GREECE- A GOOD EXAMPLE WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE LEFT TODAY (abstracts for the WAPE conference in Johannesburg)
GREECE – A GOOD EXAMPLE WHAT IS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE LEFT TODAY
1. Greece was in the last years the country in Europe where international capital and its political forces implemented fully its austerity programme- with all its horrible consequences: unemployment rate nearly 30 percent, youth unemployment 60 percent, destruction of the public health and education sector etc. This was done together with the big bourgeoisie in Greece the socialdemocratic Pasok (Papandreou) and the conservative Nea Demokratia (Samaras).
2. Though massive intervention from outside through international capitalist forces (Juncker, Merkel, Schäüble…) the left party Syriza could win the elections this year with 36 percent of the votes. Syriza formed together with the tiny right-wing party Anel a government ( the stalinist communist party of Greece KKE was and is against any form of cooperation with Syriza).
The government started immediatly with -small- social reforms for the poorest parts of the society: more money for sectors of the retired people; free electricity for some layers of the society etc.
Even these small changes are not accepted by the representatives of the international bourgeoisie. They demand further „reforms“: ongoing privatization of the public sector and full payment of the debts of the country (the vast majority of these debts has been created under the neoliberal governments of Papandreou and Samaras).
3. Under enormous pressure of EU institutions and IMF Syriza has made many „compromises“ (i.e. concessions) and gave up a considerable part of its original programme. This has been critized from a left viewpoint within and outside the party.
4. International capital tried first to prevent a left election victory in Greece. Now after the formation of a new government they use economic strangulation and political blackmail to show that a „left experiment“ cannot succeed.
5. If Syriza would fail- there would be negative consequences not only for the progressive forces in Europe but on the whole planet. It would strengthen all the conservative and neoliberal political forces and the reactionary ideology that „there is no alternative to capitalism“ (TNA).
6. To prevent such a negative development broadest international solidarity with the Greek population is necessary! Not only verbal, platonic but real and concrete: tradeunion delegations should go to Greece; political pressure has to be made on governments and on the EU institutions that they change their attitude towards Greece etc.
China which sees itself as a socialist country should give cheap loans to Greece and not participate in the privatization run of the Greek public sector (the activity of Cosco in the harbour of Piräus is a very negative example). And the Communist Party of China should declare open its support for the resistance of the Greeks against austerity.
Hermann Dworczak
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