سايت سازمان کارگران انقلابی ايران (راه کارگر)

چهارشنبه ۲۲ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۱ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

A win for Syriza, and the formation of a left government in Greece, will be a first major step for all of us. The assistance and support from other countries will be critical; it will be a message of hope to the Greek people, fortifying people’s resolve and determination to take matters into their hands. today’s highly connected world, every initiative, every show of solidarity, every poster, every message of support that reaches our country from abroad, gives us energy to forge ahead and work toward our goals. The left is here to create change, to foster new social partnerships, to stand up to ‘business as usual’. And we will do so, with integrity, with a new approach to international relations, with unity and action across the board.

چهارشنبه ۲۲ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۱ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

Capitalism at the Root of Greek Economic Crisis

Costas Panayotakis, author of Remaking Scarcity: From Capitalist Inefficiency to Economic Democracy, says Greece s economic woes stem from the capitalist mismanagement of the Greek economy

Costas Panayotakis

the labor movement in Greece historically was dominated by the Socialist Party and the conservatives. And the Communist Party as well has had a lot of influence historically. SYRIZA was not quite as strong in the labor movement.More recently what has happened is many of the--much of the base of the Socialist Party has moved to SYRIZA. And that includes some of the labor leaders who used to be socialist in their part of SYRIZA. And then, of course, you have more recent grassroots labor sort of movement initiatives, new forms of labor unions that have been bubbling up. But, I mean, the labor movement in Greece has been under very heavy and ruthless attack in the recent years, and it seems like even though there were many--there was some fightback by Greek workers, it was clear that the labor movement in Greece, the way it historically developed, was not ready for this kind of assault. They were not used to hobnobbing with people in power. And when [incompr.] in with the economic crisis, they were completely unprepared.So, I mean, one of the hopes that activists that they talk to have is that the election of SYRIZA will basically embolden people and will rejuvenate the labor movement and sort of give a further push to SYRIZA and put some pressure on SYRIZA to make sure that SYRIZA delivers on its promises.

چهارشنبه ۲۲ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۱ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

Euro Bankers Kick Syriza in the Face

The Latest Assault on Greek Democracy

Mark Weisbrot

Syriza has backed off from its initial demand that Greece’s debt stock be reduced and is offering reasonable proposals to allow them the fiscal space to be able to recover (i.e., a primary budget surplus of 1 to 2 percent of GDP rather than 4 to 5 percent under the troika’s program). After six years of depression, that is hardly too much to ask. Nor is reversing some of the worst abuses such as the minimum wage cuts.

The ECB should be ashamed of its latest assault on Greek democracy. And they should not be able to get away with disguising it as anything less than that.

چهارشنبه ۲۲ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۱ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

The First Greek Leftist Govt Secures Parliamentary Vote of Confidence Ahead of Critical Eurogroup

Yet another historic event occurred tonight in the Greek Parliament, where the SYRIZA-led coalition government, the first leftist government in the history of Greece, secured its first parliamentary vote of confidence after the January 25 snap elections. The newly elected government, which consists of the leftist SYRIZA and the far right-wing Independent Greeks (ANEL) parties, was backed by 162 MP’s in Greece’s 300 seat legislature, while 137 deputies voted against it. ANEL currently hold five Ministerial seats in the new cabinet.

چهارشنبه ۲۲ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۱ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

Syriza's Possibilities After Greece: Can the Left Change Europe

SERGE HALIMI

“Greece, Europe’s weakest link, could become the strongest link of the European left,” Moulopoulos says. If not Greece, then perhaps Spain. Both together would not be too much, however, to combat the fear and despair that feeds far-right propaganda and jihadist nihilism. “It’s a modest and crazy dream,” as poet Louis Aragon wrote. The hope is that European politics ceases to condemn us to the merry-go-round on which the same people succeed each other in power, and pursue the same policies with the same impotence. Their record has become our threat. In Athens and Madrid, a change of course at long last?

سه-شنبه ۲۱ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۰ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

Germany v Greece is a fight to the death, a cultural and economic clash of wills

by Paul Mason published at the Guardian

Germany needs to handle this carefully; the rest of Europe is watching. My pals and I from the bubblegum card era were brought up in a country that had not seen occupation or fascism or genocide. Greece saw all of these, and Syriza’s victory has opened a floodgate of discussions about the past at Greek dinner tables. The popular Greek response to the ECB’s move last week is in danger of taking on the character of national revolt: a replay of the Battle of Crete, where the Greeks lose physically but win morally, at irreparable cost to the attacker

سه-شنبه ۲۱ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۰ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

Heiner Flassbeck: 'Syriza Needs Alliance Against German "Beggar Thy Neighbor" Policies'

In a recent interview the co-author of Against the Troika: Crisis and Austerity in the Eurozone spoke about Germany's violation of EU agreements and the potential for a Greek alliance with Italy, Spain and France to oppose the policies that are driving Europe into a deeper recession

I would build my coalition exactly along these lines, and then it would be very difficult for the Germans to argue and to say, no, we don't care about that; our violations do not count; only yours count. If you then have a strong political coalition, including Italy and France, they could easily, in my view, easily get a majority in Europe against the Germans. And then that's the point where you have to go. That's where you have to go. That is what you have to target.

سه-شنبه ۲۱ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۰ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

Greece: towards a head-on crash

Stathis Kouvelakis

roadly speaking, Alexis Tsipras sent out a message of firmness and combativeness both internally and externally. He has disproved those who were already wagering on a slippery slope towards capitulation. It seems out of the question that the European leaders will tolerate in any shape or form the policies that he proposed today to the Greek parliament.nWe are thus indeed in a situation of outright confrontation, which will take a decisive turn during the coming week, with the conjunction of European summits and street demonstrations. We are indubitably on the eve of great events, events which may transform the current course of things in Greece and in Europe.
With the combination of the determination of the Greek governmental leadership, the mobilisation of the people and international solidarity the “magic equation” of a possible victory is now at hand!

سه-شنبه ۲۱ بهمن ۱۳۹۳ برابر با ۱۰ فوريه ۲۰۱۵

Syriza vs. the Troika

JACK RASMUS

If the Troika and Europe’s leaders recognize that the old Troika formula of more austerity in exchange for more debt is an economic dead end, and that Greece may well exit the Euro if it insists on continuing that old formula, then that recognition will mark the beginning of the end for austerity in Europe.

But if they don’t, and they continue to adhere to that dead-end policy, it will set Europe on a path of not only a Greece exit from the Eurozone, but an eventual collapse of the Euro itself. And that will mean even more massive losses for investors, and an almost assured descent by Europe into a deep and sustained recession.

It will be interesting, to say the least, to watch the coming weeks of negotiations between Greece and the Troika. Greece may be small in size and economically, but right now it is the lynchpin for the economic future of Europe. Syriza and Greece are in a good bargaining position. It remains to be seen how well they play their cards.