Comments on: Lorenzo Bini Smaghi vs Greece http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/05/25/lorenzo-bini-smaghi-vs-greece/ A slice of lime in the soda Thu, 23 May 2013 23:51:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: dsquared http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/05/25/lorenzo-bini-smaghi-vs-greece/comment-page-1/#comment-27113 dsquared Thu, 26 May 2011 10:29:49 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/?p=8395#comment-27113 So the purpose of defaulting on the debt would be to improve Greece's access to credit? And by putting its deficit funding at the caprice of international capital markets rather than other EU governments, Greece gains political independence? I suppose it is the land of the Pyrrhic victory, but even so; I am unconvinced that gaining the sort of freedom to set its own fiscal policy enjoyed by, say, Ecuador is really worth all that much. btw, I don't really know what the difference is between a liquidity problem and a solvency problem in this context, and I don't believe anyone else does either. So the purpose of defaulting on the debt would be to improve Greece’s access to credit? And by putting its deficit funding at the caprice of international capital markets rather than other EU governments, Greece gains political independence? I suppose it is the land of the Pyrrhic victory, but even so; I am unconvinced that gaining the sort of freedom to set its own fiscal policy enjoyed by, say, Ecuador is really worth all that much.

btw, I don’t really know what the difference is between a liquidity problem and a solvency problem in this context, and I don’t believe anyone else does either.

]]> By: FelixSalmon http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/05/25/lorenzo-bini-smaghi-vs-greece/comment-page-1/#comment-27084 FelixSalmon Wed, 25 May 2011 12:54:24 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/?p=8395#comment-27084 OK, @dsquared, I'll bite. I know that you know the difference between a liquidity problem and a solvency problem. The advantage gained by default is that it would end up reducing Greece's debts to a sustainable level -- sustainable not only if and when the EU is in a mind to play along, but in the sense that the country actually can borrow money elsewhere, and isn't completely at the mercy of Euro politics, a ward of the Euro state. No? OK, @dsquared, I’ll bite. I know that you know the difference between a liquidity problem and a solvency problem. The advantage gained by default is that it would end up reducing Greece’s debts to a sustainable level — sustainable not only if and when the EU is in a mind to play along, but in the sense that the country actually can borrow money elsewhere, and isn’t completely at the mercy of Euro politics, a ward of the Euro state. No?

]]> By: dsquared http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/05/25/lorenzo-bini-smaghi-vs-greece/comment-page-1/#comment-27080 dsquared Wed, 25 May 2011 06:39:37 +0000 http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/?p=8395#comment-27080 If the EU were to "play along", and "continue to fund Greece's deficits" indefinitely, then in what way would this fail to "solve the insolvency problem"? What is the advantage gained by default which isn't the same thing "reduce Greece's debt-service payments"? If the EU were to “play along”, and “continue to fund Greece’s deficits” indefinitely, then in what way would this fail to “solve the insolvency problem”? What is the advantage gained by default which isn’t the same thing “reduce Greece’s debt-service payments”?

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