Mr double is right people will use gold and silver as the default currency when the shtf. It might get a bit ugly for a while.
Size does matter, smaller country are much easier to manage, contain and even write off bad debts, the hole are easier to plug. Give 10 billion to Malta, problem solved, same 10 billion will not enough for Greece. Without analyzing GDP forecast and real GDP growth, debt ratio is meaningless, there are many countries have even worst debt ratio, such as Japan, Portugal, and US. I really don't understand your argument.
That means forcible repossession. Which, in SHTF scenarios, means being lined up against a wall and shot. Holding physical gold is useless for peons, the only people it can possibly help are those in the Power class.
I don't think it is the whole how easy it is to solve the problem. Another member state going into Sovereign Debt default will not look good and make the situation worse.
A lot of people in Zimbabwe use gold for currency. They pan for flakes of it in rivers. Gold has been used as currency for thousands of years among different cultures. I don't see this changing anytime soon.
The big money will probably be transferred through Special Depository Receipts by what random calls the Power class, and all of us peons can bicker about gold or paper money and what it will buy in our own little currencies and trade and exchange them to our hearts content.
There are geopolitical rift in Europe, Anglo-saxon capitalism vs continental capitalism, Germany and French are in crosshair, why do you think Greece are always in focus point, that is no accident. It is the poison pills for EUR. Some of the east block countries mainly financed by German banks and Swiss banks, Swiss peg its currency to EUR to shield it from currency lost from those loans over there. In hope, continuous GDP growth in that region long term, it will work out in favor for them. Those countries can always swing back to Russian, and trading favors. Greece is complete different story.
What I can't understand is, there is absolutely no reason why every citizen of Greece can't live a very simple and happy life. They have beautiful women, fantastic food, a good climate, and very spiritual and erotic music. What more could a man ask for? And it could all be held together by strong family values, a little export and tourism.
Greece is corrupt and communist minded. All handouts date back to cold war when they were trying to turn communist (nobody remembers that old story). To keep them in NATO and keep Russians from getting foothold in strategic area Greeks got free money for decades to keep them happy and keep the corrupt and inefficient but pro-western system in place. The only economy there is government and politics. Now they are going to get money either from Europe or they will sell Greece to China.