselbloem To Varoufakis: “You Just Killed Troika” (ZeroHedge, Jan 31, 2015):
Amid ‘turmoiling’ stock markets on Friday, CNBC’s Simon Hobbs summed up the status quo’s thinking on the new Greek leadership when he noted, somewhat angrily and shocked, “The Greeks are not even trying to reassure the markets,” seeming to have entirely forgotten (and who can blame him in this new normal the world has been force-fed for 6 years) that political leaders are elected for the good of the people (by the people) not for the markets. Yesterday saw the clearest example yet of Europe’s anger that the Greeks may choose their own path as opposed to following the EU’s non-sovereign leadership’s demands when the most uncomfortable moment ever caught on tape – the moment when Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem (he of the “template” foot in mouth disease) stood up at the end of the EU-Greece press conference, awkwardly shook hands with Greece’s new finance minister, and whispered…”you have just killed the Troika,” to which Varoufakis responded… “wow!”
As Keep Talking Greece reports,
The joint press conference was concluding, when Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis droped a last bombshell. “…and with this if you want – and according to European Parliament – flimsily-constructed committee we have no aim to cooperate. Thank you.” Varoufakis was referring to the famous Troika, the country’s official creditors consisting of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank..
After concluding with a “Thank you” Varoufakis gives the word to Eurogroup Chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who wants to hear the translation first. Then he takes off the ear phones, he stands up and sets to leave. An enforced-looking shaking of hands delays the departure of the Dutch FinMin.
Dijsselbloem quickly whispers something to Varoufakis’ ear, he briefly replies back and the Eurogroup chief leaves the press conference hall as soon as it was possible.
Video: the Awkward Greek-Eurogroup Moment
The whole afternoon, Greek and international media were trying to find out “What the hell did they two men said to each other!?”
Private Mega TV reported short before 9 pm on Friday.
Eurogroup chief whispered to Greek FinMin’s ear “You just killed the Troika” and that Varoufakis replied with a simple “WOW!”
Dijsselbloem: Whisper…whisper…
Varoufakis:Whisper….
Dijsselbloom slides his hand away
Back remains Varoufakis with one palm open and the left hand stuck in his pocket – relaxed Greek style
The two men talk for a couple of minutes with lips hidden from the cameras.
Dijsselbloem leaves without turning back to watch his interlocutor.
I don’t quite understand why Dijsselbloem is sour. I’m sure that Varoufakis told him the same things when they had their 2-hour face-to-face talks.
Unless they were talking about Gouda and Feta and the Greek FinMin surprised him when he said at the press conference, that the Greek government will not negotiate with the Troika.
And furthermore, why is he offended? He is chief of the Eurogroup, he does not represent the Troika…
Most probably he was expecting a Yes-Man behavior like in the past with HOHOHO-jocker Jean-Claude Juncker, when he was Eurogroup head.
Juncker – FinMin Venizelos
Juncker – Spanish FinMin
* * *
Later that evening Yanis Varoufakis gave an excellent more in depth interview with BBC’s Newsnight… to explain why Greece will not accept more debt from the EU…
Hail Hail to the new truth!!!!
It is finally breaking down greedy gut stranglehold on the Greeks, and eventually will lead to many more states………………maybe even the US.
The fake markets of the last 7+ years has been an insult to any of us who remember what real markets are about. They are about the real economy, not paper pushing, greedy gut feeding hot air and pure lies.
The US market was down every day last week in triple digits but one………..on Thursday, Visa split 4:1, and people who don’t understand stock is debt were dancing. They don’t get it, splitting stock is a way to dilute it, and use more cheap methods to get cash. Cash is in short supply in the US and the EU, regardless of what they hawk about a strong dollar, and so on.
90% of all transactions on the US stock market are high frequency when a few individuals (working for the greedy guts) buy and sell huge amounts of securities in less time than it takes one to blink an eye. That isn’t investing, that is skimming. They always take the money OUT, nothing comes in.
Well……some greedy gut CEOs are using borrowed money to buy back their own stock…..Apple exceeds $17 billion alone…………and that is one more cost against the future interests of the shareholders. There are no laws to protect the shareholders, and there never have been. There used to be regulations on companies folks invested in, when the stuff they do today was illegal. Now, there are still no protections for stockholders, and no regulations to stop corporations from leaving the shareholders with nothing but debt………….anyone else remember Enron, Global Crossing, Worldcom……and so many others who cost hundreds of thousands decent jobs, no pension funds in their pension plans?…….All those companies were doing the same stuff Apple and the others are doing now.
A false “market wonderful” has enabled them to do this……..but the edge has finally been reached, and over the edge goes many more. This time, the US and the EU have no financial power to fix it…….the printing presses are running out of ink. Greece is the first sign, and many others will follow.
Austerity is for fools, it only breeds depression era thinking, and angers people. Hunger drives them like nothing else, and hunger has become a problem in the US and the EU. What do the leaders do? US congress continues to cut food stamps. What the EU does, I don’t know, it is up to each state, and Greece has just reminded them of that fact.
The people of the western world have finally had it. The so-called recovery has been for greedy guts and nobody else. Millions are sitting on over encumbered real estate, hoping the lies told them on US media will come true, and they can sell their properties at 2007 levels and retire in luxury and comfort. Fantasy and pipe dreams………………
“Row row row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily merrily merrily,
Life is but a dream.”
an old nursery rhyme……but amazingly true.
Now let’s wait and see how the bankers will subvert the new Greek leaders and bring them down, with all the tools they have: control over the money creation, their secret services, induced or fabricated terrorist attacks, redirecting the food supplies, control over media and propaganda, etc..