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How Do You Solve A Problem Like Syriza?
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Syriza?
First off, no, I don’t think Syriza is a problem, I just couldn’t resist the Sound of Music link once it popped into my head, as in ‘headlines you can sing’. I think Syriza may well be a solution, if it plays its cards right. But that still leaves politicians and investors denominating Tsipras et al as a problem, if not a menace. Now, investors may not need to possess any moral values – though things would probably have been much better if that were a requirement -, but you can’t say the same for politicians. Politics is supposed to BE about moral values.
And supporting Samaras and his technocrat oligarchy, as has been the EU/Troika policy, doesn’t exactly show a high moral standard. Not just because trying to influence an election is an no-go aberration (though it’s so common in the EU you’d almost forget that), but certainly also because of what Samaras and the EU have done to the Greek people over the past few years. And neither does it show in what happens now, where the Greeks, steeped in Troika-induced misery as they are, are labeled greedy bastard cheats.
Since the EU lies as much about Greece as it does about Russia, it’s only fitting that the former should speak out for the latter. And it’s deliciously easy: the EU wants to step up sanctions against Russia (because the Ukraine shelled Mariupol?!), but EU sanctions decisions require unanimity. Since Greek-Russian relations have historically been close, Syriza resisting ever tighter sanctions should be no surprise.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Can Syriza renegotiate Greece’s multi-billion bailout?
Can Syriza renegotiate Greece’s multi-billion bailout?
Left-wing protest party facing up to the political reality of governing Europe’s most indebted nation.
The Greek left-wing party Syriza gets down to work, after storming to power on an anti-austerity ticket.
From protest party to ambitious political newcomers, Syriza is facing up to the political reality of governing Europe’s most indebted nation.
Newly-elected prime minister Alexis Tsipras held his inaugural cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
But can the new government live up to its commitment to renegotiate Greece’s multi-billion dollar bailout?
Host: Shiulie Ghosh
Guests:
Anastasia Giamali, a journalist for the Dawn Newspaper in Athens.
Olaf Boehnke, head of the Berlin office for the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Dimitiri Sotiropoulos, a research fellow for the Greek think tank ELIAMEP, or Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy in Athens.
…click on the above link to view video…
Understanding what propels the World Economy is mandatory to comprehend its Demise
Understanding what propels the World Economy is mandatory to comprehend its Demise
Banking has existed for a long time. The idea of debt dates back to the ancient world, as evidenced for example by ancient Mesopotamian clay tablets recording interest-bearing loans. Far too many people attribute our financial doom to fractional banking etc. They are actually taking the side of the bankers who want money to retain its purchasing power or rise rather than devalue with economic expansion. Indeed, they are in truth arguing for austerity that is tearing Europe apart at the seams. They honestly do not comprehend what they are supporting. They want money to retain its value, yet they expect profits from investment, trading, and their home to rise in value with wages.You cannot have your cake and eat it simultaneously. What these theories tout is the stuff that Euroland was supposed to create and it is now sending the entire global economy into a major economic decline not seen since the 1930s along with the US law FATCA hunting down Americans globally lie dogs.
Here is a picture I took in the Roman Forum. This was the ancient Wall Street of its day known as the Via Sacra (Sacred Road). Cicero (106-43BC) wrote that anytime there was news of a disaster in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), a financial panic would be unleashed in the Roman Forum on this very street. The Via Sacra was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum.
Asia Minor was the “emerging market” into which the Romans invested and lent money no different from today. Cicero tells us that the infamous traitor Brutus (85-42BC) who had lent money to the King of Cappadocia (Turkey) and to the city of Salamis at a 48% rate of interest. Brutus was not defending the people and the Republic when he killed Caesar, but his own greedy power. Brutus’ coinage depicts his own image declaring he killed Caesar proudly for the people on the 15th of March (Ides of March – EID MAR). This is why history repeats because human nature and ideas are always the same.
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“The Barricades Are Down” Syriza Is Already Rolling Back Austerity “Reforms”
“The Barricades Are Down” Syriza Is Already Rolling Back Austerity “Reforms”
It didn’t take long for Syriza to start making changes in Greece. While these may be minor at the margin compared to the debt “issues”, as KeepTalkingGreece reports, Alexis Tsipras and his junior coalition partner Panos Kammenos pushed the Fast Forward button to restore a series of so-called “reforms”, that is austerity measures imposed by the country’s lenders, the Troika – among the left-wing reforms are: scrapping planned privatizations, scrapping fees in public hospitals and prescriptions, restore “the 13th pension” for low-pensioners and other actions that SYRIZA had promised before the elections. And the iron barricades in front of Parliament have been removed.
Iron Barricades
The first revolutionary move was conducted by alternate Minister responsible for Citizens’ Protection and Public Order. Yiannis Panousis removed the iron barricades in front of the Greek Parliament. The barricades were installed to protect the lawmakers from angry demonstrators after the huge anti-austerity protests from 2010 onwards.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Greek election: It’s really up to the ECB and EU now
Greek election: It’s really up to the ECB and EU now
The result was worse than expected whatever the final outcome – the anti-austerity vote is massive, but it could be an empty gesture as Greece in reality has little choice: Comply with the Troika or leave the EUR. I doubt the later will happen with the same vote as the Greeks are tired of austerity but not off being European.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Anti-austerity Syriza sweeps Greece parliamentary poll
Anti-austerity Syriza sweeps Greece parliamentary poll
Party’s leader Alexis Tsipras, who wants to renegotiate EU and IMF bailout terms, set to become next prime minister.
Syriza, a radical left party, has swept to power in Greece promising to end years of painful austerity policies, in an election victory that puts the country on a collision course with the EU and international creditors.
In a result that exceeded analysts’ expectations, Syriza and its 40-year-old leader Alexis Tsipras won 149 seats in the 300-seat Greek parliament, just two short of an absolute majority, with most of the votes counted on Sunday.
Antonis Samaras’ New Democracy, the former party of government, was routed and reduced to around 76 seats.
Syriza, which says it does not want to leave the euro, will become the first anti-austerity party to take power in Europe and Tsipras will be Greece’s youngest prime minister in 150 years.
Tsipras, a former Communist youth activist, told thousands of flag-waving supporters in Athens: “Greece is leaving behind disastrous austerity.”
Tsipras repeated his pledge to renegotiate the terms of Greece’s $269bn bailout with the EU and the International Monetary Fund, but struck a more conciliatory tone than during his fiery campaign.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
EU austerity faces rising public anger
EU austerity faces rising public anger
Brussels, Belgium – Outside the European Commission in Brussels late last month dozens of horn-blowing tractors from Belgium rolled ominously down roads usually reserved for the limousines belonging to this continent’s powerful politicians.
Accompanied by throngs of demonstrators and surrounded by smoking hay stacks and burning effigies of leaders such as Germany’s Angela Merkel, the roughly 4,000 participants had travelled from across the region to protest against a bureaucratic elite that a growing number of Europeans feel have for too long ignored the interests of everyday people.
After half a decade of public spending cuts, job losses, and poor wage growth, Europe is barely emerging from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
There are almost 25 million unemployed people still living in the 28-member bloc, inequality is rising in many member states, and the region on Wednesday officially entered a period of deflation.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Greek ‘political blackmail’ of EU won’t work anymore, says top Merkel party member — RT News
Greek ‘political blackmail’ of EU won’t work anymore, says top Merkel party member — RT News.
With the possibility of a leftist anti-austerity party dominating Greek elections later this month, a high-ranking member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party has said Greece could no longer “blackmail” the EU.
Michael Fuchs, an MP for Merkel’s Christian Democrats, issued a warning to Greek voters – increasingly attracted by the radical leftist party Syriza that has pledged to restructure economic reform and end austerity measures – when he said the “troika” [the International Monetary Fund, EU and European Central Bank] may be forced to forego future rescue loans.
“If Alexis Tsipras of the Greek left party Syriza thinks he can cut back the reform efforts and austerity measures, then the troika will have to cut back the credits for Greece,” Fuchs said in an interview with Rheinische Post newspaper published Wednesday.
Fuchs said the 28-member EU and its core eurozone countries would no longer be pressured into saving the Greek economy from either collapse or exiting the EU altogether.
Belgium unions protest against austerity cuts – Europe – Al Jazeera English
Belgium unions protest against austerity cuts – Europe – Al Jazeera English.
Labour unions in Belgium have begun a 24-hour nationwide strike against government policies that will extend the pension age, contain wages and cut public services.
Angry strikers gathered on Monday to protest against what they called the government’s lack of support for the Belgian economy.
An activist stood at one picket line in the capital Brussels for the country’s CSC trade union, saying protesters are here on a common front to denounce government measures.
“Austerity measures imposed by the government will cost the economy $2.5bn, and we are denouncing it because the SNCB will not be able to support this debt, this economy,” he said.
Train services like Eurostar and flights standstill, causing inconvenience for travelling passengers who thought they could catch an early escape before protests erupt.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
‘F**k austerity’: Protesters clash with cops outside opening night at La Scala, Milan — RT News
‘F**k austerity’: Protesters clash with cops outside opening night at La Scala, Milan — RT News.
At least 300 protesters clashed with riot police in an anti-austerity march in Milan, Italy, outside La Scala which opened its glamorous opera season. Activists threw Molotov cocktails and flares, leaving two officers injured.
The demonstrators were protesting against the austerity policies of Italian PM Matteo Renzi. They demanded rights for social housing after authorities launched a series of squatter evictions.
Among the protesters there were public workers and students who voiced their criticism against Italy’s labor reforms.
About 1,000 officers attempted to hold back the protesters, who were carrying banners reading “fight the power”, “we resist!” and “Jobs Act = Bad Jobs.” Some of the banners were slightly more radical, with expressions like “F**k austerity.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Europe: Is the Union over? – Head to Head – Al Jazeera English
Europe: Is the Union over? – Head to Head – Al Jazeera English.
“There has been no unelected prime minister in Europe. We are not banana republics. We are democracies,” argues Viviane Reding, the former vice president of the European Commission and fierce defender of the European Union.
But are European institutions truly democratic? And are the EU’s austerity policies to blame for the rise of the far-right?
In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan challenges the Luxembourg politician Viviane Reding and current member of the European parliament, on the future of Europe and asks why she believes that it is essential that Europe becomes a unified superpower.
We also explore whether Germany has imposed savage cuts on the so-called periphery countries, and whether the EU should take responsibility for the Ukraine crisis.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article and view the video…
Brussels Police Fire Tear Gas After Austerity “Protesters Overturned Cars, Lit Fires”
Brussels Police Fire Tear Gas After Austerity “Protesters Overturned Cars, Lit Fires Tear GasBelgium’s new center-right government imposed the austerity measures to cover budget shortfalls, prompting harsh reactions from the population.
The BBC said:
Belgium’s new government plans to raise the pension age, freeze wages and make public service cuts to meet EU targets.
Some 100,000 Belgians took to the streets. Reports summarized:
Protesters held banners and burned flares as they walked down the streets of Brussels, disrupting trains and buses throughout the capital of the European Union (EU), AFP said.
The austerity measures announced by Prime Minister Charles Michel would include the pension age extension, wage freeze, cut of public services, decrease in funding of civil service, culture and research, Deutsche Welle said.
Among them were violent protesters who clashed with police in the streets in a scene that has become familiar across the globe – riot police firing tear gas and a holding a line against individuals throwing flares and other objects, setting fires and turning over cars. A large police vehicle also fired water cannons on protesters.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Dan Amerman: Will Our Private Savings Be Sacrificed To Pay Down The Public Debt? | Peak Prosperity
Dan Amerman: Will Our Private Savings Be Sacrificed To Pay Down The Public Debt? | Peak Prosperity.
Recently, an article by Daniel Amerman caught our attention. Titled Is There A “Back Door” Method For The Government To Pay Down The Federal Debt Using Private Savings?, it details the process known as financial repression, where sovereign debts are slowly paid off by syphoning private savings from an unaware populace.
In this week’s podcast, Chris discusses the mechanics of the process, as well as its probability, with Dan:
To understand financial repression, we have to understand that we’ve been there before. Many nations have gone through periods in the past where they’ve had very high levels of government debt. And there are four traditional ways of dealing with that.
One of them is austerity. Everyone understands that. You raise the tax rates. You lower the government spending. This is a painful choice. It can last for decades. And what do you think the voters think about that?
…click on link above to read the rest of the article…
