November 2, 2011
Rumors of Drachma return grow
The talk of Greece going back to the drachma has been heard throughout the entire debacle of loans/debt crisis that started in 2009. But the possibility has never been more real than this week when Papandreou pushed for a referendum on austerity and a confidence vote for his government which is looking like the opt-in (or opt-out) vote for remaining in the EU. With so much seemingly in the air, drachma rebirth is looking more real (CNBC):
"So now it is time to ponder the once unthinkable: that Greece might end its 10-year use of the euro and return to its former currency, the drachma.
Such a move is still officially anathema in Athens. But a growing body of economists argues that it would be the best course, whatever the near-term financial and economic implications. And now, with a referendum on the European-led bailout facing Greek voters, a vocal minority that has long called for a return to the drachma might find itself with a growing group of listeners.
A return to the drachma is unlikely to offer a quick cure for Greece’s ills. Default on the nation’s $500 billion in public debt would become a certainty, depositors would take their money out of local banks and, with a sharp devaluation of as much as 50 percent, inflation would loom. A return to the international credit markets would take years.
But drachma defenders contend that these worst fears are overdone."
Further reading: Sydney Morning Herald "The Parthenon, as much a symbol of Greece as the drachma once was. "
Greek Government 2011 under Papandreou
The Drachma
Plan B - return to Drachma with Alekos Alavanos - May 2013
Talk of default / Drachma rebirth heats back up - March 7, 2011
Rumors of Drachma return grow - Nov 2, 2011
Could the drachma save Greece? - June 6, 2010
Related:
2011 – Creating the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) & the "PIIGS"
2017 – Another Greek Economic Crisis?
The Drachma almost returned to Greece 2013–2017
Greek economic Survival in the 1990s
Greece's Golden Visa program
