'Greek PM has failed miserably’: Academic
Press TV has conducted an interview with Keith Pilbeam, a professor at City University in London, to discuss the ongoing Greek debt crisis.
The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: In the past we have spoken about of course the situation in Greece with you professor and you have been critical of the Greek government and the way it has acted. How do you feel at this point, right a day before things are set to come to a crossroads?
Pilbeam: Well I think [Greek Prime Minister Alexis] Tsipras has made a very bad mistake walking out the negotiations. The gap between the two sides was actually quite minimum and now you have put Greece into a very difficult situation. People cannot even access their bank accounts, the banks are closed for seven days, minimum capital control is in place and basically when you are a leader, you have to lead and make decisions in the interest of your citizens and I cannot see there is decision made in the interest of the citizens.
Press TV: Certainly what many Greeks I would imagine would say is that what the ECB (The European Central Bank) and others are offering is essentially more austerity those kinds of things which was due to the reason why Tsipras came into power to begin with?
Pilbeam: Well there is austerity and there is chaos and what has created is a situation of chaos in Greece. This is not going to help the Greek economy. It is not going to help the Greek people and [it is risk] participation in the euro and exiting the euro would mean austerity, will seem like a very good outcome. So I think he has made a horrendous blunder. I think they miscalculated and the consequences are very dangerous.
Press TV: And of course you are sitting in the UK yourself professor and obviously UK is not part of the euro currency itself. So I am wondering do you think in many ways that it was a mistake to begin with for Greece to even join this euro currency and secondly do you think it may not be a bad thing for it to leave it?
Pilbeam: Well it definitely was a mistake to join, we know that. Now would it be a mistake to leave? No, Greece interests lie in remaining in the euro. They need to do these economic reforms. They need to get to Greeks with their tax collection. They need to grow up and this leadership I think has failed miserably.
AHK/NN
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