Austerity rains chaos down on Greece

[Wisord]

Greece is still caught in the economic storm sweeping Europe following the arrest of International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Strauss-Kahn, who faces charges of attempting to rape a hotel maid in New York, was key to the “bailouts” of crisis-hit European countries.

The austerity and privatisation attached to Greece’s bailout have sent the country’s economy spiralling further downwards.

The Labour-style Pasok government is trying to renegotiate the terms of last year’s 110 million euro bailout.

But Europe’s elite wants deeper austerity and more privatisation before they agree to this.

Workers continue to resist austerity in the face of violence from the state and fascists.

A general strike on Wednesday of last week, the 11th since the crisis fully hit last year, had a massive impact.

The power of workers’ struggle, and the growing mood against austerity, shows the potential for positive change.

But there is also a more negative side.

Pogrom

A vicious police attack on demonstrators in Athens last Wednesday gave neo-Nazis an opportunity to launch an anti-immigrant pogrom.

Fascists are trying to feed off despair and disillusionment—and blame the crisis on immigrants.

Greek TV showed gangs of Nazi thugs armed with big sticks and sharp objects attacking immigrants in central Athens.

They killed one man and injured many others.

Panos Garganas is editor of the Workers Solidarity newspaper and member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in Greece.

He explained, “A man was stabbed in Athens the day before the general strike. The media claimed he was killed by immigrants.

“Because of that the Nazis organised gangs of thugs to go on the rampage against immigrants.

“They exploited the police’s attacks, which hospitalised people and chased demonstrators from the streets.

People believed that the police actions helped the Nazis. “The police were on the sidestreets shutting down shops as the Nazis went on the rampage,” said Panos.

“Many immigrants were injured.”

People took to the streets in protest at the violence in Athens and other cities on Monday of this week.

“An anti-fascist rally of immigrants and supporters took place outside a council meeting in Athens,” said Panos.

“This showed that people won’t be scared off the streets.

“Anti Capitalist Left councillor Petros Constantinou took our message inside.

“They said that the poverty and terrible conditions people live in are due to the bankers not immigrants.”

Last week’s strike showed the continued defiance of Greece’s workers.

“The strike was big, but not quite the same size as the general strike in May last year,” said Panos.

“There was deep anger, as people know they will be hit even harder by the next government package of cuts.

“Transport workers held a stoppage, but not a day long strike, and that had an effect.

“It meant that people who work in small businesses could not use the excuse that they couldn’t get to work as they had in previous strikes.

“Their bosses put them under pressure to turn up.

“This affected the size of the demonstration in Athens—though tens of thousands of people still took part.”

More people are looking for a radical alternative to austerity.

“A recent opinion poll showed that the number of

people who believe that the current policies must continue is down to 10 percent,” said Panos. “So the government has a very narrow base.

“Around 60 percent say the IMF agreement must be renegotiated, while 30 percent say we must break from the euro and the IMF.

Unpopular

“This explains why the government is in a mess. Pasok leaders say they are committed to paying back the debts through making cuts.

“But this policy is so unpopular and ineffective that it is leading to disagreements inside the government.

“Some members want to renegotiate the package. The government is stuck.

“The scale of the crisis is putting the left—including the Communist Party and the Syriza coalition, which both have MPs—under pressure to respond in a more radical way.

“The fact that the Anti Capitalist Left, which the Greek SWP is part of, is more visible and getting more people around it is also a factor in this.”

A meeting of Europe’s finance ministers agreed on Monday to a 78 billion euro bailout for Portugal. But Europe’s elite are still discussing Greece’s fate.

One thing is clear. They will face solid resistance whatever they try to push through. © Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=24846 Link


The productivity of mankind has never been bigger and it will surely get even bigger, so big the whole thing will explode. A totalitarian capitalistic system is always looking for new markets and sectors..., Everything, nature, people, animals have to pay their price and their value is measured by their economic usefulness ... whether or not to end up on the scrap heap. The social graveyard is getting bigger everyday.

[Wisord]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0F5p...layer_embedded

On youtube.... Watch more... follow this link.

http://temporaryartist.wordpress.com...rity-measures/

[Dajjal]

Griekenland heeft vele vele vele jaren ferm boven zijn stand geleefd met vervalste boekhouding om maar bij de Euro te kunnen horen.

Het is dan ook normaal dat ze nu een paar jaren serieus pijn gaan hebben om hun opgebouwde schulden terug af te betalen.

En ja dan bedoel ik bijvoorbeeld de treinbestuurders in overheidsdienst die meer dan 3500 euro netto per maand naar huis brachten.

Trouwens f*ck Griekenland. Geen eurocent meer naar die bodemloze put. Dat ze zich maar verzoenen met het armlastige volk dat ze zijn.

[stiertje]

Well, I don't really know what to comment on an article published by such an openly biased media as the Socialist Worker. I do know Greece and its people well if I may say so and the impressions given in the text paint a false, but useful picture to push the newspaper's agenda:
There is no wide spread agreement amongst the protesters in Athens, Thessaloniki and other major cities when it comes to concrete political aims, not even on fundamental bases. Yes, there are a couple of organisations that organise rallies and yes, the left wing oppositions parties like the shithole the KKE and its splinter groups are and those concerned about more moderate aims like ecologic and anti-sexist policies do play a role in the protest. But what seemingly no person on the left (whatever that means) wants to notice it that the overwhelming majority of workers and citizens walking on the streets in Greece doesn't follow a homogeneous ideological line. In fact, if you talk to some of them, the only thing everyone agrees on is that the current system doesn't represent the people's will, that they fear for their jobs, their income to keep the families fed and maintain their flat (usually people live in flats in Greece, especially so in cities). It is by no means a struggle against the oppressive nature of capitalism, the ethic corruption this system forces on the people, the way it makes any form of social communication impossible as long as it doesn't have an economic interest and so on. It is a struggle by people who just want to go on as they did back in the late eighties and early nineties when PASOK made it look like Greece was the rising superpower of the region, back when the government threw away all its EU funds for buildings it knew were useless and hence have never been finished.
Today, worker's solidarity is limited to collective self-interest. If capitalism gives the proletariat the chance to accumulate a tiny ransom for selling their soul and mind to a ruthless machine, they can't wait to do so. And when capitalism says it cannot maintain their current lifestyle, the same people will march against - what? Capitalism? No, against austerity measures, against rising taxes, against governmental fees. These people in their majority do not have a substantiated problem with how things work nowadays, but they'll shout as soon as someone wants to rule over their property.

[Johan Bollen]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door stiertje

Well, I don't really know what to comment on an article published by such an openly biased media as the Socialist Worker.

Het is een groter probleem als media pretenderen unbiased te zijn.

[Francientje]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Johan Bollen

Het is een groter probleem als media pretenderen unbiased te zijn.

We zitten net zo goed met een hemelhoog probleem. De landen nu met problemen zijn dus de landen die al problemen hadden voordat ze toetraden tot
de Europese Unie. Ik heb het over Portugal, Spanje en Griekenland. Ierland laat ik er liever nog even buiten.
Ik heb weinig ervaring met Grieken maar dus wel met doorsnee Spanjaarden
en Portugezen. Voor mij zijn het mensen die niet vies zijn van hard werken.
Dus het kan niet aan de mentaliteit van de doorsnee man liggen (zoals bij
ons straks misschien het geval wordt) dat de zaken er slecht gaan.
Dus...hun systeem is rot. geen checks and balances , corruptie, een overheid
die lustig haar zakken vult.
En de EEG laat dat doe. Ja waarom eigenlijk niet? Want daar viert verdoken
corruptie dus ook hoogtij.
Beter gaan we ten rade bij de Amerikanen. Je kunt zeggen over ze wat je wilt
maar ze zijn er dus wél in geslaagd hun hoge ambtenaren min of meer
eerlijk te houden.

[Wisord]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door stiertje

Well, I don't really know what to comment on an article published by such an openly biased media as the Socialist Worker. I do know Greece and its people well if I may say so and the impressions given in the text paint a false, but useful picture to push the newspaper's agenda:
There is no wide spread agreement amongst the protesters in Athens, Thessaloniki and other major cities when it comes to concrete political aims, not even on fundamental bases. Yes, there are a couple of organisations that organise rallies and yes, the left wing oppositions parties like the shithole the KKE and its splinter groups are and those concerned about more moderate aims like ecologic and anti-sexist policies do play a role in the protest. But what seemingly no person on the left (whatever that means) wants to notice it that the overwhelming majority of workers and citizens walking on the streets in Greece doesn't follow a homogeneous ideological line. In fact, if you talk to some of them, the only thing everyone agrees on is that the current system doesn't represent the people's will, that they fear for their jobs, their income to keep the families fed and maintain their flat (usually people live in flats in Greece, especially so in cities). It is by no means a struggle against the oppressive nature of capitalism, the ethic corruption this system forces on the people, the way it makes any form of social communication impossible as long as it doesn't have an economic interest and so on. It is a struggle by people who just want to go on as they did back in the late eighties and early nineties when PASOK made it look like Greece was the rising superpower of the region, back when the government threw away all its EU funds for buildings it knew were useless and hence have never been finished.
Today, worker's solidarity is limited to collective self-interest. If capitalism gives the proletariat the chance to accumulate a tiny ransom for selling their soul and mind to a ruthless machine, they can't wait to do so. And when capitalism says it cannot maintain their current lifestyle, the same people will march against - what? Capitalism? No, against austerity measures, against rising taxes, against governmental fees. These people in their majority do not have a substantiated problem with how things work nowadays, but they'll shout as soon as someone wants to rule over their property.

Thats a fact, therefore people need to talk more about those things.... not knowing is exactly what's making uss blind. Greece, Europe, and the Europeans need unity more than ever. This unity can translate itself into actions against the European neo liberal capitalists.

[Wisord]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Johan Bollen

Het is een groter probleem als media pretenderen unbiased te zijn.

Gelieve in deze draad het Engels als voertaal te gebruiken.

Use English in this thread please.

[AdrianHealey]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Wisord

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=24846 Link

Negeren dus.

[Savatage]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Dajjal

Griekenland heeft vele vele vele jaren ferm boven zijn stand geleefd met vervalste boekhouding om maar bij de Euro te kunnen horen.

Het is dan ook normaal dat ze nu een paar jaren serieus pijn gaan hebben om hun opgebouwde schulden terug af te betalen.

En ja dan bedoel ik bijvoorbeeld de treinbestuurders in overheidsdienst die meer dan 3500 euro netto per maand naar huis brachten.

Trouwens f*ck Griekenland. Geen eurocent meer naar die bodemloze put. Dat ze zich maar verzoenen met het armlastige volk dat ze zijn.

Idd, al genoeg geld verspild aan die mannen. Dat ze eens beginnen te werken voor hun geld en dat de overheid ophoudt met alles te financieren.

[Frans Oghtendlicht]

Dat ze eens beginnen met heel de kliek speculanten, bankiers, neoliberale "economen", enzovoort het land uit te kicken.

[Frans Oghtendlicht]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Wisord

Gelieve in deze draad het Engels als voertaal te gebruiken.

Use English in this thread please.

waarom?

[Nunt]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door White Raven

Dat ze eens beginnen met heel de kliek speculanten, bankiers, neoliberale "economen", enzovoort het land uit te kicken.

Als je de rijken buitenschopt, bij wie ga je dan belastingen gaan halen?

[Frans Oghtendlicht]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Nunt

Als je de rijken buitenschopt, bij wie ga je dan belastingen gaan halen?

Die "rijken" betalen sowieso al amper belastingen en ze kosten de gemeenschap nog eens geld ook door hun parasitaire praktijken.

[AdrianHealey]

Gelukkig hebben we hier economen zitten who know what's up.