
Harry Potter fans very well know that in the series’ early books, Lord Voldemort (Harry’s archenemy for you Muggles) was too fearsome to even be mentioned by his name. Wizards at Hogwarts (the Wizard school for you Muggles – enough already) referred to him as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named“.
Well the Greek Government has now its own He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or rather “It-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named“:
The TROIKA
If we were allowed to pronounce it (it will be banned by law anytime now) we would read it as Tro-ee-ka (rhymes with Perestroika).
But what is/was the TROIKA?
According to wikipedia the TROIKA is: The tripartite committee led by the European Commission (Eurogroup) with the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, that organised loans to the governments of Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and Cyprus. Together these three international organisations representing the bailout creditors, became nicknamed “the Troika”.
Well the TROIKA has been declared officially as dead by many Greek government officials including the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during the press conference following the European Union Summit on February 12:
“The Troika is over“, said Alexis Tsipras
Outcome: The TROIKA may be over but on Friday 13 February several Greek bureaucrats are holding “technical” discussions in preparation for the next EUROGROUP with the following individuals (all of which were members of the It-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named).
- Rishi Goyal from the International Monetary Fund.
- Klaus Masuch from the European Central Bank.
- Declan Costello and Thomas Wieser from the European Commission and the EU Economic and Financial Committee.
The TROIKA is dead! Long live the “European Institutions assisted by the International Monetary Fund”
(we are desperately in need for a new nickname – leave your suggestion in the comments)
It could be called “Non-Troika”, “Pseudoika”, “3ika”, “11-8ika” or “3 little pigs” if that makes people feel more comfortable. A more progressive approach would be to add an OECD member as well, so it could be called “Quadruplet” (I believe this is a not-that-unlikely scenario).
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What about “Perestroika”? Reminds us of Russia’s innovation… Or at least an attempt!!!
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I think that “WOW” would be a nice replacement as a tribute to Varoufakis’ reaction when Jeroen Dijsselbloem told him that he had just killed the Troika…
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The declaration that the troika is dead is another sound proof of how the present government is deceiving the Greek people. The troika consists of three representatives of the IMF, teh ECB and the EC Commission which are our creditors (the Commission representing Member States). It is of course imossible to have Mrs Lahgard, Mr Dragi and Mr Junker physically in person available every time the Greek Administration feels like negotiating. The troika was therefore representing the above institutions and to say it is dead is absolutely nonsense. It is necessary and will for certain remain in operation (maybe with other members). What I find personally deeply dissapointing is not the fact that the government is lying (I would not expect anything else from a supposedly radical left group of inexperienced newly born “politicians”) but the eagerness of the Greek people to swallow all those lies without using a inch of common sense.
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Well the Germans are already in search for a new name: http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article137429355/Griechenland-Troika-hat-einen-neuen-Namen.html (unfortunately the article is in German but “TIFKAT” is what is proposed for a “TROIKA” replacement.
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