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| The moment a handshake with Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem gave the game away |
It's only his second day in the job but the new Greek finance minister, Euclid Tsakalotos, has been given an immediate demonstration of the intense level of media scrutiny that the role brings. He failed to cover up his notes after leaving key meetings with Eurogroup members as they attempt to agree a new bailout deal.
Within hours commentators were trying to decode their meaning as
they circulated on the internet.
The key reminder in his notes appeared to be "no triumphalism".
Presumably a reference to the weekend's referendum which rejected the Eurogroup's bailout plan.
The notes also appear to have a reference to the Greek communist
party, the KKE. Other commentators are speculating on what words are covered by his thumb, including what precedes "on viability grounds".
Inevitably, a few satirical versions of the note have appeared on
Twitter.
However, Mr Tsakalotos is not the first politician to accidentally expose his secrets in the name of a photo-call... Bob Quick - Compromises 'anti-terror operation' In 2009, the UK's most senior counterterrorism police officer resigned after accidentally revealing secret documents as he entered Downing Street.
This led to a major anti-terror operation being brought forward due to fears that it may have been compromised. Caroline Flint- Reveals 'property crisis' The UK's ex-Housing Minister Caroline Flint revealed her fears about property prices in 2008. She was photographed with briefing documents that said: "We can't know how bad it will get."
But the minister wasn't too concerned about the leak, shrugging it off saying: "These things happen." Sarah Palin's hand The former governor of Alaska sparked controversy and ridicule after writing notes on her hand for a speech in 2010.
Presumably due to size constraints they were kept brief. "Energy,
budget cuts, tax and lift American spirit" were written on her palm .
"Budget" had been crossed out and appeared to be replaced with k"tax".
US comedian Jon Stewart questioned whether the notes were actually necessary, asking: "You really need to remind yourself to lift American
spirits?" She did continue to write on her hand at certain events, but as a joke for the crowd.
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