Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: ..
Instead they were confronted with a text from the creditors that upped the ante, demanding a rise in VAT on tourist hotels from 7pc (de facto) to
23pc at a single stroke.
Creditors insisted on further pension cuts of
1pc of GDP by next year and a phase out of welfare assistance (EKAS) for poorer pensioners, even though pensions have already been cut by
44pc.
They insisted on fiscal tightening equal to
2pc of GDP in an economy reeling from six years of depression and devastating hysteresis.
They offered no debt relief. The Europeans intervened behind the scenes to suppress a report by the International Monetary Fund validating Greece's claim that its debt is "unsustainable",..
(This from a country that has never repaid its debts. See Piketty )