Follow us @ twitter.com twitter.com Europe is shrinking, at least the economy is. Italy sinks into recession as the eurozone contracts for the first time since the second quarter of 2009. Today was supposed to be a meeting of EU Finance ministers to push through the bailout of Papademos' technocrat led government in Greece. This decision cam after the Greek parliament already passed brutal new austerity measures and privatization plans while their people were outside rioting and burning the center of the ancient city to ashes, including the historic Attikon theater to the ground. The violence perpetrated against the protestors as well as the violence perpetrated by the protestors was extreme, and Papademos stated in Parliament that such violence "has no place in a democracy." Unfortunately, Greece has ceased to be a democracy according to Nigel Farage. He gave a speech before the European Parliament this morning, where he took the TROIKA to task for acting like an imperial power, pressing its boot on the throat of the Greek people. The TROIKA meanwhile, has told Greek "leaders" that it needs more assurances from them. Antonis Samaras for one, has been backpedaling ever since the referendum call made by George Papandreou late last year, and his latest attempt to straddle the lines of public opinion and troika financing ruffled some feathers with his creditors. He was forced afterwards to write a letter to them committing himself to the recent memorandum after alarming ...