Off Topic Thread too point uh

dregin

Turn on RTE Radio 1 if you can. Brendan OConnor and George Hook have just spent the last 25 minutes talking about Georges adventures in literary erotica. No idea wtf is going on... Doesn't sound fake.

.ak

Deleted User wrote: »

So True Detective has gone full Twin Peaks on us. Finding this season a bit of a struggle to be honest. Last Season starting to look like a fluke.

It's pretty different in fairness... I like the weirdness to it, but I'm not mad on the dialogue. If it makes it's own image I'll be happy enough but right now there's too many similarities between the series and you just can't copy the first season.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

So True Detective has gone full Twin Peaks on us. Finding this season a bit of a struggle to be honest. Last Season starting to look like a fluke.

I agree. I'm just not nearly as excited about it any more. Too many characters with too many (seemingly meaningless) threads. The dialogue is clumsy. The characters are unbelievable or just uninteresting. There is no one to tell them to shut up like Marty did it Cole when he was being too doom-and-gloom.

dregin

I found that TD Season 1 peaked too early and waned toward the end. Also, can yiz spoiler tag the stuff above.

Not seen the 3rd episode and already losing my interest in it going off the few words into each post I read

Wang King

Google seems to be a bit of fun this morning if you fancy a bit of Godzilla type battle

molloyjh

I'm quite enjoying TD this season, but then I didn't like season 1 so there you go.

thomond2006

So you can delay the adoption into law of a referendum result and despite losing you can present a fat bill to the taxpayer. Nice.

http://www.thejournal.ie/joanna-jordan-supreme-court-costs-2202386-Jul2015/

dregin

dregin wrote: »

Turn on RTE Radio 1 if you can. Brendan OConnor and George Hook have just spent the last 25 minutes talking about Georges adventures in literary erotica. No idea wtf is going on... Doesn't sound fake.

Right. I wasn't imagining this: https://twitter.com/search?q=rteradio1%20hook&src=typd

It was utterly bizarre.

errlloyd

TD Season 2 is going grand. Sure I didn't think TD season 1 got good till episode 3.

Buer

Listening to Newstalk there and apparently the Greeks have returned to the discussions today without any new proposals. An announcement expected within the next hour. Hopefully crossed wires because that would be entirely ridiculous.

CatFromHue

Buer

Buer wrote: »

Listening to Newstalk there and apparently the Greeks have returned to the discussions today without any new proposals. An announcement expected within the next hour. Hopefully crossed wires because that would be entirely ridiculous.

From the perspective of one that wishes to engage with their creditors, yes...

Buer

Deleted User wrote: »

From the perspective of one that wishes to engage with their creditors, yes...

Which appears to reveal their mindset.

But I have to wonder....this government are stalling, trying to hold out until their creditors give in....all the while their people are in huge difficulty. The elderly are queuing in their masses to try and access pensions, sitting on the side of the roads in tears, stock levels in pharmacies are starting to slide, the average person is at an ATM at 5am to try and get money to survive.

What the hell are they doing stalling for another day? They don't hold the cards in this situation.

Buer

Buer wrote: »

Which appears to reveal their mindset.

But I have to wonder....this government are stalling, trying to hold out until their creditors give in....all the while their people are in huge difficulty. The elderly are queuing in their masses to try and access pensions, sitting on the side of the roads in tears, stock levels in pharmacies are starting to slide, the average person is at an ATM at 5am to try and get money to survive.

What the hell are they doing stalling for another day? They don't hold the cards in this situation.

Syriza in 2012 explicitly wanted Euro exit and a default.
Scenario : what if this hasn't changed?

Following that scenario, from Syriza's perspective, they want the EZ/ECB to fire the bullet, they're not going to do it themselves.
Once the haircut % is raised to require a bail-in, there's no going back, under any government. That drives a wedge between EZ and Greece that's probably not ever going away.

What if they want the ECB to do this, to force them to leave? They get to paint them as the villains, and portray themselves as the oppressed, sticking up for their electorate until the very end.

molloyjh

Deleted User wrote: »

Syriza in 2012 explicitly wanted Euro exit and a default.
Scenario : what if this hasn't changed?

Following that scenario, from Syriza's perspective, they want the EZ/ECB to fire the bullet, they're not going to do it themselves.
Once the haircut % is raised to require a bail-in, there's no going back, under any government. That drives a wedge between EZ and Greece that's probably not ever going away.

What if they want the ECB to do this, to force them to leave? They get to paint them as the villains, and portray themselves as the oppressed, sticking up for their electorate until the very end.

What are the realistic consequences to something like that? Can they not default from within the EU?

molloyjh

molloyjh wrote: »

What are the realistic consequences to something like that? Can they not default from within the EU?

No.

Varoufakis believes that they could, but didn't go into detail on the 'Universal Solution'. He's kind of left an essential "to be concluded" in the building blocks of his argument there.

The ECB cannot (legally) provide ELA to insolvent banks *. It's pretty much already doing this, loathe to interfere any further with the politics of the 'game'.

If they deem that the assets held by Greek Banks (mostly related to Government bonds) are of insufficient quality to support the level of ELA that they've got, then depositors cash must be used as collateral. That would mean that people's deposits would take a hit.

I could see that going down like an atomic bomb in Greece. The people are already desperate, and wildly disenfranchised from the EZ. This would probably be an mortal wound in the relationship.

Potentially this is what Syriza could want though.

The objective of ELA is to support solvent credit institutions that are facing temporary liquidity problems. ELA thus addresses short-term liquidity problems and does not aim to provide solvency support.

molloyjh

Deleted User wrote: »

No.

Varoufakis believes that they could, but didn't go into detail on the 'Universal Solution'. He's kind of left an essential "to be concluded" in the building blocks of his argument there.

The ECB cannot (legally) provide ELA to insolvent banks *. It's pretty much already doing this, loathe to interfere any further with the politics of the 'game'.

If they deem that the assets held by Greek Banks (mostly related to Government bonds) are of insufficient quality to support the level of ELA that they've got, then depositors cash must be used as collateral. That would mean that people's deposits would take a hit.

I could see that going down like an atomic bomb in Greece. The people are already desperate, and wildly disenfranchised from the EZ. This would probably be an mortal wound in the relationship.

Potentially this is what Syriza could want though.

Are they not fairly torn as a people regarding Europe as a whole?

What happens if the Greeks leave (I'm not using that abbreviated term that sounds like it's a celeb couple!) and default? Most of the debt is held by EU Governments so are we talking another economic crisis in Europe?

Is it me or do the Greeks just not want to take responsibility for the fact that they have been grossly mismanaging their country for some time? Do they believe that they should be able to get out from under this without having to pay heavily? If so, that would seem fairly naive to me.

awec

Any golfers among our rugby posters?

(other than Sky Mango Tux)

Swiwi.

Buer wrote: »

Which appears to reveal their mindset.

But I have to wonder....this government are stalling, trying to hold out until their creditors give in....all the while their people are in huge difficulty. The elderly are queuing in their masses to try and access pensions, sitting on the side of the roads in tears, stock levels in pharmacies are starting to slide, the average person is at an ATM at 5am to try and get money to survive.

What the hell are they doing stalling for another day? They don't hold the cards in this situation.

My colleague is Greek and she is firmly in the no camp. They have nothing to lose any more in her words.

Synode

awec wrote: »

Any golfers among our rugby posters?

(other than Sky Mango Tux)

Absolutely love golf

awec

Synode wrote: »

Absolutely love golf

do ye play?

Synode

Swiwi. wrote: »

My colleague is Greek and she is firmly in the no camp. They have nothing to lose any more in her words.

They have a hell of a lot more to lose if their government don't get their act together and agree a deal. I feel so sorry for the people. I'm sure they're being fed all sorts of crap over there

Synode

awec wrote: »

do ye play?

Yep

awec

Synode wrote: »

Yep

You from Dublin? What courses are decent?

Whats your handicap?

sydthebeat

Synode wrote: »

They have a hell of a lot more to lose if their government don't get their act together and agree a deal. I feel so sorry for the people. I'm sure they're being fed all sorts of crap over there

the line from the anti austerity crowd is that greece is actually running at a governing surplus, in that their tax take in covers their daily spend.
if thats true, then really they dont have that much more to loose by playing hard ball for longer.

Synode

awec wrote: »

You from Dublin? What courses are decent?

Whats your handicap?

Yes from Dublin. I only play society golf and I'm off 23, so not very good.

Is price an issue?

You should sign up to http://deals.justgolf.ie/deal/dublin/ and http://www.mygolfdeals.ie/ They have some great deals. Carton house last week for two with a buggy for €99

awec

Synode wrote: »

Yes from Dublin. I only play society golf and I'm off 23, so not very good.

Is price an issue?

You should sign up to http://deals.justgolf.ie/deal/dublin/ and http://www.mygolfdeals.ie/ They have some great deals. Carton house last week for two with a buggy for €99

I'm off 23 or 24 I think (can't remember, haven't been a GUI member or played since 2011).

Club memberships seem really expensive down here, think society golf is the way forward for now.

Should get a few rugby forum outings organised.

Synode

sydthebeat wrote: »

the line from the anti austerity crowd is that greece is actually running at a governing surplus, in that their tax take in covers their daily spend.
if thats true, then really they dont have that much more to loose by playing hard ball for longer.

Not anymore. The economy has pretty much ground to a halt. All gains in the period 2008 - 2015 have been thrown away and the people can no longer withdraw more than €60 from cash machines. It's only a matter of time until there's a haircut to savings

molloyjh

Swiwi. wrote: »

My colleague is Greek and she is firmly in the no camp. They have nothing to lose any more in her words.

They have a LOT more to lose. The situation is going downhill fast, but it hasn't bottomed out yet. If they don't agree a deal then things will get worse before they ever look like getting better. And if they default and leave nobody is going to lend to them. Then where are there banks going to get cash from and how is the country going to get itself out of bankruptcy? Sure they could go back to the drachma and devalue the hell out of it. But it'll be years before things start to get any better.

The attitude that they have nothing left to lose is every bit as naive as the attitude that they shouldn't have to pay severely for mismanaging their country severely.

On the other hand it seems that the Greek government are looking to hold the EU to ransom, "You've invested too much in us now to walk away, we have you by the short and curlys.". That's an incredibly dangerous game to be playing though. If, as emmet says, this is all just a ploy to get out of the EU then they are happily allowing their people to suffer for political ends. Either way it all seems very irresponsible and reckless to me. Which is exactly the kind of behaviour that got them here in the first place!

thomond2006

I never understood the "Let's Burn the Bondholders" argument. It might save money now, but in the long run your reputation and access to credit is gone. That puts an end to any kind of large scale capital expenditure by the state and the Irish banks couldn't function without access to the interbank market.

Or am I talking through my behind?