coley
Well-Known Member
Ooh, you cynic you, democratic accountability is the bedrock of the EU!!
Greek elections
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brogdale
Coming to terms with late onset Anarchism
I was delighted to hear the Beeb report that Cameron is not happy with the Greek election result. He will be worried for his own prospects in our election. If an anti-austerity movement gets publicity anywhere in Europe that could mean much questioning and challenging of the current neo-liberal economic orthodoxy.
Well I think we can safely say this one's got publicity.
kebabking
Not a Girly Swot, but I like them....
sure - unless the cash machines run dry and Greece gets to be Somalia on the Med. at which point every 'anti-austerity' movement in Europe starts to look like it has the economic literacy of a pork scratching and Cameron will walk the election.
winning the Greek election is the easy bit - given the performance of the established parties fucking Gary Glitter would get a good result - the difficult bit, and the only bit anyone gives a shit about, is restructuring the public finances and the economy without either getting kicked out of the EU or playing 'guess this weeks inflation rate' with the New Dracma.
winning the election: flim-flam. actually acheiving something - much more difficult, and with a very high political price for the left if it doesn't work out quite as rosily as a Greek politician suggests.
coley
Well-Known Member
Other than on here? Seems to be hardly mentioned on the main news?
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
its been all over every major news outlet on the hour since 5 pm
Are you being serious? Do you live in a fucking hole in the ground?
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
They are fucking scum, but strongly anti-austerity (on basically nationalist grounds). They would be the most reliable of the capitalist parties on telling the troika to shove it up their holes, but also a consistent right wing influence on everything from immigration to workers rights.
coley
Well-Known Member
Depends on how they play it, Iceland seems to have survived pretty comfortably, Russia also, until the oil prices went splat.
coley
Well-Known Member
Hardly a mention on the Beeb tonight, could have missed it though, been a tad busy
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
the right of centre always want to raise the spectre of becoming europes third world country if you dare to oppose the austerity program, but the problem with the parties of business and capital is that this rings a little bit hollow when their program has already shafted your nation. You've no bogeyman poverty to scare people with if you are already laying poverty right n the electorate anyway
Are you sure you haven't mistaken your television for the washing machine?
I can see that, from your sixty-three posts on here today, so far. No rest for the wicked eh?
brogdale
Coming to terms with late onset Anarchism
coley
Well-Known Member
This place is my 'light relief' from a pretty hectic life style, but;
"The troika for Greece is the thing of the past," he added, referring to the country's biggest international lenders - the European Union, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB)."
Let's hope he sticks to his guns, mebbes the Greeks can infuse a bit hope into what's remains of the 'left' in mainland Europe?
coley
Well-Known Member
coley
Well-Known Member
Me too mate. I've no idea why some people take me for a sad bastard who spends all weekend posting on the internet. That bloody Penelope Cruz is coming round later too.
Unique toss.
But this is genuinely fascinating. Either the Greeks leave a currency union that they should have never joined or else try and weather the storm.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
by your lights syrzia will immediately start a pogrom on the jews all leftists are so suspicious of though, mr lawyer
DownwardDog
Riding a Brompton with a power meter.
Iceland never defaulted - they got a bailout from the IMF and I don't think you could describe the Russian experience from 1998 to 2003 as pretty comfortable.
Bernie Gunther
Fundamentalist Druid
Thing is though, given what ordinary Greek people have been experiencing for the last 5 years or so, it's harder to threaten them with economic pain to keep them in line with neoliberalism.
DownwardDog
Riding a Brompton with a power meter.
I'm not saying default isn't a valid and rational choice but let's not pretend it's a pain free cheat code to prosperity and stability.
Jeff Robinson
Marxist-Lentilist: Jackboots and Jackfruit
aka
'The Greek election will bring hope across Europe. That is why we must discredit it, whilst protecting economic elites at home.'
youngian
Well-Known Member
Tsipras may find himself like the sheriff in Blazing Saddles trying to escape the noose by pointing a gun at his head. The pain of leaving the Euro may lead to more years of austerity before tangible results can be shown. Germany's allies are in less of a mood to throw any bones to Greece than Merkel. Particularly Finland who didn't ask anyone for a penny to escape austerity in the early 90s. The Eurozone is in good enough shape to survive a Grexit and this maybe preferable to the precedent Greece would set if their reflationary demands are met (which are sensible ones if you are not running your country as a Tammany Hall client state). However the worst of the Euro crisis is over and it is now having to embark on QE to prevent prolonged deflation. Greek debt demands therefore maybe small beer. As far as I can tell Syriza are offering a moderate Keynesian programme which could be accommodated and Tsipras looks a lucky sort of guy (yes that won't win any Nobel economics prizes but the way a leader plays his cards shouldn't be underestimated).
