Revolting Europe
Politics
The coherence of Tsipras and lessons for Italy
By Giorgio Cremaschi If the new Greek government begins now to live up to his election programme by establishing the minimum wage to 750 euro per month Germany’s Merkel-SPD government will close the door to any negotiations on the debt. In fact, with the “reforms” that have made the German model to the whole continent, … Continue reading
The German Chancellor and Grexit
By Jacques Sapir A Greek exit from the Euro, following the election on 25 January, is no longer unthinkable, Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted in the German weekly “Der Spiegel” on Saturday. This is an important statement, which can be analyzed in two different ways, neither of which are opposed to the other. The first reading … Continue reading
Still on air: how 20 Greek TV workers are keeping the flag flying for independent public broadcasting
French journalists Erwan Manac’h and Marie Chambrial find a group of colleagues in Greece weary but in determined spirits and experimenting with a new type of broadcasting, as they continue on air 24/7 despite the forced closure of the ERT state TV a year ago. They were thought to be history when the government axed the signal in … Continue reading
Renzi in Africa: Arms and Oil
By Guglielmo Ragozzino Our PM, the tireless Matteo Renzi, was in Africa earlier this month. He brought with him, for example in Mozambique, a delegation which included the number one of Eni, Claudio Descalzi and his counterpart from Finmeccanica, Mauro Moretti, newly appointed in those roles for a precise reason, after long debate and reflection, 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
The Plot to Topple Berlusconi
Much as many were relieved to see the back of Silvio Berlusconi as Italy’s PM during the height of the Eurozone crisis in 2011, the revelations by Tim Geithner should have all democrats including those on the Left deeply worried. EU officials approached the former US Treasury Secretary in November of that year with a plan to overthrow the billionaire … 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
Lessons from the victory against Madrid’s hospital privatisation plan
Victory this week against Madrid’s hospital privatisation – and other recent struggles in Spain – shows popular resistance delivers results, says Esther Vivas “Resisting is pointless,” we hear endlessly repeated. “So many years of protest but the crisis continues, why bother?” insist others, inoculating us with apathy and resignation. “Protests could lead to something that’s even … Continue reading
Merkel and the Social Democrats – a view from France
By François Delapierre The European right has its model: Germany. Angela Merkel emerged reinforced out of Sunday’s elections. After two terms, she achieved great strides forward for the CDU- CSU coalition. The paradox is that this is a non-exportable German exception. Moreover, austerity policies imposed by the Chancellor have created her own Conservative colleagues great … 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
Portugal government survives to continue austerity course, President decides
Portugal’s President Anibal Cavaco Silva on Sunday ruled out a snap election and said he wanted the right wing coalition government to stay in place to end a weeks-old political crisis and to ensure the destructive austerity measures and debt payments under the EU/IMF bailout stayed unchanged. The President had hoped for a ‘broader political … Continue reading
Syriza: We’ll reverse the Government-Troika job cuts
The Greek government this week passed measures slashing thousands of public sector jobs. Argiris Panagopoulos, correspondent of Il Manifesto newspaper interviewed Panos Lamprou, a leading member of the opposition Syriza party, on this latest round of Troika-inspired austerity, dubbed a ‘mini-memorandum’. Lamprou, a member of the Secretariat to SYRIZA’s Central Committee, also talks about alternative … Continue reading
Democracy and corruption in Spain: Why Rajoy must go and elections should be called
The only answer to the party financing scandal engulfing prime minister Mariano Rajoy and his right-wing Popular Party is Mr Rajoy’s head and immediate elections says Joan Coscubiela Never before has a social and political conflict presented itself in Spain so clearly. Either the citizens and and institutions rescue democracy or corruption in all its facets, … Continue reading
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