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Home / Business

Greece trap: What happens now voters have said no?

Daily Telegraph UK
6 Jul, 2015 02:00 AM3 mins to read

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Supporters of the No vote celebrate in Athens. Photo / AP

Supporters of the No vote celebrate in Athens. Photo / AP

Greek voters have given the EU a bloody nose - but the result means we could all end up getting hurt.

The left-wing Syriza government has won

A "No" vote is an endorsement of the left-wing Syriza government's view that the austerity package attached to Greece's bail-out deal is too harsh. Leftist opponents of "austerity economics" across Europe and beyond are rejoicing, as are critics of the EU's bureaucracy, at its having received a bloody nose.

EU governments will be furious at having to continue to deal with Alexis Tsipras, its prime minister, and Yanis Varoufakis, the finance minister, whom they have come to loathe. Expect more anti-eurozone rhetoric from similar radical parties across Europe, like Spain's Podemos

Greece will leave the eurozone

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That is what the EU says, and is likely to happen.Without a deal, it will be cut off from long-term funding from the European Central Bank, and will have to default more widely on its debts. The assumption is that it will effectively devalue by printing its own currency, and start again. However, both the Greek government and some financial analysts say there is no reason why it should not default on its debts, agree a new financing deal, and stay in the euro. Although the EU will not want to agree this, it may in the end prefer it to a breach of the principle that eurozone membership is irreversible.

Greece will run out of cash

All eyes will turn to the ECB, which on Monday will have to decide whether to continue to extend its emergency financial lifeline to the Greek banks. The Greek banks are at risk because they carry a heavy exposure to their government's own debt. If the government can't pay, and the banks go bust, then ... it is not clear what happens to savers' money.

Greece will have to find a factory to print drachmas

British firms like De La Rue, which prints 150 currencies worldwide, are believed to have been contacted with a view to providing such services. It's done in great secrecy to prevent currency speculation. The other big problem is the logistical challenges of switching a currency. All ATMs, computers and other machinery of commerce that bears the euro symbol will have to be adjusted. It could, and would, take months.

Greece's economy will (still) be in ruins

Many Greeks see the austerity reforms as a much-needed measure to make the country more economically dynamic. They fear that leaving the Eurozone will make Greece even more backward, and remove the one powerful check on Syriza's more radical elements. Feelings are running high on both sides.

What does it mean for the rest of us?

The No vote is a shot across the bows of EU leaders that they cannot take risks with public opinion in eurosceptic nations. World economies are at risk if the eurozone begins to melt down. EU leaders are confident it will not, but they have been wrong before. In New Zealand, the markets reacted badly to the news, with the dollar hitting a five-year low.

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Will tourists be affected?

Foreign bank accounts are not subject to the same 60 euro withdrawal limit as Greek ones are, but cash machines are already running short, and it is hard to see how a "No" vote will make things better. Increasingly, shops and other businesses have asked for payment in cash, too, rather than by card. Tourists are likely to continue to be able to pay in euros - and indeed, will welcome them all the more.

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Bryan Gould: EU power brokers have guilty role in Greek tragedy

06 Jul 09:31 PM
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