This is about Scottish football but I take a while to get there. And I don’t think you’re going to like it, but something has been bothering me with all this news about Greece, there’s been a little dissonance.
Greece has come through seven years of devastating poverty and economic turmoil, the like of which has not been seen anywhere else in Europe, and within weeks it could get a lot worse.
Many Greeks with economically portable skills emigrated. Those left, the old, the infirm, the unskilled, and those who don’t want to abandon their family or country, have been left to deal with the consequences of a debt which dwarves their earning capacity.
Greece joined the euro and overnight were able to borrow money at cheaper rates than ever before. They borrowed and invested, but poor governments and lax taxation systems left them vulnerable. When the crash came, Greece was hopelessly unable to pay its debts, largely owned to German and French banks.
Back in 2008 the world’s banking system was on the verge of collapse. It is not an exaggeration to say that our economies, jobs, welfare systems, public services and more, were in jeopardy. Governments took steps to keep the banks afloat, but Greece owned money beyond their borders.
If they still had the capacity to issue their own currency, they would have defaulted, offered their creditors 10 lepta to the drachma, and quickly moved on. Prices would have skyrocketed overnight, many people would have been priced out of the basics, but tourists would have flooded in, as would new employers, to take advantage of the newly cheap Greek labour.
But since 2002 Greece has been using the euro. They could not print euros after the crash so had to come to a deal with their creditors, and that meant paying all their debts, in particular to the German banks who loaned them money, at an appropriate interest rate, years earlier.
It was appalling. Greece was not blameless, no European governments – or ultimately their electorates – were, but they were boxed into a corner and forced into a deal. Foreign banks, who were well-placed to weigh-up the commercial risk of their Greek loans, were beneficiaries of the squeeze put on some of Europe’s poorest people.
In January this year Greece elected a radical government. Syriza were voted in on a ticket to renegotiate the terms of what the world calls the ‘bailout’.
The bailout is an affront to the European Union, the IMF and the European Central Bank. The world’s governments needed to protect their banks to prevent complete collapse, but the deal imposed on Greek citizens is pernicious and disproportionate.
A game of brinksmanship is going on between Greece and their lenders, the Troika. Syriza are mandated for one thing and one thing only, renegotiate the current deal. I admire their resolve and hope the Troika accommodate their request for change, but the consequence of a failure to find an agreement is enormous, the like of which we have never seen in a modern economy. Those sitting at the Syriza side of the table know they may be marching their citizens off the edge of a cliff.
What’s this got to do with Scottish football?
For the Troika, read Mike Ashley, he was the lender of last resort, he was also the beneficiary of the loans. In fact, he loaned Newco money he’d already made from them. Those loans came with pernicious conditions. The profits he’ll earn from seven years merchandise rights are spectacular – and they will come from what I could argue is the most impoverished football club in Europe. Mike is the ugly face of capitalism (and there are pretty faces).
The analogy is not perfect. Rangers spectacularly defaulted. Newco’s early years have been more painful than they necessarily could have been, largely as a consequence of an organised group of Real Rangers Men who were determined to grab control of Newco’s assets for as cheap a price as possible. But if you are an unskilled Greek living on handouts, or an easily-led Rangers fan, who just wanted to watch his team, you were not the architect of your own misery.
Alexis Tsipras is no Dave King, he is an engaging leader and is not a criminal, but if he leads Greece into an abyss, he will be guilty of one of the classic failures of leadership – telling people what they want to hear in order to gain power, without any way of delivering on the promises made.
King may be doing the same. He strikes me as a man intent on recreating Jonestown in Govan. Unlike Tsipras, who appears to be making progress with his creditors, King has inspired division and boycott. I can’t picture him now without scenes from Jonestown flashing through my mind.
While I know I’m stretching the analogy between Greece and Rangers, there are many who have lost their livelihood, or football club, through the fault of more powerful men, who were paid to look out for their interests.
Mike Ashley is a figure of fun for us but be sure, he is not our ally. Our enemy’s enemy is not our friend. He’s just another in a long line of naked opportunists we were wise enough to avoid.
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MACJAY
While the success of capitalism is down to evermore inventive methods of screwing those who pay the bills?
The issue with Rangers (let’s assume for the sake of the discussion that Oldco and Newco are directly related) strike me as being more akin to Iceland, albeit with a twist. Having run up huge debts during the boom years, the creditors eventually came looking for money that they couldn’t pay. This resulted in a severe diminishing in their standing, but debt default meant they had a fresh start. This is where they diverge. To the best of my knowledge Iceland hasn’t burnt through all the money they have raised since then. Rangers, on the other hand, did exactly that and has found that the creditors are not going to be fooled again.
THETOKENTIM
I’ll send the boys round to drag you out!
You must have some number of stamps on your passport,mate.
Ooooops,apologies to BOURNESOUPRECIPE….
Fantastic article Paul67 :)
Applaud the analogy and common theme. Could also have included SFA as playing part of IMF who both overlooked rules and helped each applicant to qualify for memberships when clearly weren’t suitable (IMF in collusion with Goldman Sachs cooked Greece’s books to meet required GDP)
I feel for the working man & woman in Greece who have been robbed of their financial security by the banksters but the ‘peeple’ saw it all coming and still to this day keep making the same mistakes so stuff them. Capitalism chews up and spits out fools who easily part with their money and the realpolitik in Greece is miles ahead of any change in strategy down sevco way.
Paul67 –
It’s not a perfect analogy, and some of the difference are glaring – the scale, importance and potential consequences of a Euro exit for Greece vs the ridiculous Sevco scenario. At the end of the day, only a few batshit-crazy delusionals based in the West-Central Scotland will care if Sevco go under again. For the rest of the world it wil not even register. No – not even for the half-a billion in other parts of the universe. The other obvious difference is that between a public and private enterprise – even though those lines get more blurred by the day.
However, there is one parallel that is legitimately analogous between the Athens and AyeBrokes situation – and that is a massive failure of governance. In the case of the Greek economy, a fair, progressive and fit-for-purpose tax system is possibly one of the main factors contributing to their crisis. On the Sevco side…well…you know that story already…
It’s not a perfect analogy, but it is entertaining enough for a Tuesday afternoon.
macjay,
As I recall, the world’s economy collapsed because the BANKS were playing roulette with their customers’ money. Not many socialists on the boards of banks. Fraudsters and criminals aplenty, mind. Just the type that Thatcher liked.
From last twine,
12:01 on 23 June, 2015
THOMTHETHIM
With respect,I also thought the plan was to buy develop and sell at a profit. And repeat.
Perhaps you should tell PL that repeat does not mean put the cash in the bank to cover the shortfall in income caused by his failure to repeat..
*****
Nor does ” repeat” mean spend the same money you get for a player on the replacement.
Unfortunately, in the climate in which we operate, money has to go into the coffers for other stuff, including ground development.
TET,
I think the delay in bringing players in has a lot to do with the targeted players having or are waiting on, further options.
I can’t see Celtic deliberately delaying a signing, when there is a chance of losing him.
I do accept a judgement call on when to bring a player in for the first qualifier.
I believe that we have enough in the tank to take us through the first tie.
Last season was a perfect storm of new coach, some new players, some old huffy ones and meeting teams already established into their seasons.
I genuinely think we are better prepared this year.
Must depart, as there is rubbish to be recycled and a beach to walk.
FFS Jon Daly, Shane Ferguson & Rob Kiernan and all we have at Celtic is Anto and Beefheart won’t be happy till ol’ Stokesey is gone.
Eoghan O’Connell better make a breakthrough, if this trend continues my grandchildren will be supporting the Huns e):
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
13:29 on
23 June, 2015
Mate
How is it that posters here pretend that they`re not capitalists.
You know that the vast majority are,and so do I.
But they talk a good line in theoretical socialism.
Greece is the one who is currently screwing those who pay it`s bills.
No?
Who are these people that boo greese?
ger57
13:32 on
23 June, 2015
I was speaking about Greece.
You want to generalise.
For obvious reasons.
THOMTHETHIM
‘Nor does ” repeat” mean spend the same money you get for a player on the replacement.’
Where did I suggest that it does? That isn’t an answer to my post,you have turned the point I made on its head.
You obviously don’t understand the meaning of a simple word like repeat either.
I said the plan was to buy develop and sell. And repeat. Go try work it out for yourself,or better still,ask someone to explain it to you.
Conventionality belongs to yesterday.
Tomorrow belongs to Mr Mike
MACJAY
Actually,no.
Worldwide there is a trend for the average person to cough up and corporations and wealthy individuals not to do so.
In fact,paying its share of taxes is considered commercial suicide by companies nowadays.
James McClean gone to WBA i see..was hoping we may have made an effort for him.
Paul67
The oldco support were actually to blame….remember the reactionary protest outside ipox which forced Murray to spend the £18m that broke the camel’s back….!!!!!!
what sort of signings do we as supporters want and expect for this window.
Lets start with JK saying that this squad could qualify for the champions league. yes we could but thats not what we want. we need to qualify so a couple of additions will be neccesary.
Ronny and his team will have identified where in the squad we need to improve and where we need to strengthen the back up.There will be potential transfers for every position, at least I would like to think so. He will have his first choice targets based on which positions he prioritises and secondary targets for other positions.
We can all say that we need a centre back as VVD is likely to go so Ronny would be attempting to replace him. however should he not get the player/ players that he wants , what becomes an option. He may possibly go for another Victor who will sit in front of the centre halfs cutting out supply to that area meaning who ever does play centre half has less to do, and therefore less likely to make mistakes.
His job is all about balancing both the books and the playing style,ensuring that we win the league, that is number one priority.
Europe however is a different fishpond.
We know we arent going to win champions league.
we know we arent going to get to semi finals.
We know we arent getting to the quarter finals.
We know it is unlikely we will get to the last 16.
We know we could get to the group stage and that at present is our level which we could do 1 in every three years
With the current batch of players and a few good recruits we could hopefully make it 2/3 and who knows, maybe the unlikely scenario becomes possible and the quarters becomes the unlikely.
Those on here that say we have signed too many bad players should remember, these guys arent bad players, they just didnt come up to the standard required at Celtic park. I am sure players like Pukki,Bangura or Balde would have looked good playing at Aberdeen or Motherwell and there would be a clamour to sign them in the same way as Cifti or even John Sutton have been mentioned in the past.
Lets just hope that Ronny and his boys get their priorities right and more importantly get their signings right.
If Dedryk Boyata was to be the only newcomer in this transfer window, then I for one would still have my heart pounding every game wanting Celtic to be victorious because the guys we have are not bad players and they are Celtic players
See that girl, watch her scream, kicking the dancing queen.
Polish defender Jaroslaw Fojut has left Dundee United to join Pogon Szczecin in his homeland.
Fojut, 28, has signed a three-year deal with the Ekstraklasa side. His family had already returned to Poland, having failed to settle in Scotland.
After spending a year in Norway with Tromso, Fojut joined United on a two-year deal in 2014 and made 39 appearances, scoring five times.
Big losss for Dundee United that fella. May not have been the most able with the ball at his feet but a strong presence at the back.
LB
Good Afternoon.
Here’s a very short piece about gloating. You may have noticed that there’s a lot of it about. Without there being any basis for it…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/the-gloat/
Enjoy the rest of the day
Macjay,
Ah, God love ye.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon @ 13:24
As Margaret Thatcher said:
“The problem with socialism is that after a while you run out of other people`s money.”
It now looks like the mugs are going to give them more.
Whose money do capitalists use?
Murray
White
Green
Ashley
King
Capitalist all and a fine job they did.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
13:43 on
23 June, 2015
Mate
I`m talking about Greece.
Nevertheless.
Average person never gets paid in cash?
Average person never pays in cash?
That`ll be shinin`
You moved to Nirvana
:-)
Beddybyes.
…and what about the money for Dalglish, we got £440 000 for him….where is that?
“The Jonestown Kool – Aid, Re-Enactment Society.”
Founded 2012
By Dafties, For Dafties.
Livi,
And he nearly became one of us.
HH
Dharma Bam
13:49 on
23 June, 2015
Macjay,
Ah, God love ye.
————————————————————————–
He does indeed.
He loves honesty.:-)
murdochbhoy
13:49 on
23 June, 2015
Whose money do capitalists use?
————————————————————————————————————–
Yours.
Last word.
Buenas noches.
You should write all these down.
I’m sure god does love honesty.
What connection does honesty have with what you try to do no here?
“no here” should have been “on here”
Geordie Munro
Yeah he did.
I watched him fairly closely. Not a great player but certainly able. Injury may have robbed him of some pace.
A solid player for United though. He will be a big loss. If they lose Ciftci this summer as well I think United will find it very tough next season.
LB
MACJAY
The black economy is a tiny fraction of the whole tax scam.
The average person is neither part of the black economy nor of the tax frauds carried out by the wealthy who are intent on staying that way. And to hell with the rest of us.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/21/us-official-british-government-undermined-progress-tax-avoidance
Think socialists in government are morally superior to capitalist pigs? You probably also think that Jedward are the new Lennon and McCartney.
Oh, hello Captain!
Bobby M,
I replied to your post @13.40, but unfortunately, it got lost in the ether, a problem I’ve had with a few recent posts.
I won’t bother repeating it, suffice to say that I was surprised and disappointed in the tone of your reply to me, which was most unlike you.
I’ll leave it at that.
canalamar
Re Craig Gordon
http://www.celticfc.net/news/6165
Signed July 3rd last year 2 year deal with a one year option.
HH
Another 35 year old jets in to sign for thems ;))
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33242429#
HH
Socialism is just like a particular type(not all) of a beautiful lady. Irina will promise a lot but ultimately she will donald duck you and then spend all your money. One can understand the allure though.
Capitalism is crushingly dull for most of us. Nevertheless a life with humdrum Brenda from Saltcoats will be less troublesome than life with Irina.