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13 minute interview w/ English journalist Paul Mason in Greece, on debt negotiations, on Greeks' political sophistication, on social/cultural conservatism of Syriza radio station Sto Kokkino, Greece <http://www.stokokkino.gr/details_en.php?id=1000000000010134/I-am-impressed-by-the-resilience-of-the-Greek-people> Piraeus, where Syriza isn’t left wing enough [w/ video] In the home of Greek shipbuilding, metalworkers are protesting about cuts to their jobs and benefits while the city’s shops are closing and streets are empty by Alastair Good, Piraeus The Telegraph, London, June 5 <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/11652824/Piraeus-where-Syriza-isnt-left-wing-enough.html> On the dockside in Piraeus workers have gathered to protest at ongoing austerity measures which have seen their pay cut and working conditions worsen during the Greek economic crisis. With part of the port already leased to Chinese company Cosco, workers are angry that the left wing Syriza government haven’t done enough to protect them and that they may sell off the rest of the port to satisfy the demands of its ‘troika’ of creditors. “They got rid of workers’ rights. They got rid of everything, there is nothing.” says shipyard worker Panagiotis Efthimiou, 54. After marching to the Greek Shipping Ministry, the hundred or so protesters are initially denied entry to the building grounds... Poulikogiannis argues with the guards that the old right wing government would not have stopped them and he is dismayed that the new leftist government is acting in this way. Eventually allowed in, the protesters gather outside the building and many are unhappy about the privatisation of the port and how they fear for their jobs. “I am 51 years old”, says Stavros Panagiotopoulos, who works in the dock repairing ships, “Who will employ me? Businesses are closing (in Piraeus)”. A visit to the once bustling shopping district confirms Mr Panagiotopoulos’ fears. Rows of shops stand empty, a shuttered chemist shop sits next to a shuttered clothes shop. “More shops are closing, more offices are closing so the local economy is shrinking” says Eleni Stamataki, the local Syriza MP. It seems that for all of its promises of an end to austerity, Syriza is struggling with the reality of a struggling economy and creditors who are losing patience, and for the citizens of Piraeus this may mean more economic pain is on the way. Opposition Parties Criticize Govt in Greek Parliamentary Debate by A. Makris The Greek Reporter, June 5 <http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/06/05/opposition-parties-criticize-govt-in-greek-parliamentary-debate> Greek opposition “To Potami” leader Stavros Theodorakis urged the SYRIZA-led government on Friday to resolve its internal strife and push for a national consensus ahead of the next round of negotiations with creditors. Speaking at an off-the-agenda parliamentary debate that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras requested to brief political parties on the ongoing talks with Greece’s creditors, Theodorakis also said his party will support the government in the last effort to reach a deal with the country’ partners, leaving behind warnings of a rift with the EU and bankruptcy scenarios. Taking his turn at the podium, Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos said four months have gone by and the government has not achieved anything in its negotiations. He then said: “Maybe a rift would be a solution … Perhaps the love affair with Europe is over?” During the same debate, Greek Communist Party (KKE) leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas said the government did not abolish the Memoranda, as it had pledged. Koutsoumbas also said that Tsipras froze his pre-electoral proposals outlined in a keynote speech in Thessaloniki and is apparently considering entering into new commitments toward NATO as well as preparing to sign a new bailout program. He noted that any new measures will only add to the existing ones that turn against workers and his party will vote them down. (source: ana-mpa) [Athens News Agency - Macedonia Press Agency] Main Opposition Leader Urges Tsipras to Restore Greece’s Credibility and Stability by A. Makris The Greek Reporter, June 5 <http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/06/05/main-opposition-leader-urges-tsipras-to-restore-greeces-credibility-and-stability> Main opposition New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras urged Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday to restore Greece’s credibility and stability, both domestically and abroad, and follow through with reforms proposed by the previous government. “Instead of bringing tax cuts, you brought a tax raid. You brought the country to its knees domestically and denigrated the country abroad,” Samaras told MPs during an off-the-agenda televised debate that Tsipras requested in order to brief political parties on the ongoing talks with Greece’s creditors. “The country must change policy but first we must restore the country’s credibility and stability, both domestically and abroad,” he added. The New Democracy leader also said his party is not afraid of elections but the country cannot afford elections at this point. Commenting on the question posed by Tsipras earlier on whether the opposition would support a possible deal with the country’s creditors if it was tabled in Parliament, Samaras reverted the question by asking whether the governing SYRIZA party would support it. He then added: “You are asking us what we will do. Bring the final deal and we will tell you.” He also made three proposals to Tsipras in order to achieve a national consensus: “First, you have to end slander. Secondly, you must change policy and stop protecting the public sector. I am struggling for the private sector. Third, restore credibility and stability.” Samaras also accused Tsipras of lying about negotiating with the country’s creditors. “It’s impudence to ask us to state our position on whether we side with the proposal of our creditors or your own,” he noted. He continued to say that the government has missed all fiscal targets, bringing Greece at a difficult spot and reducing its credibility. He also said that the proposals tabled by the government will hurt the middle class. (source: ana-mpa) More Greeks want EU/IMF deal accepted than those who do not Almost half of Greeks want Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to accept a proposal by international lenders on a cash-for-reforms deal, 35% think it should be rejected. Times of Change, Greece, June 5 (Reuters) <http://www.thetoc.gr/eng/news/article/more-greeks-want-euimf-deal-accepted-than-those-who-do-not> Almost half of all Greeks want Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to accept a proposal by international lenders on a cash-for-reforms deal, while 35% believe it should be rejected, an opinion poll published on Friday showed. Athens and its creditors have been in talks for months over a deal to unlock further aid. The latest proposal by its lenders has sparked a fierce backlash within Tsipras's SYRIZA party, which says the deal goes against a pledge to end austerity. The poll by Metron Analysis for the Parapolitika newspaper also found that nearly 60% of Greeks support their government's hardline strategy in its negotiations with EU/IMF lenders while 35% oppose it. Poll Shows 74% of Greeks Want to Remain in Euro Zone by Philip Chrysopoulos The Greek Reporter, June 5 <http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/06/05/poll-shows-74-of-greeks-want-to-remain-in-euro-zone> A new poll shows that 75 percent of Greeks want to remain in the common currency bloc, while 50 percent would like to remain even if the government crosses the red lines it has set in negotiations. The poll, that was conducted by ALCO [Greek market research and opinion polling firm] for <newsit.gr> website, also shows that if elections were held today, SYRIZA would still win over opposition New Democracy by 11 percentage points. It took place during the crucial meeting between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the new impasse that followed. It was also conducted before the Greek government announcement that it will postpone the repayment due to the International Monetary Fund on June 5 and bundle all four installments for a single payment on June 30. On the question of currency, 74 percent of respondents want to keep the euro, 18 percent are in favor of a national currency, the drachma, while 8 percent are undecided yet. Regarding the deal with creditors, 45 percent want a deal to be completed at whatever cost, even if that means that the government crosses the red lines it has set on certain austerity measures. At the same time, 37 percent of Greek citizens want early elections now if a deal is not achieved. As for the negotiation strategy of the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition, 47 percent of Greeks believe it is wrong, while 39 percent believe that the government is following the correct strategy. Regarding intention to vote if elections were held today, the results were: SYRIZA 31.3% ND 20.4% THE RIVER 5.2% GOLDEN DAWN 4.8% KKE 4.5% PASOK 3.5% ANEL 3.2% _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
