tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062509833711600070.post2200047211630402983..comments2024-01-19T04:00:42.885-05:00Comments on Permanent Revolution: Greece at the Crossroads Part II: From the referendum to new electionsAlex Steinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09128453587484101609noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062509833711600070.post-38440457277192656692015-09-12T06:48:20.027-04:002015-09-12T06:48:20.027-04:00Brilliant historical analysis, Alex, of the contra...Brilliant historical analysis, Alex, of the contradictory forces within Syriza -- and, I daresay, within <i>every</i> movement that too much of the Left has forgotten how to do. My only quibble is with your very last conclusion, which does not directly follow from the rest of your observations. To wit:<br /><br />You write that: "You cannot fight against austerity and at the same time remain within the European Union." <br /><br />While it may be true that the controlling forces in the EU would want Greece "out", even the IMF was critical of the other pieces in the <i>troika</i> for pushing in that direction. The issue should not be framed as "Should we stay in the EU or leave it?" or the Left will lose. The issue should be framed just as the referendum did: "Do we want to accept austerity, or not?" and do all the things necessary to fight against austerity. And if the European Union controllers refuse to cede on the austerity demands, the movement just does what it has to do: Nationalize the foreign banks, declare a debt jubilee and cancel all debt, and so forth. Should the EU be so heavy-handed as to send in troops or to try to expel Greece, the fight then moves to a new level: Resist the troops and refuse to accept removal from the EU even while implementing the socialistic and anti-austerity measures -- that is, to press the contradiction within the EU as a very unsteady capitalist formation. The idea would be to rally the workers throughout Europe and elsewhere to support the anti-austerity movement in Greece, and to take over the apparatus in the name of anti-austerity and socialism, not to voluntarily quit it.<br /><br />Mitchel Cohen<br />Brooklyn Greens/Green Party<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Mitchel Cohenhttp://www.mitchelcohen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2062509833711600070.post-42503479110977256112015-09-10T10:19:06.310-04:002015-09-10T10:19:06.310-04:00From: lysistrata
This time again, in a positive ...From: lysistrata<br /> This time again, in a positive sense, you don't fall short of my expectations at all. Anybody will be greatly impressed by your insight, and I'm no exception. Your writing has satisfied much of my curiosity about Tsipras' betrayal. In particular, your assertion that "to say that Tsipras’s betrayal was predictable and to understand why he chose the road of betrayal are two different things" hit the mark. In this context, your from-below perspective ― the emphasis on the existence of working class and its pressure or potency ― seems to me to be perfectly legitimate. <br /> In the meantime, I cannot but confess that the more aware I am of the state of things, the more hopeless about future. Instead of having a self-contradictory fantasy that "you could remain in the Eurozone and end austerity," should Tsipras, or Syriza, or socialists have presented "a plan for Greece to take the initial steps of a transition to socialism in Greece and throughout Europe"? Even if he or anyone else had done so, might it have led to more nameless horrors? Due to the lack of the solid base of political power. <br /> About twenty years ago, my country experienced a bankruptcy similar to Greece's(, so I more profoundly sympathize with Greeks). Political leaders of the day in my country were busy taking makeshift measures for the only purpose of survival, which meant more austerity. My country apparently is known to have overcome the financial crisis since then, but is it really so, I wonder. It is undeniable that despite outward prosperity, the inner wound is festering. No way out in sight. Just a door to conformity. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com