Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE MINISTER FOR FINANCE has urged the leaders of Greece’s political parties to resolve their differences and form a coalition, so that the country can do whatever it needs to remain in the eurozone.
Michael Noonan told reporters in Brussels that he would encourage the parties in Greece – which are today holding their eighth day of talks in an effort to form a governing coalition after elections last week – to form a government without delay.
“Elections can throw up strange results at times, and then the political parties have an obligation to form a government,” the minister said.
“I’d encourage them [... to] pledge to implement the [bailout] programme with whatever variations they think are necessary.”
Asked if he would support such moves if it meant needing to bring Greece out of the eurozone, however, Noonan said it was “very important that the eurozone stays intact” and he would not favour seeing it leave.
Noonan declined to comment on the possibility of Greece having to leave the single currency, saying merely that any “adverse comment from the outside” would not be helpful for the country as it tried to end its political impasse.
“My view is that Greece should continue to stay in the euro, and any support I can give them at the meetings over the next two days to achieve that objective, I will do so.
“But they have to set their own house in order,” Noonan warned, remarking that the current problems facing the country were neither economic nor fiscal, but political.
“I don’t think a new election helps them – why have it all over again?” the minister wondered. “Coalitions are the norm, that’s the route that should be followed.”
Noonan is in Brussels to attend a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers today, and of the EU’s finance ministers tomorrow.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Like anyone outside Ireland would take advice from an Irish Gombeen!
I think what he meant to say was, “I’m only saying this to you Greeks to get column inches and divert media attention away from the fact that our Longford mayor Jim Keogh says No!”
Darren brady..i couldnt say it any better….ha ha ha…,what country will want to stay in this mess…
Yes Darren.
But I am beginning to wonder as to what the consequences might be if a Euro member decides to back out.
We have all been given to believe that this would be the end of life as we know it.
We won’t know until an EU member country opts for this drastic measure.
The EU gombeen susper structure is all saying the same thing. No one in power is addressing the fact that no country has ever managed to implement the cuts that Greece has to and come out the other side.
The cuts that Greece has made already are so severe, so brutal, that it has killed the economy dead.
Greece has 2 choices, accept that this new situation is the new normal, as the Euro straight jacket will not allow growth, or start again.
There is a large and growing no. of people in Greece that have nothing to loose and all to gain by a restart. The 50% of under 30′s that are unemployed for one.
Noonan and the ECB/EU in the desire to protect the status quo, and the Euro dream are willing to consign them to the dustbin of Europe.
I’m betting that the Greek people, are not going to allow them to do that. The same applies to Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, Belgium.
The EU should have been a 6-7 country max proposition. This is what happens when you try to shoehorn totally different economies in to the one economic model.
Noonan, you’re a teacher pretending to be a finance minister. No one takes you seriously, give up trying to be something special.
They’ll definitely take his advice; perhaps based on the great job he is doing here!
Poor old Noonster. Afraid you’ll be shut out of the markets so you can’t borrow more money and make us pay it back.
The people will vote no and force you to do some real reforms on public spending and welfare. No more borrowing. Force everyone to live within the country’s means.
Well done. At least you’re being honest. Yes, voting no will mean we lose access to all forms of external funding and hence austerity on a level we’ve never seen before.
The loolahs here are giving your posts the thumbs up because they see you’re a no voter. They don’t see that you completely (and correctly) disagree with them on the effects. They have been tricked into thinking that voting no will mean no austerity. Ah, the fools….
**previous post screen printed BTW just in case it goes “missing”
danny, you allude to a ‘no’ vote but repeat the falsehood that everything would have to be slashed overnight because no funding would be available, a staple position of the ‘yes’ side. You also repeat this in just about every single post to try to nail home the false point that no vote = instant cuts to welfare and services, also a tactic of the ‘yes’ side. You are also repeating this in almost all of the posts you make, as if to have as many instances on pages concerning the treaty as possible of somebody calling for a no vote because no=cute to welfare and services (which is not true)
Strange, no?
It’s a bad thing, eh Darren? I think you’re underestimating the Irish people. We’re not stupid.
Too true left, I know it doesn’t fit your world view but as you see from the thumbs up, many people agree with me. We’re not all loony lefties.
We = no voters
Darren, show us one quote from any politician or other person of signifigance on the ‘no’ campaign stating that “that voting no will mean no austerity”.
Noonan could not direct traffic never mind direct the already banjaxed greeks on how to act,an overpaid fool who would be better served trying to resolve irish problems instead of talking out of his rear about things that are of no concern to him
Danny, just pointing out that you constantly mention voting ‘no’ but give ‘yes’ campaign scare tactics as the reason.
Its almost like you’re the social media equivalent of the ‘yes’ campaign putting up poster stating ‘Vote No – for welfare and public spending cuts”
Like I said, strange isn’t it?
Too true left,
Paranoid much? There are solid right wing reasons for voting no. The yes side want us to keep on borrowing to pay back in the future with interst. You wouldn’t run your house like this! You don’t borrow to fund every day things. You cut back to balance the books.
What do you see happening when we vote no.
In case I was laying it on a bit thick, I’m not talking about totally wiping out the welfare state! Just cutting back to German or UK levels. There’d be savings in other areas too.
See the posters, TTL.
NO AUSTERITY
VOTE NO TO AUSTERITY
SAY NO TO THE EU AUSTERITY TREATY
There’s an explicit suggestion in there that all we have to do is vote no and we can get back to partying.
Danny,
These “ideas” of yours about balancing the books in double quick time… presumably you’d be planning some revenue raising measures in there too like tax hikes etc. It couldn’t just all be cutbacks. That shrinks the economy and you end up in a downward spiral like Greece.
THere is no such thing Darren, they refer to enshrining austerity in our constitution. You seem to be very fond of telling us all what the ‘no’ side thinks and what the ‘no’ side alludes to without being able to quote anyone.
Again, show us one quote from any politician or other person of signifigance on the ‘no’ campaign stating that “that voting no will mean no austerity”.
What do you think is being enshrined in the constitution? We’re voting on a constitutional change to allow the legislature to ratify it, that’s all. Nothing of the treaty or any terms of it are going into the constitution.
Here is the proposed amendment to the Constitution.
“The State may ratify the Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union done at Brussels on the 2nd day of March 2012. No provision of this Constitution invalidates laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by the State that are necessitated by the obligations of the State under that Treaty or prevents laws enacted, acts done or measures adopted by bodies competent under that Treaty from having the force of law in the State.”
We are putting no provision from the TSCG into the Constitution. If this amendment is added to the Constitution we don’t even have to ratify the thing. All we are putting into the Constitution is that the State MAY ratify the Treaty. The people will not be ratifying the Treaty. Only the government can do that. The referendum is simply to give permission to the government to do it.
We will be putting the provisions of the Treaty into *national law*. This is actually what the Treaty is about and there will be a Fiscal Responsibility Bill later in the year that will include the fiscal rules included in the Treaty. The rules are NOT going in the Constitution.
I’d be more for it if they were putting those budget rules in the constitution. It’ll just be another politicsl fudge.
Still waiting for that quote darren……unless of course you we’re just doing your usual thing of shooting your mouth off making accusations about the ‘no’ side that you can’t back up?
Oh, sorry. Did you not see my post above about all the no posters? I don’t recall seeing any saying VOTE NO FOR LESS AUSTERITY or VOTE NO FOR A WEE BIT OF AUSTERITY. Nope, it’s VOTE NO FOR AUSTERITY and it’s a lie.
Now, what was that you were saying about enshrining austerity into the Constitution? :-)
Ok, so you were just shooting your mouth off as usual. No politicians or posters are claiming as you stated that a no vote will end austerity.
There will be even more austerity, over a more extended period of time, if we vote yes. The house of cards will eventually collapse. You can’t just keep borrowing.
How would Noonan and the rest have reacted if Venizelos or Papademos had urged FG and Labour to hurry up and form a government? The smug imperial arrogance of Noonan knows no bounds.
Shut up Noonan you muppet. Let the Greek people decide their future. No you
Considering that the majority of Greeks voted against austerity and their bail out conditions Noonan saying they should get together and implement the bailout programme doesn’t seem to show much respect for the democratic design of the Greek people. I’d guess he is terrified that there will be a second election and the anti austerity party will be returned with enough members to form a government.
And then suddenly everything will be all better…….not! Greece is screwed whatever decision the Greek people make.
Greece voted against continuing economic measures that are destroying the economic fabric of society there, that are going to turn it in to a 3rd world economy in time.
Send ‘em over someone from Labour to explain how beneficial it is to get yer drawers down and lep into bed with any auld chancer. A great way of getting a family friend or two into a snug job as well!
Christ you could not make this stuff up
He should sort out our bank debt here first and not interfere with the internal politics of another country.
Perhaps Angela gave him this instruction ?
Cheeky and down right rude !!!
“Adverse comment from outside” I’m sure there are plenty of politicians in Greece that don’t share his view on forming a coalition with parties that have totally different views on how Greece should proceed and world view this as an adverse comment from an outsider/muppet!
The sound of a pip squeaking!!!!
Noonan is right. Greece is finished without the euro. A return to Drachma would be disastrous. They have nothing to export and the cost of imports would soar. Right now, there’s a radical left wing party with just 17% of the vote holding that country back for the purpose of improving their vote. There’s a party like that here too. Thankfully though, the Irish people in the main see through them…
That party which received 17% of the Greek vote because they were campaigning against austerity. While I know in Ireland we are well used to campaigning politicians saying one thing before an election and then promptly doing the opposite once elected there is no reason why we should expect a party in a different country to behave like Irish political parties.
Yet the sheep will all still vote yes, are we really such a stupid people?
We are not stupid There has to be a resounding NO anyone who can read can understand voting for this bad treaty is madness. We can see a Trojan horse there is no where to hide if we vote yes it’s game over for growth if it’s passed!! Be gratefull Noonan is such a pompous fool he doesn’t look or sound like he has a clue
The treaty is dead, it is immaterial whether it is a Yes or No vote.
25 Italian banks were down graded today. Greece is on the way out, the main course is next. Italy and Spain and Portugal. France and Belgium will follow them.
To stabilize It. Sp. and Port. it is going to cost about 2 trn Euro’s this year. The EU bailout fund won’t even last a season, and then what happens after that?? The 2 trn does not count for leveraged deriv’s in banks.
To save the Euro, the ECB is going to have to open up the printing presses to an incredible degree, the markets are skeptical of the Euro and its future, who can blame them, so it is press time.
The word trillion is going to become part of all our daily vocab over the next few moths. The Euro crisis is about to step up a gear.
“Adverse comment from outside” I’m sure there are plenty of politicians in Greece that don’t share his view on forming a coalition with parties that have totally different views on how Greece should proceed and would view this as an adverse comment from an outsider/muppet!
Good decent man Michael is only trying to do his best
Like he did in the Hep C case?
Like he did when he refused to block the inclusion of the blackmail clause despite being in the room at its inception?
I presumed that he was in on the creation of the black mail clause, he knew a gun would have to be held to the Irish head, to force them to do vote for something that was so blatantly against our economic interest.
I don’t think they are listening Mr Noonan.
Noonan is trying to look important in Europe as he is regarded as a complete buffoon in his own country.
Unlike Ireland the Greeks can now decide their own fate. Good look to them and I hope they vote in an entirely left Government. We didn’t and look what that got us.
have your say