Greece needs a bridge loan not a bailout according to its new prime minister.<br /><br /> A defiant Alexis Tspras has laid out his plans to dismantle what he calls Greece’s ‘cruel’ austerity programme.<br /><br /> It was his first major speech to parliament since his Syriza party’s convincing election win last month.<br /><br /> In it he promised to reverse reforms imposed by Greece’s lenders but by doing so put himself on a collision course with the EU.<br /><br /> “What the Greek government is pursuing through negotiations with our partners is a new deal, a ‘bridge agreement’ until June which will give us the fiscal space that genuine debt negotiations require, along with a new programme of cooperation between Greece and its European partners,” Premier Alexis Tsipras told Greek lawmakers.<br /><br /> Greece’s current programme of loans ends on February 28. A final 7.2 billion euros is still to be negotiated but Tsipras wants the so-called ‘bridge loan’ to keep Greece afloat instead of extending the international bailout.<br /><br /> His c
