Greek MP Costas Lapavitsas spoke to Sebastian Budgen on the economic barriers ahead for Syriza and the challenges of Eurozone exit.
“The debt is a key class issue in the current situation. It lies at the heart of the question: which class pays for the crisis?”
7 April 2015, byWhat was primarily expressed in the vote on 25 January was massive anger and hatred about the previous government of New Democracy (ND, the traditional right party) and PASOK (the fully bourgeoisified socialdemocratic party). These two parties have been the main actors of the violent attack which the working class and the people in Greece have suffered for 5 years. Their government was identified with ever harder austerity, authoritarianism, arduous repression of the workers’ and students’ movement, layoffs and dismantling of any kind of welfare. Wrath against that government was a perfectly justified and predictable mass sentiment. It was a perplexed sentiment, though, as at this specific conjuncture it took the form of relatively passive electoral expectation rather than active militant action. One cannot understand the roots of this attitude of the people without a balance sheet of the workers’ movement since 2010.
Debating the future of Greece
24 March 2013, by , , , , ,On November 30-December 2 2012, Greece’s Coalition of the Radical Left, known as SYRIZA, held a national conference as the first step in transforming the coalition into a more unified political formation. SYRIZA was formed in 2004 as an electoral alliance uniting radical left-wing organizations— there are now more than a dozen member groups. But since its inspiring success in nearly winning national elections last spring, SYRIZA’S ranks have been swelled by many unaffiliated individuals. This article from December 2012 assesses the key dynamics.
Syriza’s strategy of class collaboration further consolidated
7 March 2013, byBelow you can read the recent interview of Georgios Stathakis for the Vima, one of the biggest tabloids in Greece. Georgios Stathakis is currently a SYRIZA MP and the person in charge of the Development Sector of SYRIZA. He is one of the closest consultants of party president Tsipras and one of the most prominent leaders of the party. — NS.
Could SYRIZA become a “new PASOK”?
26 November 2012, byThe unexpected rise of SYRIZA to be the second largest party in the last two elections in Greece, and the projection of Alexis Tsipras as the next prime minister has caused many people to think that SYRIZA already occupies the position once held by PASOK for nearly forty years.
The Euro, the Greek Crisis, and the Left
26 September 2012, byAs this is written, in early September, the Greek government is expected to soon announce its new “austerity program”—aligned with the troika, of course—which will initiate another round to plunge working and young people, pensioners, migrants into yet deeper despair. [1] However, it is quite possible “that the Greeks could spare themselves the trouble of the economy package. Governments in Europe are preparing long before, expecting that and the next report of the creditors, the troika (EU Commission, ECB and IMF), will detect new holes in the budget. In that case, the real emergency, the breakup of the monetary union, will be on the agenda.” [2] Along the same line, a report in the conservative German newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine, was given a revealing title: “The secret plans for the euro crash - Banks and corporations are preparing for the possibility the euro could fall apart. They hoard cash, change contracts, and rehearse how to introduce the new drachma.” (August 25).
How to continue after the elections of June 17th
26 July 2012, by1.The elections of June 17th represented the political climax of the class confrontation circle, that opened with the voting for the first memorandum in spring 2010 by the Papandreou government. Within the last two years the resistance movement has covered a great distance of politicization: from the economic battle of the first period (the first circle of general strikes), to the political battle, as that was represented by the turning point of the “indignation movement”, and it’s climax with the demonstrations during the parades at October 28th 2011, ending with the culmination of the political battle with the “struggle for the power”, at the double elective confrontation of May 6th and June 17th .
A contribution to the debate on Greece
2 July 2012, byAs part of the ongoing discussion we publish together two articles by Andreas Kloke, a member of the central leadership of OKDE-Spartacos, Greek section of the Fourth International. The first was written on June 11th “What is our discussion Greece about?” and the other, shorter one is an assessment of the election results after June 17 “New memorandum government for Greece”, written on June 21st.
First estimates on the results of the June 17 elections
25 June 2012, byThis statement by the Antarsya Central Coordinating Committee was issued on the 24th of June 2012.
Stop the blackmail of the Greek workers and poor people!
20 June 2012, by"Investors, Take A Moment To Cheer!", crowed the business magazine Forbes the day after the Greek elections. With the help of EU’s blackmail the right won the election and the banks are hoping get the government they wanted.