Greek crisis: An Athenian Tragedy or an opportunity for something more sinister?

Everyday folk like you and I could scan the pages of newspapers all day, everyday and fail to totally understand the unfolding economic crisis in Greece.

Don't worry about that - most politicians and political commentators haven't got their heads fully around the issues and dilemmas arising.

In this blog post, we've posted links to some non-UK financial news sources. Their articles are very readable, they won't send you to sleep, and they are helpful to those of us trying to understand some of the conflicting analysis that's around.

...though this blogger might give you even more food for thought when we try working out what it all means!

So... a lot of people posting comments over at the Daily Mail sound mightily relieved at news that we may be witnessing the end of one of the key planks of the European Empire project.

They are responding to comments by Albert Edwards, one of Europe's most respected financial strategists who works for France's Société Générale bank.

Edwards has warned: "Any help given to Greece merely delays the inevitable breakup of the euro zone. [...] There is little 'help' that can be offered by the other eurozone nations other than temporary confidence-giving 'sticking plasters' before the ultimate denouement: the break-up of the eurozone."

However, that is just one scenario that analysts think is a possibility.

Those who've been following this story may have seen the gathering before the TV cameras earlier this week of Emperor von Rumpy-Pumpy and Jose Manuel Barroso - accompanied by Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Sarkozy, joined together to utter proclamations on the future of Greece and it's economic management.

This blogger found such a vision of unity ever so slightly disconcerting.

So, imagine our discomfort when we read the 'alternative scenario' we mentioned.

Marc Chandler, head of currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman, is quoted by MarketWatch as saying: "Rather than the disintegration of the euro zone or the EU, [...] the more likely result is that there will be more integration (not less) and that means a further surrender of sovereignty."

Now, we don't want to come over all conspiracy theory.

But we could not have been alone in thinking there was something very bizarre in Peter Mandelson's announcement yesterday about the single Euro currency being a great success, a strong currency that - according to him - it is in Britain's long-term interests to join.

The timing and the scrutiny that statement has come under in the newspapers - which he must have known would happen - seemed more than a little strange. It appeared a bizarre statement to be making at this time.

Quite how it would have gone down with Labour voters is a mystery.

But to the rest of us, it seemed incredible to be suggesting such a thing amidst the current Greek tragedy.

However, Labour has a track record on surrendering our sovereignty to the European Empire and Peter Mandelson is a master of the dark art of politics and playing the long game.

And von Rumpy-Pumpy's vision has already been revealed.

Put that in context of Chandler's comments about the further surrender of sovereignty, and you might start to see what we're highly suspicious of and why we're watching the Greek situation with great anxiety...