Brussels finance talks have Greeks feeling cornered
Greece will soon run out of money, and while finance talks in Brussels are ongoing, there’s still no answer yet as to whether Greece will remain a part of the Eurozone or if it will break away and go back to using the drachma currency.
“It’s what everybody is talking about at cafes at taverns. Whenever friends meet, it’s the number one topic,” says Giorgos Christides, a correspondent at Spiegel Online based in Thessaloniki, Greece.
According to Christides, the finance conflict is actually increasing pro-government sentiment.
“Everyone is cheering for the government, whether they belong to the left, the center or the political right,” says Christides. “Most people feel they are being cornered by the 18 other members of the Eurozone.”
Christides thinks many Greeks would see a Greek exit from the Eurozone — or a ‘Grexit’ as it’s called — as a huge waste of time and money.
“I think the general consensus, both among the people and the government, is that, after five years of recession, huge unemployment rates and 240 billion euros being spent bailing out Greece… it would be suicide to say Grexit is the only way,” Christides says.
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