Greece is insolvent

Break the Chains of Greece’s Debt

If history shows anything, it is that there’s no better way to justify relations founded on violence, to make such relations seem moral, than by reframing them in the language of debt – above all, because it immediately makes it seem that it’s the victim who’s doing something wrong. — David Graeber

Greece is broke, the cupboard is bare.

Banks like to create a myth, the debtor is insolvent, but keep peddling money, and they can service the debt, only the debt gets bigger, until eventually the Emperor is seen to have no clothes, then the banks go bust, or they would were it not for the fact governments bail out the banks.

If you are broke, do you then go to loan sharks?

This is what has happened to Greece.

Money is being pumped into Greece, but it does not find its way into the pockets of hard working Greeks, or as now is the case, unemployed Greeks, it flows straight out to German banks, with a nice little cut to the corrupt political elites.

Greece was not bailed out, the banks were bailed out.

Austerity is being used as an excuse to loot Greece. to force sell off of state assets on the cheap.

Conditions imposed on Greece, has destroyed its economy.

The economy has shrunk by 25%, 25% unemployment (over 50% youth unemployment), high suicide rate. Debt as a percentage of GDP has risen from 13% to 175%.

Banks take a risk when they lend money. That is one of the factors in the interest they charge. When that risk fails, they have to take the hit. If it means German banks go bust, let then go bust.

Greeks were not party to any of the agreements,and they should not have to pay.

The BBC Newsnight interview was a joke, an incredibly stupid interviewer who clearly had not done her homework.

BBC is part of the media-political establishment, that presents no alternative to austerity, that argues no funds to pay for public services, welfare payments, when we have a huge public deficit due to tax dodging.

Syriza revolution in Greece three weeks ago, is showing that there is an alternative. Germany can huff and puff, but they will not snuff out the hope that has been kindled in Greece.

Today Greece, tomorrow Spain. Then, Portugal, Italy, Cyprus?

• Sacred Economics
• The troika saved banks and creditors – not Greece
• At least 90% of the Greek bailout has paid off reckless lenders
• Syriza: Hope has won
• Syriza: Greek Revolution Against Corruption
• Greece: The end of austerity
• Austerity is the crisis not the solution
• Austerity is not working
• We Are Not Merkel’s Colony
• First we take Athens: Europe’s debt colony revolts
• Anti-austerity forces grow in Italy after Greece vote

Top Story in EURO Social Media News (Sunday 8 February 2015).

We Are Not Merkel’s Colony

We Are Not Merkel’s Colony

Big demonstration in Athens last night

We Are Not Merkel’s Colony

Germany is doing all it can to kill the Syriza revolution in Greece, barely two weeks old.

It is not for Germany or the EU to dictate to Greece. A point people across Europe need to make very clear, we are all Greeks now.

Austerity does not work. It was used as an excuse to loot Greece.

• Syriza: Hope has won
• Syriza: Greek Revolution Against Corruption
• Greece: The end of austerity
• Austerity is the crisis not the solution
• Austerity is not working

Austerity is the crisis not the solution

Austerity is the crisis not the solution

Austerity has proven to be an economic and social catastrophe. A catastrophe for democracy. Austerity is the crisis itself – it is not a solution to the crisis. — Alexis Tsipras

Austerity is a myth, it is an excuse for Shock Doctrine, slash and burn of public services, cuts to welfare, privatisation, sell off on the cheap of State assets.

With the victory of Syriza in Greece last weekend, the fightback has begun.

• Greece: The end of austerity
• Syriza London’s Marina Prentoulis: ‘Austerity not working’

When did you last hear an incoming Prime Minister and Finance Minister going out of their way in their first speeches to say they would rehire a group of fired workers?

Greek cleaners reinstated

When did you last hear of politicians keeping their election promises?

Greece: The end of austerity

Syriza leader addresses a rally

I have spent twice ten days in Greece, in close connection with the young cadre of Syriza and have been rather impressed by both their open-mindedness and their integrity. — Michel Bauwens

Europe acquiesced in an austerity programme that pushed the continent towards deflation, only a party of former Trotskyists, eco-warriors and Occupy protesters stood its ground. — Paul Mason

Syriza had twenty-two days to make history. This is how they did it. Theopi Skarlatos followed Syriza’s activists, candidates and leadership from the waterfront, to remote mountain villages, to the nail biting final days.

An independent documentary directed by Theopi Skarlatos.

With crowd funding, could be a feature length film, documenting how Syriza handles EU intimidation.

Maybe try StartJoin, as this would appear to be an ideal StartJoin project.

Athens was the birthplace of democracy.

We are now seeing in Greece, the re-birth of democracy. Not the sham democracy where every few years we are asked to decide which political elite get their snouts in the trough.

The Greek people have overthrown a corrupt political elite. A corrupt political elite who sold out their own country to the EU, who were prepared to sell off the assets of the country on the cheap, who tried to turn the people into beggars and paupers, slaves for a global market.

Greece has acquired an unlikely ally.

A couple of days ago, the Governor of the Bank of England warned Germany to back off, said austerity was not working.

Greeks are in the vanguard of the fight against austerity and EU imposed privatisation.

Greeks will not back down. They will stand firm against EU and German bullying as although it will be tough, they know the alternates under the EU jackboot with Made in Germany writ on the sole are far worse.

The onus is now on us to support the Greeks in their fight with the EU.

Please join with others and sign the letter of solidarity in support of the Greeks.

• Revolution
• Sacred Economics
• This Changes Everything
• Greece lights up Europe
• How the Shock Doctrine is being applied to Greece
• Syriza heading to landslide victory
• Syriza: Hope has won
• ‘Hope begins today’: the inside story of Syriza’s rise to power
• Syriza: Greek Revolution Against Corruption
• Tsipras: the reverse shock doctrine
• Investors have woken up to Greece’s nuclear risk
• Carney attacks German austerity

Syriza: Greek Revolution Against Corruption

Sunday evening BBC reporting hard left. Once the count was in, this had softened to radical left.

Left-Right is meaningless. The mainstream media do not get it. That we are dealing with something different, revolution, handing power to the grass roots.

Imagine if Occupy St Paul’s were forming the next government after the May 2015 General Election, then you begin to get it.

The chance to vote for a party that represents people, not as we have in the UK, a vote for Tweedledee or Tweedledum, whose turn is it to represent Big Business.

Syriza is not a choice between corporate controlled capitalism or state controlled capitalism, it is transference of power to the people.

The Greeks are against EU and all that it stands for, but not against fellow Europeans.

It is the most exciting thing we have seen for a generation, and why David Cameron and his ilk are scared.

We are not in it all together, we have seen transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich and it is those who have benefited the most from austerity, those who fund the parties and pull their strings, the corporate tax dodgers who fear Syriza spreading across Europe. The people deciding, enough is enough.

Tories are in favour of austerity, ToryLite aka Labour are in favour of austerity, LibDems will say anything to hang on to power.

We need to:

• get dirty money out of politics
• stop fracking
• kill The Infrastructure Bill
• devolve power to the people
• renationalise the railways
• establish locally controlled, locally owned power grids
• break up the banks
• force corporate tax dodgers to pay their fare share of tax

We also need to act to stop the revolution in Greece being killed at birth. This means we across Europe make it very clear the Greeks have our full support, we will not tolerate interference or bullying by outside forces, be they EU, Germany, global corporations, banks and any others who have used austerity as an excuse for Shock Doctrine, slash and burn of public services, cuts to welfare, sell off of public assets.

Please sign the petition to the EU, demanding that they respect the wishes of the Greek people.

• Public meeting: After Syriza: what now for Greece and EU austerity?

Public meeting: After #Syriza what now for Greece and EU austerity? https://t.co/jOR2RllR7w #WeCanWin pic.twitter.com/q26xiEPkqm

— Global Justice Now (@GlobalJusticeUK) January 27, 2015

• Revolution
• Sacred Economics
• This Changes Everything
• Post-crash economics
• Greece lights up Europe
• Co-ops – sharing – commons
• FLOK
• Syriza heading to landslide victory
• Syriza: Hope has won
• Will Syriza pave the way for a Commons-oriented society?
• Civil Power and the Path Forward for Greece
• Greek political parties for a Commons-oriented society
• How the Shock Doctrine is being applied to Greece

Syriza: Hope has won

Syriza flag

What do the Greeks know about democracy anyway?

— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) January 25, 2015

You have to love that #Syriza is playing Rock the Casbah at its victory rally. This is not a conciliatory note.

— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) January 25, 2015

May #Greece learn the hard lessons of every previous left victory: stay mobilized! Mass pressure more important now than ever #Syriza

— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) January 25, 2015

“Hope has won” – inspired by huge vote for #Syriza – now EU must listen to people & economists & respond with debt forgivenesss & support

— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) January 25, 2015

First we take Athens, then we take Madrid @Pablo_Iglesias_ #syriza #ekloges2015 #ChangeEurope #Podemos @europeanleft pic.twitter.com/ZQ413PwDQn

— a.tsipras (@atsipras) January 22, 2015

Wonderful result from Greece.

Syriza 37% of the vote, one seat short of a majority.

Watching as the poll results rolled in, the mainstream media was clueless as to what was going on.

Is Occupy, Hard Left?

No.

Left-Right are meaningless.

A large transfer of power to grass roots.

Revolution in the truest sense of the word.

37% of the vote, one seat short of a majority.

The fight back has begun.

It will increase economic uncertainty for corporations, the city and you "Dave". Good. pic.twitter.com/lpSVjRO0z8

— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) January 25, 2015

No surprise, David Cameron first to put the boot in, once the result known.

Greece has been bastardised by EU and Germany, now they are saying enough is enough, and they speak for the whole of Europe.

Paul Mason

Keen eyed watchers of the Greek media will have seen that, as I attempted to throw a question to Syriza’s number two politician, Rena Douro, she grabbed me by the ears and kissed me. I’d shouted “A long way from Syntagma Square!” because I first interviewed her as a bedraggled protester there, amid tear gas.

As she is the Prefect of Attica, this is the Greek equivalent of being kissed by Boris Johnson.

I persisted with questions: “What next? How can you govern?” But Ms Douro replied simply “Thank you for being here.”

It’s a bit of a stir among the 50-odd other microphone-toting Greek press pack, who did not get kissed, and happened in front of about 100 cameras, so I thought I’d better mention it.

Did spineless Ed Miliband join Occupy on the streets, the protesters outside Parliament, call for protest to be allowed outside Parliament?

No.

Ed Miliband has not evenn had the courtesy to congratulate, but then he wouldn’t would he, as it would only be to draw to attention failed ToryLite policies, anything but radical.

Caroline Lucas was there, but no one from ToryLite front bench. On the other hand ToryLite earlier this month voted with ConDem government for austerity.

Contrast with Rena Douro who Paul Mason mentions, she was on the streets being tear gassed protesting against austerity.

According to George Osborne ‘high risks for us’. Who are the us, is this the we are all in it together? The high risk is for those who have been benefiting from austerity.

BBC reporter Robert Preston, on containing the contamination. But at least BBC are now referring to radical left, not hard left.

Germans on the street, Greeks have made the wrong decisions.

• Syriza heading to landslide victory
• What Syriza’s Greek election victory means for Europe
• Syriza’s historic win puts Greece on collision course with Europe
• Greece shows what can happen when the young revolt against corrupt elites
• Greece anti-bailout leader Tsipras made prime minister
• Will Syriza pave the way for a Commons-oriented society?
• Civil Power and the Path Forward for Greece
• Greek political parties for a Commons-oriented society
• How the Shock Doctrine is being applied to Greece