Alexis Tsipras urges people to vote no in Sunday’s referendum as capital controls bite and vital tourism industry sees tens of thousands cancel holidays in GreeceRelated: This euro is destroying the European dream | Jonathan FreedlandGreece’s economy is on the brink of collapse after the capital controls imposed ahead of Sunday’s referendum left the country with shortages of food and drugs, the tourist industry facing a wave of cancellations and banks with barely enough money to survive the weekend.Related: A decade of overspending: how Greece plunged into economic crisisRelated: Greek referendum: what the experts sayRelated: The Guardian view on the Greek referendum: hard to imagine a more dismal choice | Editorial Continue reading...

Latest polls show country split down the middle

The Greek government is urging a no vote in Sunday’s bailout referendum. Eurozone leaders say vote yesGreeks go to the polls on Sunday to vote on whether to accept the bailout programme proposed by international lenders that would restart financial aid in exchange for further austerity and economic reform.The government is urging people to vote no, with the finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, saying it is time to end years of rolling over Greece’s bailouts and “pretending” its debts can be repaid.A no vote would at least open the possibility that Greece, with its strong democratic tradition, might grasp its destiny in its own hands. Greeks might gain the opportunity to shape a future that, though perhaps not as prosperous as the past, is far more hopeful than the unconscionable torture of the present.The troika clearly did a reverse Corleone – they made Tsipras an offer he can’t accept, and presumably did this knowingly. So the ultimatum was, in effect, a move to replace the Greek government. And even if you don’t like Syriza, that has to be disturbing for anyone who believes in European ideals.It’s a complicated choice. The question being asked is whether the plan from the creditors is good or not. If that is the question being asked, the answer for me is clear: it is a bad plan.I recommend that the Greek people give a resounding “No” to the creditors in the referendum on their demands this weekend.The way forward is to reform from within, not by running away from the problem. There are already signs that sentiments are changing ... With patience other changes will follow. It is clear to most politicians in Europe that austerity is dividing the continent and damaging the European project. Reforms will follow. Greece has a role to play in this agenda but only if it stays within the eurozone.There has been too much austerity but a no vote would make things worse. It would almost certainly mean banks becoming insolvent, an exit from the euro and a much faster decline in economic activity, with hyperinflation following as the drachma that is introduced instantly devalues.A yes vote would keep banks open and give mandate for a deal to be struck that recognises the new Greek realities and includes, as the IMF now says, restructuring of the debt which every economist knows is unsustainable.Taking into account that the proposals of our creditors and the Greek government were converging until last Friday, we believe that what is really at stake in the coming referendum, irrespective of the precise formulation of the question, is whether Greece will remain, or not, in the eurozone and, possibly, whether it will remain in the EU itself...Leaving the eurozone, especially in this chaotic and superficial way, would likely lead to a process of leaving the EU too, with unpredictable and disastrous consequences for the national security and the democratic stability of our country. Continue reading...

Athens was poorly prepared for the 2008 crash - living off easy credit, while spending on wages and defence soared, and taxes began to fall awayHow did Greece get into this state?Greece was badly prepared for the 2008 financial crisis after a decade of overspending. In many ways, the weakness of its economy and public finances was akin to that of Spain, Ireland and Portugal, which also found themselves brutally exposed after 10 years of living beyond their means. Greece, though, was a special case, which was why in 2010 it became the first EU country to send a distress signal. Since then, Athens has struggled to piece together a deal with its lenders that allows the economy to recover. Continue reading...

The Greek crisis has led Brussels into the business of regime changeBrussels should not be in the business of making or breaking governments. But that is nevertheless the dangerous point to which the European Union’s mishandling of the Greek crisis has brought it. The union “made” the present Syriza government in January this year by refusing to offer its predecessor, New Democracy, the softer terms on debt which would have allowed it to stay in office. But that could be put down to happenstance. The situation now is different, with European leaders openly campaigning for a yes vote in the Greek referendum due to be held on Sunday. A yes vote would almost certainly lead to the fall of the Syriza government. If this is not regime change, it comes perilously close to it, and it is a profoundly damaging development for the European project.It is worth asking again at this critical stage who is most to blame, because that question is so often asked in the wrong way. Alexis Tsipras and his colleagues are amateur politicians who in normal circumstances would have been fulminating from the opposition benches without worrying about what to do if they achieved power. It is hardly surprising therefore that, cocky and erratic, they have made mistake after mistake. Continue reading...

At the centre of this dramatic slide are individual investors borrowing from a broker to buy securitiesWhat goes up, can also come down, as the old adage and the modern-day investor warning go. And that is precisely what the tens of millions of people who hold shares in China have been discovering.Chinese stocks had doubled between last November and mid-June, to the delight of a fast-growing army of retail investors. In echoes of the dotcom bubble in the US, much of the speculation, fuelled by borrowing, has been on technology stocks. But now shares across all sectors are tumbling. After another punishing week, and despite a surprise move last week by the central bank to cut interest rates, shares are now down nearly 30% from their peak less than four weeks ago.Related: Volatility in China's stock markets stokes conspiracy theories Continue reading...

New research suggests that banker-bashing only makes matters worse, and that regulators should ‘focus on good behaviour’. I’ve got a better ideaBankers need more cuddles. They should be hugged and kissed and taken gently by the hand, and led to a room full of bouncy balls and bean bags, and told that they are clever and beautiful and kind, and that Mummy is proud.These aren’t quite the words of a new report, by PricewaterhouseCoopers and London Business School, into “unethical conduct” in banking, but they’re not a million miles off. The report is called Stand Out for the Right Reasons, which can’t help adding to the feeling that an ethical banker is about as common as a white rhino. The subtitle, which has a slightly threatening edge, is: “Why you can’t scare bankers into doing the right thing”.When bankers get scared, apparently, they don’t just cower in cornersRelated: Criminal bankers have brazenly milked the system. Let’s change it | Will Hutton Continue reading...

The Greek prime minister’s false assurances have left voters adrift on the eve of a confused – and possible less than legal – referendumAlexis Tsipras talks so much about democracy that one might think the Greek prime minister is a paragon of virtue when it comes to dealing with the voters. This is not the case. For a start, Tsipras has made a series of wild promises that he cannot deliver. Before January’s election, he pledged that he would tear up the country’s bailout programme while staying in the euro. The two are almost certainly incompatible goals, as the Greek people are now discovering at huge cost.In advance of Sunday’s referendum, he has given further assurances. One is that savers’ bank deposits are safe. He also said he will have a deal with Greece’s creditors within 48 hours of the plebiscite, if they vote no to the bailout plan. In fact, deposits are at risk and the chance of a deal in two days is virtually nil. A good democrat only promises what he or she can deliver. Tsipras is a demagogue.International standards recommend that a referendum is held with at least two weeks’ noticeRelated: Syriza can’t just cave in. Europe’s elites want regime change in Greece | Seumas Milne Continue reading...

Thought the £12bn welfare cuts were a big deal? Try the £40bn the government saved itself with a sleight of hand over inflationIn next week’s budget, attention will be sharply focused on the details of how the new government will cut its welfare budget by £12bn.But while jobseekers and carers wait to hear specifics of how ministers will take nearly 10% off the annual benefits bill, few realise that the government has already made changes that will reduce payments to those depending on state support by many times more over this parliament.The story begins with a single paragraph in the emergency budget a few weeks after the 2010 general electionRelated: Iain Duncan Smith returns to cabinet to oversee £12bn welfare cuts Continue reading...

There’s so much more at stake than just euros. We need a cooling-off period in order to deliver and a real, sustainable solution on Greek debtThe possibility of a Greek exit from the eurozone has never been more likely. We shouldn’t be under any illusions – this would be a catastrophe for Greece’s eurozone creditors, the Greek state and the European Union.Like it or not, we are all in this together. If we continue on our current trajectory, everyone stands to lose from what now resembles a reckless, self-destructive standoff. The Greek economy is on the verge of complete collapse. This would not only be devastating for the people of Greece, it will guarantee that creditors never see their money again. We must remember that Germany has lent approximately €80bn. This is an astonishing figure, close to a quarter of Greece’s budget for 2016. Yet the sad irony is, the longer the current impasse continues, the greater pressure Angela Merkel will face within her own party to reject any solution that is accepted by the Greek government.Greek people remain the victims of governments who have protected the clientelist system at their expense Continue reading...

The EU claims it will create millions of jobs and bring down the cost of living – but others say it is a threat to public services such as the NHSIf you are not yet familiar with the acronym TTIP it is likely you soon will be. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is a proposed trade agreement and the subject of an ongoing series of negotiations between the EU and US aimed at creating the world’s biggest free trade zone spanning the north Atlantic.It would dwarf all past free trade deals: the European commission reckons it could boost the size of the EU economy by €120bn (£85bn) – equal to 0.5% of GDP – and the US economy by €95bn – 0.4% of GDP.Related: I’ve seen the secrets of TTIP, and it is built for corporations not citizens | Molly Scott CatoRelated: Do you have concerns about TTIP? Continue reading...

It has been forced to reduce figure covered when banks collapse from £85,000 to £75,000 to bring UK in line with rest of the EUThe Bank of England has been forced cut by £10,000 the amount of a saver’s money that would be protected if a bank went bust, because of the slump in the euro over the past five years.The guarantee will now cover £75,000 per account rather than £85,000 – a move that may surprise savers and was described as bonkers by one expert.Related: Bank of England proposes savings protection limit of £1m Continue reading...

Private sector services exceeds expectations, but experts warn the economic recovery remains unbalanced as manufacturing slump continuesPrivate sector services grew more than expected in June, suggesting the UK’s economic recovery picked up going into the second half of the year.The Markit/Cips purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose by 2 points last month to 58.5, exceeding forecasts in a Reuters poll and remaining above 50, the figure that separates growth and contraction. Continue reading...

It is a sensitive subject but there needs to be serious analysis of the health and economic impacts of the Muslim fasting monthIslam is a demanding religion, requiring a considerable amount of time and effort on the part of believers to fulfil duties of worship. The core duties are known as the “five pillars of Islam”, the most burdensome of which is the fourth pillar, the injunction to fast during daylight hours (whereby no food, drink, smoking or sexual activity is permitted) during the lunar month of Ramadan, that is, 29 or 30 days. This is necessarily a debilitating requirement, whose health and economic impacts can be significant (children, the ill and elderly are exempted).

Read the heir to throne’s ‘Rewiring the economy’ speech in full, in which he addresses the challenges of climate change, sustainable development and economic reform

Council of state to question whether referendum violates constitution as yes and no camps appear neck and neck in pollsGreece’s highest administrative court will rule on whether the country’s bailout referendum violates the constitution, amid growing concern that the hastily organised vote falls short of democratic standards.With less than 48 hours until polling day on Sunday, the yes and no sides will stage large rallies in Athens on Friday evening. The prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, is expected to turn out at the no rally, having attacked his eurozone partners for trying to “blackmail” his country into accepting a bad deal.

Syriza administration estimates vote on country’s future in Europe will cost €20m while opposition puts it nearer €120m, as polls say 44.8% yes, 43.4% noIts banks closed and being drained steadily of cash, its economic and political crises worsening by the day, Greece is scrambling to organise a referendum on Sunday that it can ill afford.The leftist Syriza-led government of Alexis Tsipras says the cost of distributing ballot papers and paying monitors will be around €20m (£14m), but the conservative opposition – citing finance ministry data – puts the final cost at closer to €120m. Continue reading...

Greece’s finance minister tells Bloomberg TV he’d rather cut his arm off than agree to a deal without debt restructuringRead today’s Greek debt crisis live blog7.49pm BSTAnd finally..... Tsipras says MPs will be asked to vote on the old bailout proposal, if the referendum result is Yes.Greek PM Tsipras: Creditor deal will go to parliament if Greeks vote YES. (BBG)7.44pm BSTBack in the Greek PM’s office, Tsipras denies that he’s attempting a coup with his referendum (as the opposition claimed).He’s also calling out the media for being biased in favour of the Yes campaign; the interviewer points out that Syriza MPs get on TV too.#Greece Tsipras criticizes media for unbalanced reporting favoring YES - Journo: SYRIZA MPs in every TV too (lol )7.27pm BSTConstantine Michalos, head of the Hellenic Chambers of Commerce, doesn’t think the Greek banks are going to open again on Tuesday.He’s told the Telegraph that:“We are reliably informed that the cash reserves of the banks are down to €500m. Anybody who thinks they are going to open again on Tuesday is day-dreaming. The cash would not last an hour,”Exclusive: Greeks banks down to €500m as economy crashes - @AmbroseEP in Athens http://t.co/kv2ku1ZCx57.25pm BSTTsipras is now repeating what his finance minister told Bloomberg this morning - that a No vote will be followed by fresh negotiations, and a deal.* Greek PM says Greek banks will reopen after a deal - RTRS#Greece Tsipras Live: if strong NO next day I will be in Brussels and I will sign agreementThe queues at banks are a shame-for #Greece & Europe. Partners refused to grant short extension of program, opting for extortion instead.7.15pm BSTMy decision to call a referendum prompted the IMF to release its debt sustainability analysis, argues Tsipras.When we announced the #referendum, the IMF announced that #Greece's debt required a 30% haircut and long grace period. #Greferendum #OXI7.13pm BSTTsipras suggests that the International Monetary Fund could have piped up earlier:Tsipras now, ANT1 TV: What IMF says today for #Greece's debt was never said to us during the ngotiations. TR @doleross #Greececrisis7.10pm BSTAnd on the issue of the hour, Alexis Tsipras is adamant that a new bailout must include debt restructuringWithout debt restructuring, no program will be viable. #Greece #Greferendum #dimopsifisma #OXI#greece with impeccable political timing, IMF sides with greece against eurozone. #sortof http://t.co/SI6ewgslGm7.08pm BST...followed by a nice pop at his predecessors (such as Antonis Samaras, who blasted Tsipras on Bloomberg TV today)#Tsipras now, ANT1 TV: It never crossed my mind to do what other PMs did: come back (from negotiations) with a non sustainable deal. #Greece7.07pm BST7.03pm BSTA punchy soundbite:Either you give in to ultimatums or you opt for #democracy. The Greek people can't be bled dry any longer. #Greece #Greferendum #OXI7.02pm BSTNo early surprises from Alexis Tsipras in tonight’s speech (online here).He’s insisting that Greeks will be voting for Democracy and justice in Europe on Sunday (if they vote no). OXI does not equal Grexit, he vows.Voting #OXI / NO on a solution that isn't viable doesn't mean saying NO to Europe. It means demanding a solution that's realistic. #GreeceAusterity only serves to further the crisis. Workers and pensioners can no longer shoulder the burden. #Greece #Greferendum #dimopsifisma6.56pm BSTOh, one last thing...Alexis Tsipras is giving an interview on Antenna TV now.It’s being streamed live here. We’re keeping an eye for any major announcements...Σε λίγο, συνέντευξη στον ΑΝΤ1 & στη δημοσιογράφο Μαρία Χούκλη. #Greece pic.twitter.com/MildUJ0jgH5.47pm BSTThe Greek government has just announced that a number of leading musicians, singers and actors will stage a concert when a huge “no” rally is held in Syntagma square in front of the parliament tomorrow night, reports Helena Smith.“The big no rally will be a big festival of the people,” the ruling radical left Syriza party announced in a statement. “We will respond to the scene of fear that they want to impose with our songs, with our strong voice.”“In Sunday’s referendum with a proud OXI (no) we will write history. We will say the OXI of our life in order for life to emerge victorious.”5.37pm BSTJohn Hooper has been sounding out voters in the villages of Corinthia. Read his piece here:Related: MPs canvas vociferous voters in Corinthia, weather vane of Greek politics5.34pm BSTVoters won’t be able to miss this:5.29pm BSTEven a yes vote in Sunday’s referendum may not be enough to keep Greece in the euro, says Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz. Commenting on the International Monetary Fund’s report, he says:The IMF’s DSA (debt sustainability analysis) for Greece offers a stark reminder of the challenges faced by all those involved in this horrid tragedy.It points to an enormous need for economic reforms by a country that – repeatedly – has had huge difficulties sustaining a less ambitious effort under several governments.5.19pm BSTEuropean markets have ended lower ahead of the key Greek referendum decision at the weekend, with an exception being the FTSE 100 which has been lifted by BP agreeing to pay US authorities around $18.7bn relating to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.5.00pm BSTECB board member Josef Bonnici said the terms of any future emergency funding it offered to Greek banks - including the amount of collateral - would depend on the outcome of the referendum.Asked by reporters in Milan if a win for the no supporters meant the emergency liquidity assistance would end, he said:4.50pm BSTOver in Athens the Greek government spokeman, Gavriel Sakellarides, has reacted to the onslaught of support former prime ministers have made for the yes campaign today. Our correspondent Helena Smith reports:Growing numbers in the governing Syriza party are now saying openly that the no campaign is being deliberately targeted by what the left-leaning paper Syntaktwn described as “a machine of terror” in its front page splash today.Echoing those sentiments, the government spokeman issued the following statement.

Costas Karamanlis, Antonis Samaras and Constantine Mitsotakis, as well as Athens mayor, have told the public to not isolate the country within the EUWith Greece’s European future hanging in the balance, a phalanx of former prime ministers have emerged to urge the nation to vote yes in Sunday’s nail-biting referendum over reforms that would ensure continued financial assistance for the country.Breaking five years of self-imposed public silence, the former conservative leader Costas Karamanlis implored Greeks to avoid “recklessness and division” by voting to belong to the European family. The EU may have made “serious mistakes” in the crisis, he said, but it was vital that Greece remained in Europe’s hard core. Continue reading...

Heir to the throne calls for end to ‘business as usual’ approach that does nothing to avert catastrophic global warming – and praises Guardian’s climate campaignPrince Charles has said that “profound changes” to the global economic system are needed in order to avert environmental catastrophe, in an uncompromising speech delivered in front of an audience of senior business leaders and politicians.The heir to the throne – often criticised for his meddling in political affairs – argued that ending the taxpayer subsidies enjoyed by coal, oil and gas companies could reduce the carbon emissions driving climate change by an estimated 13%.

The Greek leader’s headache echoes that of his predecessor Andreas Papandreou. He is leading a country at a crossroads between west and east, past and futureA freshly elected Greek radical leftwing prime minister takes on Europe’s institutions. He wants to change the way things are done. He is astutely aware of the proud nationalism that runs through Greece’s history. He appeals to those who have felt downtrodden. He has misgivings about the west in general, liberal economics in particular, and wants people to believe he can turn elsewhere – occasionally, to Moscow. He has read Trotsky and Gramsci. He likes to illustrate his nonconformism in the way he dresses.Remind you of anyone? Yes, it could be Alexis Tsipras. But this also fits the profile of Andreas Papandreou. In 1981, the leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok) came to power in Greece, and opened an unexpected chapter in the country’s political life as well as in the evolution of Europe.It is hard to overstate the link between Greece’s democratisation and the European projectRelated: Greece faces a future as Europe’s outcast – a yes vote is the only solution| Christopher Pissarides Continue reading...

The international lender says Greece needs debt relief – but why did it take so long for it to admit it?Greece needs €50bn-€60bn (£35bn-£42bn) of extra funds over the next three years and large-scale debt relief to create “a breathing space”, says the International Monetary Fund. In Athens, the Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, could be forgiven for shouting: “I told you so.” Debt relief has been a central plank of his demands from the day he was elected in January.

In the villages of Archaia Nemea, debate about the snap referendum is raging – with both Syriza and opposition campaigners claiming to have the upper handNo one is going tell Niko Papadopoulos how to vote in Sunday’s referendum.A no vote to the last terms offered by Greece’s lenders would be a catastrophe, said the owner of Archaia Nemea’s sole, tiny supermarket. “Let them cut my pension. I want to stay in Europe.”Related: How long can Greece survive without support from its creditors?Related: Greek debt crisis: Yanis Varoufakis says he'll resign if Greece votes Yes - live updatesRelated: Greek pensioners queue at dawn as banks allow a €120 withdrawal Continue reading...

Work emails laced with jolly topical references to the weather only make me even more Eeyore-ish about it allIt’s happened. It has come to pass. Now I know we really are in the middle of a blistering summer heatwave, and the temperature in Britain is officially higher than an exploding sun. It’s not the skin cancer warnings or the Hieronymus Bosch press photographs of Brighton beach. It’s getting work emails from people saying: “Hope you’re enjoying the lovely weather!”It has become de rigueur to begin emails with a kind of jolly topical reference to the sunshine – as compulsory as signing off with “Best”. They hope I’m enjoying the lovely weather? What? No, I am not enjoying the lovely weather, am I? I’m indoors grumpily dealing with work emails like this. And even when I am outdoors, I become even more Eeyore-ishly resentful of the sunshine beating down. Continue reading...

International lender issues strong message to Europe by warning that Athens’ debts are unsustainable and it needs 20-year grace period on debt repaymentsThe International Monetary Fund has electrified the referendum debate in Greece after it conceded that the crisis-ridden country needs up to €60bn (£42bn) of extra funds over the next three years and large-scale debt relief to create “a breathing space” and stabilise the economy.With days to go before Sunday’s knife-edge referendum that the country’s creditors have cast as a vote on whether it wants to keep the euro, the IMF revealed a deep split with Europe as it warned that Greece’s debts were “unsustainable”.Related: IMF tells Greece: no debt relief before reforms Continue reading...

Finance minister says he will resign if Greek referendum votes yes to accept troika’s debt-bailout termsThe Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, has pledged to resign if his country votes yes to the bailout plan proposed by international lenders.Varoufakis, the academic-turned-minister who has riled his eurozone counterparts, said he would not remain finance minister on Monday if Greece voted yes.

With three days to go until Greece's referendum, columnist Jonathan Freedland looks back over a tumultuous few days with economics editor Larry Elliott. Momentum appears to be shifting towards a yes vote, meaning a resignation by prime minster Alexis Tsipras looks increasingly likely. After last-minute attempts from him and the government to halt Sunday's referendum, the International Monetary Fund has turned down Greece's requests for further debt relief Continue reading...

The best rescue programmes are those in which the debtor country proposes the policy changes - rather than being imposed from the outsideAs the Greek crisis evolves, it is important to understand that a successful structural adjustment programme requires strong country ownership. Even if negotiators overcome the most recent sticking points, it will be difficult to trust in their implementation if the Greek people remain unconvinced. That has certainly been the experience so far.And without structural reform, there is little chance that the Greek economy will see sustained stability and growth – not least because official lenders are unwilling to continue extending an unreformed Greece significantly more money than it is asked to pay. (This has been the case through most of the crisis, even if one would never know it from the world press coverage.)

Markit/Cips PMI data signals a further rebound from the 22-month low recorded in AprilUK building firms reported bulging order books in June to defy previous forecasts of a slow and steady recovery after the general election.Construction data signalled a further rebound in the sector’s output growth from the 22-month low recorded in April that many economists took to be a signal of nervousness ahead of an election that could have brought higher property taxes under a Labour-led coalition.Related: 'At some point we will have no one coming into the construction industry' Continue reading...

Research finds eastern Europe most hostile to benefits of immigration, despite low levels of migrantsCountries with larger migrant populations are paradoxically better at absorbing them into the workforce, a groundbreaking new report on integration within the world’s richest countries has revealed.

Christine Lagarde comments likely to infuriate Greek government, whose plea for debt relief and bailout extension was rejectedGreece must sign up to economic reforms before it gets debt relief, the International Monetary Fund, one of the country’s main creditors, has said.Christine Lagarde, the head of the fund, said it would “be preferable to see a deliberate move towards reforms” in Greece before debt relief was offered.

Asian shares lost early steadiness and Chinese stocks got off to a weak start on Thursday, while upbeat US economic data helped the dollar gainAsian shares lost early steadiness and Chinese stocks got off to a weak start on Thursday, while upbeat US economic data helped the dollar gain as investors globally opted for caution due to Greece’s standoff with its creditors.MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.13% following yet another weak opening in China’s benchmark indexes. Tokyo’s Nikkei climbed 1.1% thanks to a weaker yen, while South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.3%. Continue reading...

MIT's anti-disciplinarian maverick Cesar Hidalgo argues for a new way of looking at data which could fundamentally change how we understand the world Continue reading...

Greece’s confrontation with the euro overlords will shape resistance to austerity – and the future of the whole European UnionIt’s now clear that Germany and Europe’s powers that be don’t just want the Greek government to bend the knee. They want regime change. Not by military force, of course – this operation is being directed from Berlin and Brussels, rather than Washington.But that the German chancellor Angela Merkel and the troika of Greece’s European and International Monetary Fund creditors are out to remove the elected government in Athens now seems beyond serious doubt. Everything they have done in recent weeks in relation to the leftist Syriza administraton, elected to turn the tide of austerity, appears designed to divide or discredit Alexis Tsipras’s government.Related: We're not traitors, insist Greece's yes campaignersSyriza's' achilles heel has been its commitment to ending austerity while remaining in the euro Continue reading...

The debt-stricken country is in deep trouble already but things could still get worse for the economy, the currency, public sector and banksAfter the Greeks dramatically walked out of talks in Brussels last Friday and announced a referendum, a question has been posed: how long can Athens survive without support from its creditors before it collapses?Related: Treatment of Greece and the future of the European project | Letters Continue reading...

Rafael Behr is right that Greece’s tragedy does not invalidate the case for the EU (The EU is not a conspiracy against democracy, 1 July). But he is too kind to Europe’s leaders, who display precious little humility or respect for national feeling. As well as demanding payments that Greece cannot possibly make and seeking remedies that will further weaken its economy, they are causing huge suffering to many of their fellow Europeans.Their behaviour is not only stupid, it is also immoral. So there is a morality tale here, and you do not have to be either a Ukip supporter or a member of the “hard left” to feel distaste for the bullying, supercilious approach of Jean-Claude Juncker et al. The yes campaign in Britain’s EU referendum may well achieve a reluctant acceptance that staying in is better than getting out. But after the EU’s desperate mishandling of the Greek crisis, it is very hard to feel much enthusiasm for what used to be called the European project.

The Tories always use Project Fear to get their way at the ballot box, and the same tactic is used when the Greek people are asked to choose between the hell they know and one they can only imagineProject Fear stalks Europe. In suits and ties and chaffeur-driven cars, in hurried meetings, in corridors blaring with strip lights, around the cabinet tables, in meetings where strategy is scrawled on whiteboards, in advertising agencies where earnest young people compete to unsettle us in the most effective ways.Perhaps I am too old and dreamy to think that politics was ever about anything other than fear; that hope is a necessity not a luxury. Surely I know, really, that when you want someone to vote a certain way you have to frighten them into thinking that any alternative is worse. We may not know what we like, but we sure as hell as know what we don’t like. Continue reading...

Criticism of Greek prime minister reinforces view that Germany might refuse to negotiate with Syriza administration on rescue package until after referendumBerlin has delivered a blistering attack on Greece’s beleaguered radical prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, accusing him of lying to his own people and seeking scapegoats for the country’s misery everywhere but in his own ranks.The German government dismissed desperate attempts by Athens to salvage some form of bailout, prompting Tsipras to hit back, accusing the country’s creditors of trying to “blackmail” Greek voters with dire warnings that a vote against austerity in this weekend’s referendum would be a vote to leave the euro. Continue reading...

Consumption apparently down 70%, tourism drying up and companies face struggle to pay for wholesale food ahead of 5 July referendumGiorgos Kourasis knows exactly how many people have walked through the door of his tavern since Monday, because he has had nothing to do but wait and count.“The number,” he says in full knowledge of the ironic punch he is about to pull, “is zero. Absolutely no one has come and sat at a table for the first time in the 80 years that we’ve had our family business. “ Continue reading...

Analysis: Athens knows that without support from the ECB, capital controls and withdrawal limits would just be the startWhen Alistair Darling was faced with the hair-raising news in autumn 2008 that Royal Bank of Scotland and Halifax were on the brink of being forced to close their cash machines, there was never a serious doubt that, whatever Mervyn King’s moral qualms, the Bank of England’s job was to underpin the UK’s financial system as “lender of last resort”.Yanis Varoufakis, the Greek finance minister, and his colleagues in Athens have also faced the prospect of a total financial collapse this week, but key decisions about whether, and on what terms, to prop up its struggling banks are being taken hundreds of miles away in Frankfurt. Continue reading...

Banks across Greece opened on Wednesday to allow pensioners without debit cards limited access to their fundsGreek pensioners began queuing before dawn at up to 1,000 banks around the country which opened on Wednesday to let them collect the €120 (£85) they will be allowed this week.Hours after Greece’s bailout programme with its creditors expired and the country became the first in the developed world to miss an IMF loan repayment, Greek pensioners without debit cards were at last able to withdraw some cash.Related: Greece debt crisis: Alexis Tsipras backs down – live Continue reading...

Pensioners queue outside Greece's national bank in Athens on Wednesday to collect their retirement cheques. The country has re-opened 1,000 branches for OAPs who do not have ATM cards. Banks are expected to remain closed for other purposes until 6 July, as part of capital controls imposed this week after the European Central Bank froze financial support needed to keep the Greek banks afloat Continue reading...

Bank vows to protect Britain from escalation of eurozone crisis and says it has been working on contingency plans with Treasury among othersThe precarious position of Greece could pose a risk to the financial system, the Bank of England has warned, as it pledged to intervene to insulate the UK from potential shockwaves caused by any escalation in the eurozone crisis.Setting out its half-yearly assessment of the risks to the UK financial system, the Bank said the outlook remained unchanged over the last six months until the last few days, when Greece closed its banks and then failed to repay a €1.5bn (£1.1bn) loan to the International Monetary Fund.Related: Greece debt crisis: Alexis Tsipras reportedly backs down – live Continue reading...

As the total heads towards a million euros, I am proud of the donors from around the world. This campaign is by the people, for the peopleYou know when you just have a little idea, have a laugh to yourself and then move on with your day? I do that a lot, only on Sunday night, I didn’t let it pass but decided to try it out for real.I wondered, could the people of Europe have a crack at fixing this? Less talk, more direct actionRelated: Briton launches crowdfunding campaign to pay off Greece debtRelated: Greece debt crisis: creditors consider next steps after IMF default – live Continue reading...