Since the last time we touched this subject, things have gone south. Kids have fainted in class because they have not eaten in a few days. Consumption of heating fuel is down 50%, even in places like Nevrokopi where the temps are Siberian. The headline unemployment rate is 18% and might be as high as 35% for the under 35s.
Greece's underground economy is generally thought to be between 40 and 60% of the entire economy. This makes any 'official statistic' seriously suspect but is also meant to provide a buffer between the taxed economy and the actual one. I have a gut feeling though that the 'unofficial economy", apart from drugs, is suffering almost as badly as the 'declared economy'.
Labor unrest and demonstrations are down while people try to figure out the new government but since the "new" measures seem to be a continuation of the old policy of bleeding those we can and ignoring those we can't, I do not think it will be long before we see demonstrations and protests beyond anything we've seen so far.
More below the croissant.
It feels almost like a deliberate effort to grind a once nearly rich country down to dust.
One thing that seems quite clear: whether in the euro or the drachma, Greece is going to be forced to sell its national assets at fire sale prices. Many of the people with money who want to buy Greek assets will be Greeks who evaded the taxman and who will have then have the money to buy their own country on the cheap.
On a personal level it has gotten so bad that I am going to try to leave. I have an offer for Benghazi, Libya, and if I get it, I'm going to take it. I'd rather have a standoff with Islamic fundies rather than being crushed slowly by the banksters.