Revolting Europe
socialists
France’s Loi Macron: the consecration of archaeo-liberalism
This week France’s government forced a controversial deregulatory economic bill through parliament by decree, provoking a confidence vote and further splits within the ruling socialists, with rebels including former minister Benoît Hamon. Drafted by a one-time investment banker and designed to win respite from the German-led EU over draconian deficit reduction demands, it has been pursued in the name of … Continue reading
The IMF and bosses’ war against Spanish youth
By Jose Antonio Arias Again, for the umpteenth time the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has attacked Spanish youth and their wages, while the Spanish business lobby shouts “we told you so”. This is the scenario: over 50% youth unemployment, the minimum wage at €645.30 (virtually frozen since 2011) and almost non-existent labour rights. Faced with … 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
On President Hollande’s New Year bomb
IN THE RADICAL PRESS / HUMANITE By Patrick Apel -Muller François Hollande’s New Year message did not mark a political turning point, which came just a few months after his election, but it expressed his right turn without any attempt at camoflauge. Priority is to be given to the demands of big business, austerity for … Continue reading
Spanish radicals ‘ready to govern the exit from neo-liberalism’ – Interview with Cayo Lara
Interview with Cayo Lara, leader of Izquierda Unida (United Left) Cayo Lara, 61, is general co-ordinator Izquierda Unida (United Left). During the party’s last Congress he was re-elected by a unanimous vote to lead the party, that in parliamentary elections in November 2011 achieved almost 7% of the vote, winning 11 seats. Since then, under his … Continue reading
Spain’s bad banking joke
Despite an infusion of tens of billions of euros funded by citizens now left with huge debts and a downsized welfare state, Spain’s nationalised banks are providing fewer loans to the credit-starved economy than private lenders. It’s all a very bad joke, says Vicente Clavero If something clearly reflects the huge bad joke being played … Continue reading
The overwhelming success of austericide
Vincente Clavero The austerity Taliban will be satisfied by the announcement by the IMF that, despite the policies advocated by them, the debt crisis in Spain may now extend for no less than ten years. According to the latest report of the Fund, presented this week by its chief economist, the Frenchman Olivier Blanchard, there’s … Continue reading
France and the Cahuzac affair
The tax evasion revelations about former Socialist budget minister Jerome Cahuzac shows it is time to end the revolting door between government and large private companies, and the impunity of the oligarchy, says Martine Billard of the Parti de Gauche. The Cahuzac affair demonstrates, if any further proof were needed, how the mix of finance, politics and the media … Continue reading
Poverty scares us, but inequality outrages us
By Edmundo Fayanas Escuer Spanish Caritas has just published a new report (FOESSA) with data for 2012. The outlook is bleak and should mark a turning point for us all to do something to end this social disaster caused by these neoliberal policies imposed by the European Union and which here in Spain are executed … Continue reading
Spain’s evictions, the ECJ ruling and the banking lobby
By Vicente Clavero The two main parties in Spain, the Socialists and the Popular Party, should hang their heads in shame because it took a decision from overseas to fix our legislation on evictions. Legislation, which, since the beginning of the crisis, has been used by banks to seize the homes of half a million … Continue reading
Corruption: it’s not true, politicians are not all the same
By Manel García Biel Generalizations are often not fair, but now seem to be fashionable on the issue of corruption. We often say “everyone is corrupt”, “all politicians are the same”, “they do not represent us.” Generalizations lead to us to put them all in the same boat, and this is neither true nor fair. … Continue reading
Spaniards give thumbs down to Rajoy’s first year in power
Seven out of ten Spaniards have given the thumbs down to Mariano Rajoy’s stewardship of the country a year after he was swept to power. The CIS poll for El Mundo newspaper showed the prime minister’s rating is now even worse than his socialist predecessor Jose Luis Zapatero at his lowest point last autumn. Unpopular … Continue reading
Spain’s Socialists must turn left to save democracy
By Antonio Mora Plaza In her initial comments after the collapse of the Socialist vote in the Galician and Basque regional elections on October 21, party spokesperson Elena Valencia talked of a ‘negative election cycle’ caused by the crisis and – I guess this is something – the [austerity] measures taken in May 2010 taken … Continue reading
Spain’s socialists get a drubbing but PM Rajoy shouldn’t be smug
Rather than a confirmation of Mariano Rajoy’s self-perpetuating austerity policies, this weekend’s local elections in Galicia and the Basque country confirmed the Spaniards’ enduring distrust of the socialists. The party that ruled Spain for almost eight years during the build-up of its ruinous bank debt fuelled real-estate bubble, saw its share of the vote fall … Continue reading
Spanish socialist activists give thumbs down to leadership
Spanish socialist activists have given a massive thumbs down to their leaders for failing to mount an effective opposition to the right-wing Government of Mariano Rajoy that is planning to serve up yet another dose of lethal austerity medicine to the general population. A survey of 1,162 activists found that 78% were unhappy with the … Continue reading
THE EURO
The Dossier
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
ITALY
PORTUGAL
SPAIN
