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New Socialist Government Keeps Portuguese People Under The Whip
New Socialist Government Keeps Portuguese People Under The Whip
The austerity imposed on the Portuguese people by the One Percent has resulted in the election of a coalition government of socialists, communists, and a “left bloc.” In the 20th century, socialism and the fear of communism humanized Europe, but beginning with Margaret Thatcher the achievements of decades of social reforms have been rolled back throughout Europe as bought-and-paid for governments have given all preference to the One Percent. Public assets are being privatized, and social pensions and services are being reduced in order to make interest payments to private banks.
When the recent Portuguese vote gave a majority to the anti-austerity bloc, the right-wing Portuguese president, Anibal Cavaco Silva, a creature of Washington and the big banks, announced that the leftwing would not be permitted to form a government, just as the senior British general announced that a Labour Government formed by Jeremy Corbyn would not be permitted to form.
True to her word, Anibal reappointed the austerity prime minister, Passos Coelho. However, the unity of the socialists with the communists and the left bloc swept Coelho from office and the president had to recognize a new government.
The new government means that for the first in a long time there is a government in Portugual that possibly could represent the people rather than Washington and the One Percent. However, if the new government leaves the banks in charge and remains committed to the EU, the current president, previous prime minister, and previous finance minister, Maria Luis Albuquerque, will continue to work to overthrow the people’s will as occurred in Greece.
The new Portuguese government cannot escape austerity without nationalizing the banks and leaving the EU. The failure of the Greek government to bite the bullet resulted in the Greek government’s acceptance of the austerity that it was elected to oppose.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
“Social Explosion” Begins In Greece As Massive Street Protests Bring Economy To A Fresh Halt
“Social Explosion” Begins In Greece As Massive Street Protests Bring Economy To A Fresh Halt
One thing that became abundantly clear after Alexis Tsipras sold out the Greek referendum “no” back in the summer after a weekend of “mental waterboarding” in Brussels was that the public’s perception of the once “revolutionary” leader would never be the same. And make no mistake, that’s exactly what Berlin, Brussels, and the IMF wanted.
By turning the screws on the Greek banking sector and bringing the country to the brink of ruin, the troika indicated its willingness to “punish” recalcitrant politicians who pursue anti-austerity policies. On the one hand, countries have an obligation to pay back what they owe, but on the other, the subversion of the democratic process by using the purse string to effect political change is a rather disconcerting phenomenon and we expect we’ll see it again with regard to the Socialists in Portugal.
After a month of infighting within Syriza Tsipras did manage to consolidate the party and win a snap election but he’s not the man he was – or at least not outwardly. He’s obligated to still to the draconian terms of the bailout and that means he is a shadow of his former self ideologically. As we’ve said before, that doesn’t bode well for societal stability.
On Thursday, we get the first shot across the social upheaval bow as the same voters who once came out in force to champion Tsipras and Syriza are staging massive protests and walkouts. Here’s Bloomberg:
As Greek workers took to the streets in protest on Thursday, Alexis Tsipras was for the first time on the other side of the divide.…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Anti-austerity bloc brings down Portugal’s government
Anti-austerity bloc brings down Portugal’s government
Portugal’s pro-austerity government has been forced to resign by a leftist anti-austerity block, despite being sworn in only two weeks ago.
Proposals to continue austerity policies were blocked in parliament, backed by mass public anger, forcing the government to dissolve.
The moderate Socialists worked with the Communist Party and radical Left Bloc to form a majority that voted down fresh austerity proposals today.
Hope, Power, and Delusion
Hope, Power, and Delusion
Jeremy Corbyn has won the race for leadership of the Labour party. But Greek and Spanish activists advise against placing too much faith in political parties.
Jeremy Corbyn has won the race for leadership of the Labour party, and the anti-austerity movement of the UK rejoices: “Finally we will see change”.
Theodoros Karyotis speaking at Debt Resistance UK:- Power Hope and Delusion. 10SEPT 2015
Simona Levi speaking at Debt Resistance UK:- Power Hope and Delusion. 10SEPT 2015. (Video credits: let-me-look tv)
I sit in front of my twitter feed perplexed.
I think back to an event I attended a few days ago in London, entitled “Power, Hope and Delusion”. It was a conversation with activists from Spain and Greece on the role left-wing parties are playing in the fight against the current neoliberal agenda and on their relationship with the grassroots anti-austerity movements across Europe.
The speakers were Theodoros Karyotis from Greece and Simona Levi from Barcelona, both active in the social movements in their countries and often blogging about them in English. Their main message was clear: do not be deluded that the change you want to see will come from the rise of the anti-austerity political parties.
As I write this article, I wonder, if in the current hype for Corbyn’s win, the UK anti-austerity movement is prepared to listen to the advice of our European allies, or if we prefer to remain blinded by the hope finally given to us by a ‘long awaited’ leader.
I fear this hope. A hope based on the idea that change only happens from above, through existing political institutions, as that is where power lies. A hope based on fear and desperation for someone to protect us from above from the evil forces we are facing today.
– See more at: http://commonstransition.org/hope-power-and-delusion/#sthash.hCeqkNAv.dpuf
Debt As Wealth; The Caution of Unfit Past Experience
Debt As Wealth; The Caution of Unfit Past Experience
With the G-20 recoiling itself back into the same kinds of mistakes made in the 1960’s, leading directly to the Great Inflation, we will have to take into account the other end of that, namely other forms of “stimulus.” With the global economy sinking, and worries about it beginning to resound beyond just inconvenient bears, there is growing official consensus on central banks taking a clearer approach but also that governments need to face up to “austerity.”
Paul Krugman has been leading the critique against what he sees is a disastrous and ignorant deformation against debt. In times like these, which he “predicted” based on too little government spending, Krugman derides fiscal sense as “cold-hearted.”
This misplaced focus said a lot about our political culture, in particular about how disconnected Congress is from the suffering of ordinary Americans. But it also revealed something else: when people in D.C. talk about deficits and debt, by and large they have no idea what they’re talking about — and the people who talk the most understand the least…
People who get their economic analysis from the likes of the Heritage Foundation have been waiting ever since President Obama took office for budget deficits to send interest rates soaring. Any day now!
The above quoted passage was taken from a column he wrote back on New Year’s Day 2012. While it has aged three years, given the global slowdown that was about to take place and the ineffectiveness of monetarism alone to dispel it, his words are being taken increasingly as both prescient and prescriptive. However, the logic behind his anti-austerity agenda is more of a sleight of hand than actual argument.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Huge Madrid march in support of anti-austerity party
Tens of thousands take to the streets of Spanish capital in support of Podemos.
Tens of thousands of people have marched in Madrid in support for anti-austerity party Podemos, whose surging popularity and policies have drawn comparisons with Greece’s new Syriza rulers.
On Saturday, protesters chanted “Yes we can!” as they made their way from Madrid city hall to the central Puerta del Sol square. Podemos and its anti-austerity message have been surging in polls ahead of local, regional and national elections this year.
Podemos (“We Can”) was formed just a year ago, but produced a major shock by winning five seats in elections for the European Parliament in May.
“People are fed up with the political class,” said Antonia Fernandez, a 69-year-old pensioner from Madrid who had come to the demonstration with her family.
One protester, Fernandez, who lives with her husband on a 700-euros-a-month combined pension cheque said she used to vote for the Socialist party but had lost faith in it because of its handling of the economic crisis and its austerity policies.
“If we want to have a future, we need jobs,” she said.
Greek leftist leader Alexis Tsipras promised that five years of austerity, “humiliation and suffering” imposed by international creditors were over after his Syriza party swept to victory in a snap election on January 25.
…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…
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…
