The answer is yes. A State must be able to contract loans in order to improve its population's living standards, for instance when it carries out major work of public utility and invests in renewable energies. These public loans could be used to move from an economy geared to the needs of car drivers to one that gives priority to public transport, to shut down nuclear plants and replace them with renewable sources of energy, to renovate, upgrade or build from scratch public buildings and social housing that would require less energy and be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. - IV447 - April 2012 / Economy, Debt

AAA … three letters that ring like a sardonic laugh denoting the top credit rating given by the ratings agencies. A company or a State with an AAA rating is considered credit-worthy by lenders and speculators and can borrow at more favourable rates. But to obtain – or maintain – this symbolic grade, European governments will go to any lengths, including the application of austerity policies that place their economies under the diktat of creditors. The AAA is a front that conceals social regression on a grand scale, human rights violations, and blood, sweat and tears for the most vulnerable citizens. - IV445 - February 2012 / European Union, Debt

The question of the repayment of public debt is undeniably a taboo subject. The heads of State and governments, the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the mainstream media present it as inevitable, indisputable and obligatory. The people have no other choice than to knuckle under and pay. The only possible discussion pertains to how the burden of the sacrifices will be spread around so as to find sufficient budget to meet the nation's obligations. The borrowing governments were democratically elected, thus the debts are legitimate; they must be paid. A citizens' debt audit is a means of breaking this taboo. It enables an increasing proportion of the population to grasp the "ins and outs" of a country's national debt process. It involves an analysis of the borrowing policy followed by a given country's authorities. - IV444 - January 2012 / World, Debt