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No to blackmail and compromise with austerity in Greece
Socialist Worker, Britain, June 28
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art/40807/No+to+blackmail+and+compromise+with+austerity+in+Greece
The Greek government, led by the left party Syriza, has called a
referendum on the austerity agreement the European Union (EU) and
International Monetary Fund (IMF) are trying to impose. These bodies
hold most of Greece’s foreign debt after bailing out the bankers, and
have pushed through vicious austerity measures in “memorandums” with
previous governments. The vote is set to take place on Sunday of next
week. The following is a statement by the Greek Socialist Workers
Party (SEK).
*Statement by the Greek Socialist Workers Party*
We vote NO to the agreement. The government should get back all the
concessions that have been made.
We need a united front for cancelling the debt, leaving the EU and
nationalising the banks.
The government has announced a referendum. The massive resistance to
compromise with the blackmailers of the IMF and the EU forced the
government not to sign an agreement.
This development is a step forward for all those who fought and fight
against the old and new memorandums.
The dockers who went on strike against the privatisation of Piraeus
port, the hospital workers who went on strike asking for money and
more staff for the health service, the thousands who came out against
the agreement—this is the force that said no to blackmail, no to
compromise.
Now we must continue to crush the right wing and liberal parties that
are loyal to the Troika and its memorandums. On Sunday vote a massive
No to the agreement.
But do not stop there.
We demand that the government of the left proceed directly to
implement the promises it made to the labour movement in order to get
elected.
Cancel the old and new memorandums, provide work for the unemployed,
increase wages, pensions and money for schools, hospitals, local
governments and pension funds.
The money to fund them should come from
Cancelling the debt—here and now, without exceptions.
Nationalising all the banks
Leaving the euro and the EU and embarking on a struggle for workers’ control
In this battle we have support from the working class throughout
Europe. They have rallied against the EU and the IMF in all major
cities.
What is needed is the strengthening of the revolutionary left. To
fight together to overturn the agreement and make way for a new
society without the burdens of bankrupt capitalism.
Do not stop the fight against extortionists and compromises.
Greece imposes capital controls as Troika escalates blackmail
Written by Jorge Martín Monday, 29 June 2015
In Defense Of Marxism, IMT
http://www.marxist.com/greece-imposes-capital-controls-as-troika-escalates-blackmail.htm
. . .
Analysts at JP Morgan, probably summarised the position of big capital
when they said: “We expect the referendum to vote in favour of
accepting the creditors' proposal. Our base case is that Tsipras steps
down as PM, and a unity government is formed which negotiates a deal
with the creditors.” Although when it says “we expect” one should
perhaps read “we hope”.
… and the government response
The response of the government was to impose a bank holiday lasting
until 7 July, during which people will only be able to withdraw 60
euro a day. Capital controls will also prevent any outflow of money
from the country. This was the only possible response to the
provocative moves of the Troika. For the duration of the bank holiday,
public transportation in Athens will be free.
In announcing these measures, Tsipras made an appeal for calm. He
lambasted the decision of the Troika not to grant Greece a temporary
extension of the bailout: “It is clear that the objective of the
decision of the eurogroup and the ECB is to attempt to blackmail the
will of the Greek people and to hinder democratic processes, namely
the holding of the referendum. They will not succeed. These decisions
will only serve to bring about the very opposite result. They will
further strengthen the resolve of the Greek people to reject the
unacceptable memorandum proposals and the institutions’ ultimatums.”
This was accompanied by an appeal for the masses to mobilise to
Athens’s Syntagma Square on Monday, June 29. This is completely
correct, as the referendum will be a battle which can not be won on
the ballot box alone, but rather, has to be fought through mass
mobilisation in the streets.
. . .
There is, of course, a mood of uncertainty in Greece today, with banks
closed, some queues at ATMs, a campaign by the powerful capitalist
media to create panic, queues at gas stations and panic
