Excellent article, IA.
Quote Originally Posted by Jolt View Post
Optimistic? Anything I said so far hasn't been disputed anywhere. It isn't much of an optimistic viewpoint, but rather a down-to-earth viewpoint. Of all the articles you are putting up, they only talk about the general european economic climate, and amongst those, not one word is used to depict Portuguese measures as lacking in any extent, or doubting the ability of our economy to cut off the debt. It is widely agreed that Portugal is simply taking the necessary steps to resettle the finances. That is the reality we are dealing with.
Portugal's foreign debt is half that of the UK, Portugal's public debt is not larger than Germany's, Portugal's deficit is much lower than that of the UK, and Portugal's economic growth this year is amongst the highest in the EU.

However, as one of the PIGS, you obviously live beyond your means. Or, the financial markets work on perception, herd mentality, and predator packs. Portugal is the easy target.