The country is split in two, the borders are closed, the farmers are adamant about their absurd demands while the government is simply standing by… The troika will not show up, at least not in the near future, as some ministers hope, the review is being postponed and the economy is suffering.
The Prime Minister and the government staff appear to insist upon their delusions. After having made a U-turn on the refugee crisis and accepted all of the European demands, they believe that they can offset the IMF and troika demands to close the review. Past experience from political negotiations however does not justify such optimism. The new agreement package was usually worse than the previous one…
The messages come and go from all sides now. After some positive remarks are made about the progress that has been achieved, we are told that greater efforts and specific quantified proposals are needed to reach an agreement. We make plans, experts go over them and their political supervisors then demands more specific – and fair – measures. Just like Mr. Dijsselbloem did on Thursday, where he stated that it s not just the future pensioners who must bear the brunt of the pension reform, but the current ones as well.
It is clear that the government does not have a ‘plan B’, should the review stall; not that there can be one, in practice. The red lines have proven to collapse like a house of cards. Any delays are cost us, not the creditors. So there is no more room for delusions. The prime minister and his staff must now make a decision and assume the political cost. Society and economy cannot endure this climate of decay, insecurity and anger.
TO VIMA
