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Greece urged to sell Islands

Started by Savonarola, March 04, 2010, 11:58:22 AM

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Savonarola

I call dibs on the Island of the nymph Calypso:

QuoteGreece urged to sell islands 


Greece has said the suggestions, including the sale of the Acropolis, were 'not appropriate' [EPA]

Greece should consider selling some of its uninhabited islands to raise cash for the debt-ridden nation, two German politicians have suggested.

Josef Schlarmann, a senior member of the Christian Democratic Union, and Frank Schaeffler, a finance policy expert of the Free Democratic Party, made the comments in an interview with Bild newspaper on Thursday.

"Those in insolvency have to sell everything they have to pay their creditors," Schlarmann said.

"Greece owns buildings, companies and uninhabited islands, which could all be used for debt redemption."

'Not appropriate'

But Dimitris Droutsas, the Greek deputy foreign minister, dismissed the idea saying: "I've also heard the suggestion we should sell the Acropolis. Suggestions like this are not appropriate at this time."

Greece's deficit was 12.7 per cent of GDP in 2009, well ahead of the EU's 3 per cent of GDP limit.

The nation has launched an austerity programme, including tax hikes, raising the retirement age and a freeze on public wages, designed to secure European help to tackle its crippling debt burden.

But opinion polls show Germans are overwhelmingly against taxpayers bailing out Greece.

"The chancellor cannot promise Greece any help," Schaeffler told the newspaper in a story with the headline: "Sell your islands, you bankrupt Greeks! And sell the Acropolis too!"

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, will meet Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in Berlin on Friday.
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Jaron

Oh Greece...


You better shape up..


because we need some islands..

And our hearts are set on yours..


woo woo woo
Winner of THE grumbler point.

Josquius

Dibs on Lesbos!
...
Uninhabited...
oh....
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Jaron

Winner of THE grumbler point.

Syt

Quote from: Tyr on March 04, 2010, 12:56:16 PM
Dibs on Lesbos!
...
Uninhabited...


No, it's not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbos

Always fun to play in Spartan as Lesbians.
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Syt

Btw, I claim Naxos for the classical music label.
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Jaron

Perhaps the EU should try to broker a sale of these islands to the Turks?
Winner of THE grumbler point.

Josquius

Quote from: Syt on March 04, 2010, 12:58:24 PM
Quote from: Tyr on March 04, 2010, 12:56:16 PM
Dibs on Lesbos!
...
Uninhabited...


No, it's not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbos

Always fun to play in Spartan as Lesbians.
:unsure:
I meant as in I just read the subject line then the uninhabited bit.
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MadImmortalMan



Quote
"Those in insolvency have to sell everything they have to pay their creditors," Schlarmann said.

"Greece owns buildings, companies and uninhabited islands, which could all be used for debt redemption."



Well, it's a good point.
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Syt

Quote from: Tyr on March 04, 2010, 01:05:32 PM
:unsure:
I meant as in I just read the subject line then the uninhabited bit.

Haven't read as far yet.
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.
—Stephen Jay Gould

Proud owner of 42 Zoupa Points.

viper37

They should sell the entire country to Turkey.  Would solve the debt problem, and would let Turkey enter the EU ;)
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Martinus

Greece and Iceland: COUNTRY FAIL? :D

The funny thing about both is that they thoroughly and absolutely deserve any and all financial karmic catastrophe befalling them. These are not poor struggling countries, but simply countries with completely unsound and idiotic fiscal policies (but for different reasons). So they should go fuck themselves.

Jaron

Giving out free money leaves the underlying problem unaddressed. It is like giving a fat person free weight loss surgery. Yes, the weight is gone but the lack of discipline that led them to be fat in the first place remains and overtime they will once again find themselves in the same position.

No more tax dollars for those who cannot spend it wisely!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :yuk:
Winner of THE grumbler point.

Viking

Quote from: Martinus on March 04, 2010, 04:30:58 PM
Greece and Iceland: COUNTRY FAIL? :D

The funny thing about both is that they thoroughly and absolutely deserve any and all financial karmic catastrophe befalling them. These are not poor struggling countries, but simply countries with completely unsound and idiotic fiscal policies (but for different reasons). So they should go fuck themselves.

Greece - lied about it's budgets, spend like a drunken sailor

Iceland - didn't know/care what it's banks were doing

slightly different... anyways, our sugar daddy (norway) likes us more than greece's sugar daddy (germany) does.
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HisMajestyBOB

Quote from: viper37 on March 04, 2010, 02:51:13 PM
They should sell the entire country to Turkey.  Would solve the debt problem, and would let Turkey enter the EU ;)

:yes:

The Turks may be dirty Muslims, but at least their country isn't bankrupt.
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