The BBC is reporting that Exit polls suggest big Syriza win:

Exit polls suggest a historic victory for the anti-austerity Syriza party in Greece’s closely fought general election.

One poll suggested Syriza took 35.5% of the votes, and the other suggested it took 39.5%, well ahead of the ruling New Democracy party on 23%-27%.

It is unclear whether Syriza has enough votes to govern the country alone.

Syriza’s Alexis Tsipras has pledged to renegotiate Greece’s debt arrangement with international creditors.

He has also vowed to reverse many of the austerity measures adopted by Greece since a series of bailouts began in 2010.

In its coverage of the Greek election the BBC includes background information – Main parties from Syriza to Golden Dawn explained.

The German and French banks that have been the main beneficiaries of the so-called ‘bail-out’ are having a fit over the possibility of the governments of the European Union may stop reimbursing them for the bad loans they made to Greece, loans they knew Greece couldn’t afford. The banks gambled and lost, and they want taxpayers to cover their losing bets.

The Greek results may encourage other countries to stop propping up the big banks, the real reason for the ‘bail-outs’.

The anniversary of the landing of the First Fleet under Captain Arthur Phillip at Port Jackson in New South Wales on January 26^th, 1788.

Here’s the official site, and more information at Wikipedia.

This is the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns in Ayr, Scotland. The Burns Night celebrations conducted by Scots all over the world with haggis, whisky¹, and poetry.

Wikipedia has a description of the standard celebration, but easy on the malt or you may end up with a William McGonagall morning.

In honor of the occasion a bit of Robby Burns for the Democratic “leadership”:

The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain
For promis’d joy!

To a Mouse

1. This is the correct spelling when referring to Scotland’s “water of life”.