January 29, 2015

FT, what about the moral responsibility of journalists of telling it like it is with Greece’s debt?

Sir, your FT reporters write: “Germany and France warned Greece not to expect taxpayers in other countries to pick up the tab for its policy decisions” “Berlin and Paris rebuff debt forgiveness call”, January 29.

The most important reason for such attitude is that Greece’s debt problem is primarily attributed to Greece and to banks. If Europe was really made aware of the role their bank regulators had causing this mess, European would be able to understand better why Europe at large need to share much more in the responsibilities of providing solutions.

In this respect I need to repeat, to all of your journalists, what I commented to you Sir and to Martin Wolf, just two days ago. 

Had it not been for the fact that European regulators allowed banks to hold little or even zero equity against loans to sovereigns, like Greece; which tempted banks with extraordinary expected risk-adjusted returns on equity when lending to sovereigns, like to Greece, then banks would never ever have lent so much money to Greece.

What about the moral responsibility of bank regulators of not distorting the allocation of bank credit? What about the moral responsibility of journalists of telling it like it is?

I am sure that if this truth really comes out Greece’s debt problem could be looked at in a much more understanding light… and perhaps would allow Greece, in a first stage, to restructure all its debts in terms appropriate to the risk-profile regulators held it to fit… something like that of Germany’s.

What would Greece’s debt profile look like if it received terms like 30 years at 1 percent?