GREECE: The ERT shutdown was a distraction for more bankster theft of public funds!

Troika raids on social security budgets and private pensions

Devious, moi?

The Slog: In one mighty bound over the last week, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has managed to do what no other politician has since the Greek crisis began: unite the Opposition and divide the Government at one and the same time. But Samaras is supposed to be a wily coyote: so is he really that gauche? A valued contact there described Samaras to me as one of “a small group of self-styled shakers & movers who think they own Greece…not smart at all. Local bully boys. Incompetent and unsavvy to boot”. Yet I am left wondering whether anyone could be that naive, and become Prime Minister. Of course, I then think about David Cameron and remember that such is perfectly possible. But then in turn, other information pops out – and makes me ponder about it further.
Surprise, surprise…after the ‘crisis’ talks got going between the Coalition partners, government collapse (and the need for more elections) was avoided.
After over three hours of talks late last night, the coalition partners said talks would resume tomorrow. Not surprisingly, the main Opposition Party Syriza launched a vicious attack on the government yesterday, condemning New Demiocracy’s policy as “An act of tele-piracy on behalf of the Prime Minister.” The Greek Communist Party (KKE) also accused the government in similarly emotional terms, while extreme right Golden Dawn suggested the Prime Minister’s cost-cutting efforts should start from “the high salaries of deputies, the millions picked up by political parties and the ‘golden-boys’ of the public sector.”
Meanwhile – and completely out of the public eye now – six potentially deal-breaking issues remain on the negotiating table in talks between the Finance Ministry and the Troika. The aim – how many times have we heard this? -  is for the Troika’s ‘assessment report’ to be completed by July 31st so that the IMF can approve the disbursement of the next installment of €1.8 bn on August 1. The issues include how successful tax measures have been, tax payment monitoring, new ‘collection mechanisms’, privatisation progress, banking recapitalisation, and a rubber stamping of all  15,000 state sector layoffs to be processed by the end of 2014.
But there is, I’m told, a great deal more going on. And most of it represents the sort of high-explosive stuff requiring the media to be distracted in a major way. This is what I have learned so far:
* The Troika is demanding to see full details of all the Greek social security funds that are still intact.
* It is refusing to take off the table plans to steal private pension contributions via direct access to the assurance companies involved.
Further, the following are already under way, and largely unreported:
* 200 Primary and nursery schools abolished.
* 13 hospitals closed.
And finally, other moves (and data) have been carefully kept away from prying eyes….only now starting to emerge. They include the abolition of the Ministry of Culture, a projection that fully 60,000 businesses will go belly-up in 2013, and another twenty public institutions are to get the chop in the wake of ERT.
So maybe Samaras isn’t so dumb after all. As the classic Slog triad dictates, there will be distraction, then distortion…..and finally, deception.

Source