"you can't all have nice cars like the tourrerists"

Not sure what word you were aiming for there. Did you mean people who plant bombs, or ones who SHIT! randomly shout PISSARSEBUGGERBUM! expletives when they CUNT! speak?

Why didn't you slip the tax inspectors a grand to certify you as earning 9,999.99 EUR (you don't pay any tax until you earn 10k) like everyone else did?

Greece reported a nearly 2 billion euro surplus in 2014, without taking interest payments into account.

I could take a cash advance on a credit card at 28%, put it in a deposit account at 1%, and generate a surplus without taking interest payments into account.

Educated young oeople were flooding out of Greece long before the current government took over.

What, both of them?

Isn't it pretty much how student loans work?

Apparently you have never read the short story 'Harrison Bergeron'

I thought he was a frequent contributor who writes stories that are as far from short as it's possible to be?

I don't even think trade will stop, sure they won't be able trade Dramas for goods and services

Comedies generally sell better.

That situation is exactly the same in the US (except the gap is about $500 billion right now, more than the entire Greek debt).

The US has two things that Greece doesn't: an economy, credibility, and nukes.

I'll come in again.

The only reason that the US keeps going is that they control the lender (the Federal Reserve). At least they think they do.

The Greek PM was mumbling about "external forces" (in between wittering about ancient history) on TV over the weekend. He looked & sounded drunk to me. Frankly, if I was PM of a tin-pot kleptocracy like that I'd probably have a decent nip of Ouzo before going on the box.

If you think it's the illuminati, the freemasons or the joooooz, just say so. Don't piss around.

And Greece isn't exactly known for being a software development powerhouse anyway.

I've seen code written by them, so I completely understand why.

Pshaw! I'm sure StartsWithABang has an informed opinion on the subject.

Good luck with that.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-...

Seems he's finally realised that everybody thinks he's a total twat.

Oh, come on. They've got olives. And some old buildings.

Why is there no production capacity shortage to keep Greek pensioners at a decent standard of living?

Yes, just look at all those factories, oil wells, mines, software houses & movie studios all sitting idle.

If you think Greece's problems are just down to liquidity I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you.

The actual report is in the Chicago tribune, behind a paywall. Fuck that and fuck the idiot who submitted this non-story.