Revolting Europe
elections
Portugal’s poll-leading Socialists propose making pensioners pay for ‘anti-austerity’ budget if elected
Portugal’s socialists have come under fire for proposals that would see pensioners pay for their plans to ‘turn the page on austerity’ if they are elected in general elections in the autumn. “There is an alternative, it’s possible to turn the page on austerity and have better economic results,” Socialist leader Antonio Costa said, Reuters … Continue reading
3 Greek myths
By Vincente Navarro Dominant economic thinking, that is, neoliberalism, constantly uses lines of argument to create moods that make its proposals – always involving sacrifices by the masses – more tolerable and acceptable. These arguments are repeated in the mass media to the point they become the conventional wisdom. That is, the “platitudes” promoted by the … Continue reading
Spain’s Podemos: Inside view of a radical left sensation
IN THE RADICAL PRESS / MEMOIRE DES LUTTES What is the thinking and strategy behind Spain’s new radical political sensation? Podemos European election campaign chief Iñigo Errejón explains. In Spain, the surge of discontent caused by structural adjustment policies and hostage taking of popular sovereignty by the oligarchic powers gave rise to a series of … Continue reading
Thousands protest in Paris against austerity
Led by several parties of the radical left, the protesters sent a message to President Francois Hollande that they had ‘enough’ of austerity and that it was time for a change in policy. Thousands of people protested in Paris on Saturday calling for a change in the austerity policies of President Francois Hollande. The Left … Continue reading
Hungary swings right
By Marco Santopadre The parliamentary elections in Hungary Sunday confirmed a trend already evident in recent years – a right wing government that maintains its position of dominance and a growing neo-Nazi opposition. The election also saw an increase in voter turnout, by four percentage points, reaching 61% participation. The former Liberal party Fidesz, led … Continue reading
Valls as France’s new PM is poor casting – but that’s not the worst of it
By Jacques Sapir After what can only be called one of the worst defeats suffered by a “Left government” in local elections, a defeat that saw cities won by the Socialists over 100 years ago pass into the hands of the Right (Limoges), French President François Hollande has decided to thank the Prime Minister, Jean- … Continue reading
Left of Socialist Party calls on Hollande to dump austerity after local election defeat
“The Government cannot remain deaf to the message of the voters. Nothing would be worse than to underestimate the extent of the defeat. Nothing could be more dangerous than to err in analyzing the causes. The problem is not ‘methodological’, it is political. The central issue is a rejection of austerity. This is not about … Continue reading
France local elections: disappointment with Hollande and abstention help Le Pen
Pietro Lunetto offers an analysis of Sunday’s elections and argues that despite the headlines, the Left vote held up overall. The result of the first round of the French administrative has sparked the reaction, often lazy, of the mainstream press, which prefers headlines to detailed analysis of the situation. From the results of the first round, … Continue reading
Why the May elections to the EU parliament will be a little more European
IN THE RADICAL PRESS / MEMOIRE DES LUTTES By Bernard Cassen Since 1979, members of the European Parliament have been elected by direct universal suffrage. However, so far , the campaigns preceding the elections had focused little on European issues, if not vaguely or with mantras such as ” social Europe tomorrow .” In reality, … Continue reading
Germany: Why Left numerical majority isn’t a political majority – Die Linke’s Wagenknecht in interview
IN THE RADICAL PRESS/ IL MANIFESTO Il Manifesto newspaper interviews Sahra Wagenknecht, deputy leader of Die Linke, on why Merkel did so well in the elections, the failure of the SPD and the prospects of unity on the Left. For Sahra Wagenknecht, deputy leader of Die Linke (‘The Left’), there is no doubt: the weakness … Continue reading
German elections: Interview with Die Linke
IN THE RADICAL PRESS / HUMANITE Interview by l’Humanite newspaper with Wolfgang Gehrcke outgoing Die Linke (Left Party) MP in the Bundestag and spokesman for the party’s parliamentary group on international matters. One day before the vote on 22 September, opinion polls showed the party obtaining 8.5% of the vote. A climate of social dissatisfaction … Continue reading
Questioning the future of the euro is no longer un-PC
IN THE RADICAL PRESS / MEMOIRE DES LUTTES By Frédéric Lebaron A debate is raging among economists and French leftist intellectuals on the future of the eurozone and the relevance of a national strategy to exit from the single currency. The conversion of leading French economists to this strategy (of which Frédéric Lordon is the … Continue reading
The German elections will not change a thing in the Eurozone
Interview with Italian economist Emiliano Brancaccio ‘As far as austerity is concerned, even after the September elections Germany will not turn the page. The Germans have benefited from the crisis, and even if the Bundesbank itself has reservations about the general direction of European economic policy, Berlin has no interest in changing course.’ So says … Continue reading
How Beppe Grillo and Italy’s Five Star Movement stole the election
Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement is now Italy’s largest party, only overtaken in terms of seats in parliament by Pier Luigi Bersani and Silvio Berlusconi by the alliances they have built with smaller parties – SEL and the Northern League respectively. So how did Grillo, a former comedian and Italy’s number 1 blogger, come from … Continue reading
Italy: How the spread lost the elections
Grillo’s success and failure of Monti and the peninsula’s two main parties is a sign of a growing European revolt that has finally started in Italy too, says Giorgio Cremaschi The markets have reacted badly. It was obvious, banking and finance wanted the victory of the Democrats, working with Monti. Moreover, if elections had delivered victory … Continue reading
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