The Troika leads, PASOK follows

The government has appeared trapped these past few days, having to deal on one hand with the possibility that the 5th installment might not be paid in time and on the other, with the reactions against “taboo” measures both from within and without the party.

The battle against the Troika so that vulnerable social groups will not be affected seems to have extended, and is still raging behind the doors of ministerial offices. Most ministers either say they are not informed or that they do not know what is actually happening.

However, the leakage from Megaro Maximou stating that the prime minister will broadcast an address to the people, along with the simultaneous meeting with political leaders, are creating a political thriller as to what will happen next. Meanwhile, it is possible that the announcement of the mid-term plan will be postponed yet again and moved to next week.

Privatization and “removals” of SOE employees are the two major headaches, the results of Troika pressure about a more rapid pace. Already since last week, another word has been sought to replace “dismissal”. Government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis talked about freeing the forces of labor, while Infrastructure minister Reppas said the layoffs will be carried out for symbolic reasons!

From the Economist conference, Giorgos Papakonstantinou did not rule out the possibility of layoffs and so the debate intensified further.

In view of the Prime Minister's meetings with political leaders, all issues remain open, since the decisions to be taken may engender political developments. The main concern of the government is to retain political control of the situation, despite the most ominous predictions after the spreads catapulted anew to 1.400 points.

It is almost certain, however, that political leaders will not respond apart from ND and LAOS, who of course will limit themselves to converging upon only a few points. At the moment, no one seems willing to sign the additional measures, which are already the result of an ineffective economic policy, either because it was incorrect from the start, or because its implementation was gutless.