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bravo On Tue, Jul 14, 2015 at 9:18 AM, Marv Gandall via Marxism < marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > ******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. > #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. > ***************************************************************** > > > On Jul 14, 2015, at 7:12 AM, Louis Proyect via Marxism < > marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > > > First off, it still seems that Greeks want to stay in the euro. While a > poll at the end of 2014 by Gallup International found that 52% of Greeks > would prefer to have the Drachma over the euro, this seems to be something > of a rogue poll. All other polls have consistently shown Greek support for > the euro. > > There has been a lot of informed comment in academic circles and in the > financial as well as left-wing media that Greece would be better off > leaving the eurozone than continuing to be subjected to the grinding > austerity and deep depression, with little hope of economic recovery, which > characterizes its current situation. The argument is that Greece would > recover if it were free to devalue its own currency - that it could less > painlessly recover its competitiveness though an “external” devaluation of > the drachma as opposed to a savage “internal” devaluation based on driving > down the cost of labour and social benefits. Even the initial shock of the > transition to a new currency could be eased if Greece were able to > negotiate an orderly exit with the eurozone powers who, together with the > US, have a strategic interest in ensuring a stable Greece on their borders. > > Whatever you may think of that argument, this debate has never really > filtered down to the Greek masses who support Syriza’s social program, > largely because the pro-euro party leadership has rejected this option from > the beginning. This is the foremost reason why most public opinion polls > skew heavily in favour of continued eurozone membership. > > However much the two issues are linked, however, the referendum wasn’t > about continued eurozone membership but about the austerity package. And > the deeper issue, as always, is: Who decides these life-or-death issues: > the people or the party, the leaders or the working class? > > We wouldn’t be having this discussion if the Greeks had voted by 61% to > accept the austerity package that was proposed to them in the referendum. > The Tsipras leadership would have had the result it was hoping for, despite > its cosmetic campaign in favour of a No, and that would be that. It could > return to Brussels to sign the surrender terms with the mandate of the > Greek people securely in its pocket. We might still lament the outcome, but > case closed. It is for the Greeks themselves to decide, not us, not the > leaders they elected. > > We’re having this discussion precisely because the Tsipras leadership > chose to ignore the overwhelming rejection of the austerity package. It > acted as if as the popular democracy did not exist, and the popular classes > had not decisively pronounced on the issue. It promptly signalled its > willingness to the eurozone powers that, despite the referendum result, it > was prepared to continue negotiating the terms of surrender. And it did so > in concert with the widely despised opposition parties . > > How can we condone this about-face by the leadership, any more than we can > condone a union leadership arbitrarily and unexpectedly capitulating to the > employer the day after its members roundly reject an agreement assaulting > their living standards and working conditions? Even if it were a > well-intentioned union leadership which considered it was acting in the > best interests of its poor benighted members who did not really understand > the implications of what they were voting for? > > As an old comrade once remarked to me, “my first loyalty is to the working > class, then to the party or trade union which purports to act in its name.” > > > > > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: > http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/acpollack2%40gmail.com > _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
