[Marxism] The Kohler artice
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. * So thanks to Michael I got to read the Alan Kohler article. What did i make of it? Firstly it was written under the sign of there is no alternative or TINA as my dear friend Roy Bhaskar called it. The Greeks must vote Yes, according to Kohler, because if they vote no then we step outside the logic of capitalism. That is precisely why the bourgeoisie are anxious about the referendum. It gives the people an opportunity to enter the stage of history and that makes, always, for a nervous ruling class. I won't say any more about the referendum. Personally I think the yes vote will get up, precisely because Tsirpas Co have flopped around and vacillated. But it will not be the end of politics rather it will begin another stage of the struggle. comradely Gary _ 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
[Marxism] Fwd: What to Make of Heidegger in 2015? - The Los Angeles Review of Books
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. * Heidegger, like many other philosophers after him, was alarmed not only by human beings living inauthentic lives in technological societies but also by the way we are becoming technological ourselves. In this condition philosophy, as an analysis of our concepts, traditions, and world, would lose its educational and critical role within society. Unfortunately, his anti-Semitism has destroyed his legacy, even more so than other anti-Semites of his time (T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, D.H. Lawrence). While many are now wont to defend or discredit the German thinker’s moral and political corruption, we should remember, as Heidegger once said, that “he who thinks great thoughts often makes great errors.” full: http://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/what-to-make-of-heidegger-in-2015 _ 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
Re: [Marxism] huge NO rally in Athens; ...
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. * Eyewitness in Athens: Hundreds of thousands-strong No rally defies bankers' blackmail by Dave Sewell in Athens Socialist Worker, Britain, July 3 http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art/40858/Eyewitness+in+Athens%3A+Hundreds+of+thousands-strong+No+rally+defies+bankers+blackmail Hundreds of thousands of people crammed into central Athens' Syntagma Square last night, Friday, for the official no campaign's rally ahead of Sunday's austerity referendum. It will decide whether to reject or accept the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) proposed deal on Greece’s debt. The polls are nail-bitingly close–but the difference on the streets was enormous. It was the biggest turnout of any protest since at least 2012. A crowd almost too dense to move in filled the square and surrounding streets and spilled over onto bus stop and kiosk roofs and balconies of surrounding buildings. Student John told Socialist Worker, We don't want any more austerity–we want jobs and a future for our children. “This is an act of real democracy. The people should get to decide, instead of getting things forced on us.” Left wing prime minister Alexis Tsipras topped the bill of speakers and musicians. But the people present went well beyond his party Syriza. Chris who’s unemployed is a member of the Pirate Party. She told Socialist Worker, “Five years of austerity have caused 10,000 suicides. Do we want to make that 20,000 with another five years? Whatever happens, we're standing up for our prime minister. Pensioner Vaso added, I'm here to encourage Tsipras to do what he needs to. The no rally and the much smaller yes rally both put forward radically different visions of Europe. Left wing politicians and activists from across the EU came to Syntagma to lend solidarity. To loud cheers, a speaker from the German protest movement Blockupy talked about domestic opposition to German chancellor Angela Merkel. He said, “For every Greek brave enough to take to the streets there are ten Europeans elsewhere watching and taking courage. “Merkel doesn't rule Europe–it is our Europe. Minister of administrative reform Giorgos Katrougalos told Socialist Worker, What's happening here isn't just a question for Greece. We're putting forward a different vision of Europe against the neoliberal austerity. “This demonstration is a picture of Europe's future. Many demonstrators shared this hope of reforming the EU. Council worker Christos Efthimiou was giving out leaflets from his union, which is calling for a no vote. He explained, We've had cuts of about 60 percent. That means services closing, workers being laid off and wages going down. More cuts would destroy public services. If we vote no the EU will get the message–we want a people’s Europe. But for leading Syriza left winger Stathis Kouvelakis the insistence on staying in the eurozone and EU is a weakness for the government. He told Socialist Worker, If the banks hadn't closed, it would have been much easier for the no campaign. It has given credibility to the other side’s apocalyptic propaganda. “This is something that has been used to blackmail Syriza all along–and it looks as if that blackmail will continue. “But we have to ask the question what we can do about it–and we need to seriously consider the possibility of setting up a new drachma currency.” The yes rally–a tenth of the size at most–took place a few blocks away. Dimitris voted for the rump of Greece's once mighty Labour-type party Pasok. He dismissed Tsipras’ assurances about the EU saying, I don't believe any of the no campaign. “They all want to take us out of Europe–especially the government. Student Ioanna came with her father. She said, We are European, we need Europe. That means we need to accept the position we are in–we can't get anything better. Europe's mainstream media were there. One Portuguese journalist confided to Socialist Worker, “It would actually be better for us if they voted no. But I can't really say that here.” Apart from the size, the most striking difference was the fashion. Designer shirts or handbags were the rule at the yes rally–but Nicolas bucked the trend with a T-shirt from St Tropez Marina. He said, The problem in Greece is that politicians eat money, but now they have to give it back. I agree with the TV journalist who said the agreement isn't good–it’s like jumping from a window on the first floor and breaking your leg. “But no agreement is like diving from the top and being killed–so I will vote for the broken leg. That gloom set the tone for the rally. Bored vendors stood with carts full of unsold Greek and EU flags, brought for a turnout that
[Marxism] Fwd: How Cherokee Territory Became the “Deep South” - The Los Angeles Review of Books
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[Marxism] Fwd: A Laboratory Sitting on a Graveyard: Greece and the Neoliberal Debt Crisis - The Los Angeles Review of Books
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. * By Bruce Robbins http://lareviewofbooks.org/review/a-laboratory-sitting-on-a-graveyard-greece-and-the-neoliberal-debt-crisis/ _ 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
[Marxism] Hamas' new English-language site
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. * I'm not anyone's partisan, but this will hopefully help to silence the sillier sort of Zionists. If you're into Palestine, have a look around: http://hamas.ps/en -- Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað. _ 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
[Marxism] Fwd: This Is Why The Euro Is Finished | Zero Hedge
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[Marxism] Greece: the referendum is on (4)
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. * 1.a) Greece’s PM Tsipras Votes in Referendum; Says ‘Greeks Open Path for Europe’ by Anastasios Papapostolou The Greek Reporter, July 5 http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/07/05/alexis-tsipras-votes-greek-refrendum-says-opens-path-for-europe Surrounded by hundreds of NO supporters and international media, Greek Prime Minster Alexis Tsipras casted his ballot in a referendum that has divided Greece. The SYRIZA leader arrived at 10:30 am local time at the polling station of Kipseli, a middle-class neighborhood in the center of Athens, to cast his NO ballot rejecting a bailout agreement offered by Greece’s creditors. The Greek PM who campaigned for the NO vote said that today is a celebration of democracy for Greece and Europe. “The Greek people have the choice, many can reject a government’s will but nobody can reject the will of the people,” said Tsipras after casting his vote. He noted that Greece has opened a path for European nations to follow and that democracy has overcome fear in search for solutions. The Greek PM concluded that he wants Greece to stay in the EU and work and prosper together with the other nations as equal members of the union. 1.b) Yanis Varoufakis: 'We've made hope return to Europe' Paul Mason interviews Yanis Varoufakis, July 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmqnYHmRg48 2.a) On eve of referendum, Greeks refuse to give in to fear by Jerome Roos ROAR magazine, July 5 http://roarmag.org/2015/07/greece-referendum-fear-campaign-media w/ video at site *The campaign of fear and lies by the political, financial and media establishment has backfired: as Greece prepares to vote, the fear is changing sides.* As Greece prepares to vote in a historic referendum, a slightly surreal calm has descended over Athens. The optimistic attitude of many activists in the NO camp, especially, contrasts sharply with the ruthless propaganda war of the Greek and international media — not to mention the terror campaign waged by EU officials and the Greek opposition. For a full week now, the big corporate TV stations here have been bombarding Greeks with images of pure panic and impending catastrophe: shuttered banks, lines in front of the ATMs, empty supermarket shelves, pharmacies running out of drugs, scuffles between protesters and police. On top of this, they have repeatedly shown inconclusive polls that show the vote to be on knife’s edge. The international media have in many cases ended up uncritically reproducing this narrative of fear and uncertainty, often without double-checking basic facts or warning their viewers and readers about the political agenda of their sources. Let there be no mistake: the Greek economy is in deep trouble at the moment. The financial system is on the brink of collapse and trade and production have ground to a screeching halt. If things continue like this there is a serious risk of cash depletion by the start of next week, possibly even food shortages soon after. There is no denying that Greek society is hanging by a thread. Obviously the media have a responsibility to report on this impending economic meltdown. The problem, however, is the particular way in which the unfolding situation has been portrayed — especially when it comes to the role of the political, financial and media establishment in creating the crisis. The implosion of the Greek banks was triggered by the Eurogroup and the ECB in a very deliberate attempt to financially asphyxiate Greece and terrorize its citizens into voting yes to further austerity, or even to overthrow the Syriza-led government and bring about technocratic regime change, as the President of European Parliament Martin Schulz openly suggested. The Greek and international media, for their part, have been fully complicit in this effort. Over the past week, they have tried everything in their power to undermine the calm and peaceful conclusion of the historic democratic process that is currently underway in Greece. The thing is: among large segments of the population the strategy simply isn’t working anymore. After years of vicious propaganda, large parts of society have long since tuned out. Many people simply refuse to give in to the fear and the lies. It’s not like the other side hasn’t tried hard enough. On Friday evening, for instance, an incredible document was leaked: a step-by-step instruction sheet that New Democracy — the main right-wing, pro-austerity opposition party — had sent to the country’s biggest TV stations. [see here: https://www.facebook.com/solidaritywithgreece/photos/a.1681903648696778.1073741828.1681857028701440/1683340338553109/?type=1] The document urged editors to show lines in
[Marxism] Billionaires to the Barricades
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. * NY Times, July 5 2015 Billionaires to the Barricades By ALAN FEUER EARLIER this month, when the billionaire merchandising mogul Johann Rupert gave a speech at The Financial Times’s “luxury summit” in Monaco, he sounded more like a Marxist theoretician than someone who made his fortune selling Cartier diamonds and Montblanc pens. Appearing before a crowd of executives from Fendi and Ferrari, Mr. Rupert argued that it wasn’t right — or even good business — for “the 0.1 percent of the 0.1 percent” to raid the world’s spoils. “It’s unfair and it is not sustainable,” he said. For several years now, populist politicians and liberal intellectuals have been inveighing against income inequality, an issue that is gaining traction among the broader body politic, as shown by a recent New York Times/CBS News poll that found that nearly 60 percent of American voters want their government to do more to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. But in the last several months, this topic has been taken up by a different and unlikely group of advocates: a small but vocal band of billionaires. In March, for instance, Paul Tudor Jones II, the private equity investor, gave a TED talk in which he proclaimed that the divide between the top 1 percent in the United States and the remainder of the country “cannot and will not persist.” Mr. Jones, who is thought to be worth nearly $5 billion, added that such divides have historically been resolved in one of three ways: taxes, wars or revolution. A few months earlier, Jeff Greene, a billionaire real estate entrepreneur, suggested on CNBC that the superrich should pay higher taxes in order to restore what he called “the inclusive economy that I grew up in.” And in June, Nick Hanauer, a tech billionaire from Seattle, wrote a blog post laying out the capitalist’s case for a $15 minimum wage. The post echoed sentiments that Mr. Hanauer made in a separate polemic he wrote last summer for Politico, in which he addressed himself directly to the planet’s “zillionaires” and said: “I have a message for my fellow filthy rich, for all of us who live in our gated bubble worlds: Wake up, people. It won’t last.” What’s going on here? Are all these anxious magnates really interested in leveling the playing field or are they simply paying lip service to a shift in the political winds? Or perhaps it’s just a statistical blip, given that most of the world’s 1,800 billionaires are not exactly out at the barricades lifting pitchforks for economic change. According to Chrystia Freeland, author of the 2012 book “Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else,” the phenomenon of the socially conscious billionaire is significant and good. “It is absolutely happening,” Ms. Freeland said. “After my book came out, a few billionaires quietly got in touch with me to say that they agreed that the current system isn’t working. It makes sense that the people who have benefited most from the economy have the greatest interest in making it sustainable.” Ms. Freeland, who is also a Liberal Party member of the Canadian Parliament, pointed to the so-called Conference on Inclusive Capitalism, organized in London last year by Lynn Forester de Rothschild, a member of the storied Rothschild banking clan. While the one-day event was derided by some as a nervous hedge against the threat of insurrection, the ostensible purpose of the gathering was to reorient the 1 percent toward public-minded goods like long-term investing, environmental stewardship and the fate of the global working class. Financiers like George Soros and Warren E. Buffett have trod this ground before to great attention, but now that other billionaires have been moved to join them, it has helped to change the conversation, said Darrell M. West, a scholar at the Brookings Institution and the author of “Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust.” “The messenger matters,” Mr. West said. “When people of modest means complain about inequality, it usually gets written off as class warfare, but when billionaires complain, the problem is redefined” — in a helpful way, he added — “as basic fairness and economic sustainability.” This is not to say that the current crop of concerned tycoons is working purely out of altruistic motives. “There’s been a major backlash against inequality,” Mr. West said. “And some wealthy individuals have felt a pressure to address it.” Given the political groundswell for decreasing wealth disparity, Mr. West added, “There’s a realization among the billionaire class that it’s actually in their own
Re: [Marxism] First indications are victory for OXI in Greece
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. * These are the last exit polls before the vote, not exit polls. Still its looking good. I suspect the last mass rallies on Friday night pushed things over to the OXI side. Hopefully the miracle has happened. _ 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
Re: [Marxism] First indications are victory for OXI in Greece
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. * sorry, I mean those figures were for the last opinion polls before the vote _ 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
[Marxism] Paris’s Voiceless Find a Megaphone Online
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. * NY Times, July 5 2015 Paris’s Voiceless Find a Megaphone Online By AIDA ALAMI BONDY, France — They gather every Tuesday for a staff meeting, bloggers, journalists and young people from the impoverished Paris suburbs, at the offices of the Bondy Blog, named for the surrounding neighborhood. The subject of a recent meeting: how best to challenge the leader of the Socialist Party, Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, during his appearance on a monthly talk show, “The Bondy Blog Café.” “Like in every love story, there is disillusion,” Nordine Nabili, the publisher of the blog, told his rapt audience, crammed around a table in one of the offices last month. The Socialists received a large share of the vote in Bondy and in other banlieues, as the suburbs are known, in the 2012 elections that propelled the party’s candidate, President François Hollande, into office. But those suburban supporters, many of them immigrants, say they have little to show for it. “At this point, nobody here even cares if the National Front is elected,” one of the attendees said, referring to the far-right party. “They have lost hope in this government.” The blog, which was created during the riots that spread through France in 2005, gives a voice to groups often underrepresented in mainstream news media coverage. Self-described citizen journalism, the Bondy Blog regularly reports on politics and social issues, with many of the writers sharing scenes and moments from their lives at work or in the neighborhood. The blog, which has 220,000 visitors a month, has won awards for its work, and its journalists regularly collaborate with outlets like Télérama, Elle, Le Monde.fr, Canal Plus, L’ Obs and Radio France. Over the years, the blog has evolved into a rich source for scholars, journalists and activists interested in the banlieues, said Hisham D. Aidi, a Columbia University researcher and the author of “Rebel Music,” a study on Muslim youth politics in Europe and the United States that discusses the Bondy Blog. “The French establishment is a little uncomfortable with them,” Mr. Aidi said in an interview. “The American Embassy often consults and invites the journalists to come to the United States. It gives voices to banlieue residents. Most of the journalists are from the community, and of immigrant background. And now they will send a journalist to do a story on police brutality in the U.S., or if Muslims are better off in America.” While some in the establishment may be uncomfortable with the Bondy Blog, that has not stopped a procession of politicians from making the pilgrimage to its offices. “Politicians jostle to come here,” Mr. Nabili said with a smile after the prep session, standing in front of a board full of newspaper and magazine covers and clips that mention the blog. “We are over-quoted in the media, because there is a huge void in these neighborhoods to fill.” In 2005, riots broke out in the banlieues after two teenage boys, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré, were killed after running away from a police check. A journalist, Serge Michel, who worked for the Swiss magazine L’Hebdo (not related to Charlie Hebdo), decided to cover the riots from inside the banlieues. He set up in a makeshift office in Bondy, in northeastern Paris, and began following the story on a blog, which he handed over to local journalists after he left. While the blog’s contributors have been praised for their reporting, their greater purpose is to give voice to the voiceless, and they are not shy about expressing their opinions. Widad Ketfi, 30, one of the blog’s top writers, explained her approach as she covered the trial this year of the two police officers involved in the 2005 case. She readily admits that she was furious when the two officers were cleared of the charges, and made sure her coverage reflected that. “At the trial, I was so emotional and angry that I wasn’t a journalist anymore,” Ms. Ketfi said. “I can’t get used to the cynicism of other journalists. And that court decision was an insult to the people in the banlieues.” Ms. Ketfi, who has been writing for the blog since 2007, has graduated to working for mainstream news media like Canal Plus and M6 television. An influential voice in social media, she was also featured on the cover of Le Monde in 2010. She traveled to Gaza to cover the war there last summer for the Bondy Blog. She likes to describe herself as a “no-go zone” reporter, a reference to Fox News reporting early this year, inaccurately, that the French and British police avoided some predominantly Muslim neighborhoods because they were
[Marxism] How Iceland Emerged From Its Deep Freeze
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. * NY Times, July 5 2015 How Iceland Emerged From Its Deep Freeze By JENNY ANDERSON When the financial crisis hit Iceland seven years ago, Gudmundur Kristjansson, a 55-year-old fisherman with a wide smile, weathered face and mischievous eyes, almost lost his business. Interest payments on his loans soared 300 percent. He had to sell his two fish factories and two of his five fishing boats. “We didn’t invest for many years,” he said, “because we were only paying interest.” His tribulations were shared by the whole country. After Iceland’s three largest banks fell in the space of three days, the currency collapsed, the stock market fell 95 percent and nearly every business on the island was bankrupt. Short-term suffering followed, but today, Iceland is buzzing: Unemployment is 4 percent, the International Monetary Fund is predicting 4.1 percent G.D.P. growth for 2015, and tourism is booming. Mr. Kristjansson has just bought Nanoq, a used boat from Russia that recently was being prepared for a fishing trip to Greenland. But just as Iceland returns to the fold, Europe is again bracing for a financial catastrophe in a renegade nation. Greece, having missed crucial debt payments, has in recent days moved closer than ever to an exit from the euro. Leaving the common currency — and having to suddenly create its own new money — could plunge Greece into an even deeper economic downturn. The Greek people may vote for a deal with the creditors in a referendum that is scheduled for Sunday, and Greece and Europe may have announced the contours of a settlement before then. But even if that happens, uncertainty will hang over Greece for a long time, raising important questions about whether it makes sense for a country to go it alone, as Iceland did. Iceland is not Greece. As a tiny island with a population of 320,000, it was able to muster political will more easily than most countries. (Meeting the prime minister is no big deal to locals.) Greece has a population of 11 million, a gross domestic product that is $242 billion, or 16 times Iceland’s, and a history of political antagonism and government corruption. The two countries blew themselves up, though in different ways. Greece, as a nation, spent too much; in Iceland, the private banks went on a bender that ended badly. But Iceland came out the other side of disaster in part because it had its own currency, which devalued, and it imposed draconian capital controls. If Greece ends up with its own currency, it would most likely descend into an economic Hades in the months after dumping the euro before even having a chance to emerge on the other side. Yet, even as Iceland is in the bloom of health, its comeback is about to be tested again. The government recently announced it would start to lift capital controls imposed at the peak of the crisis. Meant to last a few months, the controls have been in place for seven years, creating a shelter under which Iceland has mostly thrived. Their success, paradoxically, has made their removal all the more precarious. “They worked better than anyone expected them to work,” said Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, the prime minister. “But they of course are not a sustainable situation for an economy.” The Aftermath of the Collapse To say the case for capital controls was strong in 2008 would be a huge understatement. If the United States and Europe got drunk on easy money, Iceland was the guy at the party who was unconscious in the corner. When the Icelandic krona crashed in 2008, the country’s three largest banks had assets worth 10 times the country’s G.D.P. Eighty-five percent of the financial system collapsed. Iceland’s banks got into the international banking business in a big way, despite having very little international banking — or regulatory — experience. “Iceland wanted to be a big financial player, which was crazy for a population of 320,000,” said Bogi Thor Siguroddsson, chairman of Johan Ronning, an electrical wholesaler. At the same time, Iceland became a target for hot money. Because Iceland had high interest rates, international traders — and plenty of ordinary people — would borrow dollars at, say, 5 percent, convert them to Icelandic krona and buy Icelandic bonds paying 9 percent. They would profit from the difference between the 5 and the 9 percent. At the time of the collapse, the carry traders’ positions were estimated to be 41 percent of G.D.P. Without capital controls, that money would flee, further depressing the krona. There was no chance Iceland could bail out its banks, so it let them fail. But first it saved
[Marxism] Greeks Appear to Lean Toward Rejection of Bailout Deal
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. * NY Times, July 5 2015 Greeks Appear to Lean Toward Rejection of Bailout Deal By SUZANNE DALEY ATHENS — Greek voters appeared to be leaning toward rejecting a bailout deal offered by the country’s creditors two weeks ago, a decision that could redefine the country’s place in Europe and shake the Continent’s financial stability. While official results were not expected for many hours, early returns, buttressed by telephone polls and the remarks of opposition politicians, suggested that the no vote was likely to prevail. With 20 percent of the vote counted, about 60 percent had voted no, according to the Interior Ministry, which also said it expected that margin to hold up. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a prominent member of the center-right New Democracy party and a former member of Parliament, said, “It is a clear no.” Another member of the party, Makis Voridis, said, “I wish the prime minister good luck with the negotiations for the well-being of all of us.” A no vote would be a triumph for Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who had campaigned for that as a way to give him more bargaining power in dealing with creditors who wish to impose harsh terms on this already battered country. But it also raised the possibility that the creditors would walk away, leaving Greece facing default, financial collapse and expulsion from the eurozone — and even, in the worst case, from the European Union. Even before the polls closed, the office of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany released a statement saying she would meet with the French president, François Hollande, in Paris on Monday for a “joint assessment of the situation after the Greek referendum.” The poll comes after a week in which voters were barraged with ads that warned that if they did not vote yes, they would soon be without medicine and gasoline. With Greek banks closed, the nightly news was filled with images of retirees lining up to get only a fraction of their monthly pensions. Yet it was hard for many Greeks to know exactly what they were voting on. The ballot asks them only to say yes or no to the terms of a deal with Greece’s creditors, which is no longer even on the table. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has told them that rejecting the deal will give him more power to negotiate and urged them to do so. But European and opposition leaders have tried to frame the vote as a yes or no to staying in the eurozone and avoiding economic collapse. Mr. Tsipras voted late Sunday morning in his working-class neighborhood in Athens. Afterward, he said the vote was a “celebration of democracy.” “Not only will we remain in Europe,” he said, “but we will live with dignity to prosper, to work as equals among equals.” On a sunny day, voters trickled into polling stations across Greece, often passing tourists in shorts and floppy hats. They voted in small booths covered with dark blue cloths and marked paper ballots with a cross. Stacks of blank white ballots were available for those who wished to abstain. For some voters, the week of hardship — they could withdraw only 60 euros, or about $67, a day from A.T.M.s, and already some pharmacists were refusing to fill prescriptions — had only strengthened their sense that Greece needed to stand up for itself. After five years in which unemployment soared beyond 20 percent and the country’s economy contracted by 25 percent, many said that a no vote was at least a vote for hope, the possibility of a new deal, rather than following the mandates of creditors who had failed to set Greece on a course to recovery. For others, the hardship only proved that Greece, like it or not, was in the hands of its creditors and could do little but take whatever terms were being offered — the alternative of default, financial collapse and withdrawal from the euro being unthinkable. In many cases, they blamed Mr. Tsipras’s young government for having returned the country to recession when it had shown small signs of recovery just before the January elections. At a polling place near the archaeological museum in Athens turnout was low, poll workers said. And people coming out of the voting booths seemed split. “I voted with my heart and also my mind,” said Marie Triadafillou, who works in transportation logistics and voted yes. “I believe when you are in a union you cannot leave. We say in our country if the sheep leaves the flock it cannot live.” Yet others felt that the referendum was not about staying in the eurozone but simply part of the long negotiations between Greece and its creditors, which broke off more than a week ago when a frustrated Mr.
[Marxism] First indications are victory for OXI in Greece
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. * The 4 main exit polls indicate that there about 3 percentage points majority to the No vote! This reflects the feeling that was coming through for the last day or so. But too early to start celebrations. _ 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
[Marxism] Fwd: Greece by the numbers | Louis Proyect: The Unrepentant Marxist
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. * http://louisproyect.org/2015/07/05/greece-by-the-numbers/ _ 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
[Marxism] Fwd: Socialist Unity and the Zeitgeist
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. * In the preface to the 1872 German edition of “The Communist Manifesto”, Marx and Engels noted that in the 25 years since the Manifesto was written, “although in principle still correct”, it was “antiquated, because the political situation has been entirely changed, and the progress of history has swept from off the earth the greater portion of the political parties there enumerated.”. They further note that due to the historical nature of the Manifesto even by 1872 they had no right to alter it. Engels updated this preface again in 1888, five years after the death of Marx, and noted that if it were written today it would be worded quite differently, noting for example the “gigantic strides of modern industry” as well as lessons from the Paris Commune. He also credits Bakunin with the Russian edition of the Manifesto. Within 25 years of the Manifesto, Marx and Engels both were stating they would write it differently if they had a chance to write it fresh, although they considered the basic principles intact. Then Engels expands further on this point, 41 years after the Manifesto, suggesting a few areas in which it would read quite differently. This is worthy of pause, considering the rigid orthodoxy that grew up around Bolshevism and the Second and Third Internationals, and the circular-firing-squad factionalism that took root in the shattered (US)American Left after the two Red Scares. full: http://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=12338 _ 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
[Marxism] Fwd: Part three of Jared Diamond's Collapse is titled Modern Societies
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. * Dominican Plan to Expel Haitians Tests Close Ties By AZAM AHMED and SANDRA E. GARCIA SABANETA, Dominican Republic — For decades, the people of Barrio Cementerio, a neighborhood divided evenly between Dominicans and Haitians, have shared a peaceful coexistence. Proximity smothered prejudice: Working side by side and raising families together helped keep tensions in check. That is changing now. A government plan that could deport tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people of Haitian descent from the Dominican Republic has started to tear at the unity that once bound this place, forcing residents to pick a side. A bitter landlord stopped renting to a Haitian tenant. The head of the local Red Cross says the deportations are long overdue, while a gang leader promises to hide his Haitian friends from the authorities. A Dominican husband fears losing his wife and their children, who have no papers. A police officer agonizes over the prospect of having to deport his best friend, who came to this country illegally from Haiti. full: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/05/world/americas/dominican-plan-to-expel-haitians-tests-close-ties.html --- In the next chapter Jared Diamond offers a side-by-side comparison of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, two countries that occupy the same Caribbean island that was discovered by Columbus in 1492. They are meant to serve as cautionary tales as to what happens when you don't follow strict rules about population control and resource husbandry, most especially timber. In comparison to poor benighted Haiti, the Dominican Republic is a virtual paradise. Diamond writes: The Dominican Republic is also a developing country sharing Haiti's problems, but it is more developed and the problems are less acute, per capita income is five times higher, and the population density and population growth rates are lower. For the past 38 years the Dominican Republic has been at least nominally a democracy without any military coup, and with some presidential elections from 1978 onwards resulting in the defeat of the incumbent and the inauguration of a challenger, along with others marred by fraud and intimidation. Within the booming economy, industries earning foreign exchange include an iron and nickel mine, until recently a gold mine, and formerly a bauxite mine; industrial free trade zones that employ 200,000 workers and export overseas; agricultural exports that include coffee, cacao, tobacco, cigars, fresh flowers, and avocados (the Dominican Republic is the world's third largest exporter of avocados); telecommunications; and a large tourist industry. Several dozen dams generate hydroelectric power. As American sports fans know, the Dominican Republic also produces and exports great baseball players. So why did these two countries, almost like twins separated at birth, turn out so differently? Haiti's revolution seems to be to blame. Not surprisingly, French Hispaniola's former slaves, who renamed their country Haiti (the original Taino Indian name for the island), killed many of Haiti's whites, destroyed the plantations and their infrastructure in order to make it impossible to rebuild the plantation slave system, and divided the plantations into small family farms. While that was what the former slaves wanted for themselves as individuals, it proved in the long run disastrous for Haiti's agricultural productivity, exports, and economy when the farmers received little help from subsequent Haitian governments in their efforts to develop cash crops. Haiti also lost human resources with the killing of much of its white population and the emigration of the remainder. While the rest of the 19th century world was sensibly embarking on an early version of globalization, the Haitian elites were unaccountably maintaining a kind of aloofness from foreign trade that almost seems like a bargain basement version of the Japanese Shogunate. Haiti's experience and fear of slavery led to the adoption of a constitution forbidding foreigners to own land or to control means of production through investments. http://www.columbia.edu/~lnp3/mydocs/ecology/JaredDiamond3.htm _ 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
Re: [Marxism] First indications are victory for OXI in Greece
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. * https://www.facebook.com/1491103164443684/photos/a.1494557174098283.1073741828.1491103164443684/1577436202477046/?type=1theater -Original Message- From: Michael Karadjis Sent: Monday, July 6, 2015 2:22 AM To: Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition ; greenleft_discuss...@yahoogroups.com Subject: First indications are victory for OXI in Greece The 4 main exit polls indicate that there about 3 percentage points majority to the No vote! This reflects the feeling that was coming through for the last day or so. But too early to start celebrations. _ 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
Re: [Marxism] referendum results from Greece
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. * Greece Stands Up - No' to Austerity http://www.huffingtonpost.com On Sun, Jul 5, 2015 at 2:45 PM, Dayne Goodwin daynegood...@gmail.com wrote: http://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/e/public/index.html?lang=en#%7B%22cls%22:%22main%22,%22params%22:%7B%7D%7D [thanks to GS] _ 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
[Marxism] Jacobin mag: The Political Crisis in Greece; What Comes After Oxi?
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. * What Comes After Oxi? Five possible scenarios after today’s referendum in Greece. by Nantina Vgontzas Jacobin magazine, July 5 https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/07/tsipras-default-euro-syriza-merkel . . . The class spread of the vote has become increasingly stark. Elites fear unstable conditions and the sort of confrontation with popular forces they thought could be avoided in the early days of the Syriza administration. The poor feel they have little left to lose, or at least that too much has been lost. And what remains of a firmly professional middle class is recycling an assortment of myths about Russians building bases on Greek isles and assertions that life is better with the Europeans than our Eastern neighbors, even if that life means an extension of policies they know do not work. While reporters are being sent to bombard pensioners in ATM lines, militants are leafletting their neighborhoods, schools, and outside workplaces. Some have gone as early as 5 AM to meet workers as they head into the docks and factories, seeking to fill an urgent void created by political decisions like the Communist Party’s abstention from the vote. Meanwhile, rallies and concerts and television appearances are filling the gap of a more central platform, whose absence remained noticeable amid the Syriza leadership’s various wavering moves earlier last week. This gap reveals two key challenges of the moment. First, the government has the support of the popular classes but has not really been activating potential networks of mobilization these past five months. And second, the leadership insists on maintaining a good euro line despite clear signs of its exhaustion. The toll that months of negotiation and liquidity asphyxiation have taken on Greek society and politics is the basis for which the creditors and domestic capital are aiming to bring the anti-austerity movement to its knees. And the Left is not entirely immune to these attacks. As committed as activists have proven in their efforts over the past week, it is understandably difficult for them to combat, largely on their own, massively funded fearmongering within a week, especially after months of relative demobilization, at least in mass terms. It doesn’t help that significant figures within the party remain hesitant about rupture with the eurozone, even if Syriza’s leader has made arguably irreversible moves in that direction. These battles will only intensify after today. I see five possible scenarios moving forward. . . . ...The difference between February and today is that the Syriza leadership has exposed itself as almost intentionally unprepared for Grexit, insisting that it is not seeking a break with entrenched interests. The creditors, smelling blood, might determine that it is possible to make such an example out of Greece, that no other members would dare exit given the consequences Greece would suffer in the immediate aftermath. Already Spain’s Podemos and Ireland’s Sinn Fein are turning right. The result would be temporarily destabilized markets but ultimately a preserved monetary union. The situation has reached the point where this scenario might seem more palatable to the creditors than conceding even slightly to the demands of No. . . . The final scenario is Plan B with an actual plan http://www.versobooks.com/books/1949-against-the-troika. It is in some ways the riskiest but, given the other options, remains the most promising for Greek development and justice. Here, No wins, Greece exits, be it negotiated or unilateral, and there is a massive push to the left: nationalization of key sectors, notably the banking sector; the possible introduction of a parallel currency; restricted foreign exchange; imports of basic goods from allies; some kind of ration, however chaotic; a potential blockade of ports to begin disciplining Greek tankers, at the very least. This wouldn’t fully resolve the liquidity problem, but it would be better managed than in the fourth scenario — that is, not on labor’s back. Of course, this option means open confrontation with capital, to which key figures within the party have shown great apprehension. There will inevitably be a fight within the party, a rapid intensification of the simmering of the past few months that will also be influenced by forces outside Syriza. If those pushing for political radicalization win this battle, we must acknowledge that at that point, anything goes. It will be an actual break, with all the risks that entails. There could have been better preparation, and improvisation will be necessary. The question is whether the Left in which many Greeks have entrusted their vote
[Marxism] The Greek working class overwhelmingly rejects austerity
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. * There is joy in the streets of Greece that echoes in my heart. Thank you to the working class in Greece. You have restored hope for humanity. http://enpassant.com.au/2015/07/06/the-greek-working-class-overwhelmingly-rejects-austerity/ _ 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
[Marxism] referendum results from Greece
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. * http://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/e/public/index.html?lang=en#%7B%22cls%22:%22main%22,%22params%22:%7B%7D%7D [thanks to GS] _ 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
[Marxism] No! But what now? - Michael Roberts on Greece
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. * No! But what now? Michael Roberts blog, July 5 https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com . . . How can the Greek economy be made to grow? There are three possible economic policy solutions. There is the neoliberal solution currently being demanded and imposed by the Troika. This is to keep cutting back the public sector and its costs, to keep labour incomes down and to make pensioners and others pay more. This is aimed at raising the profitability of Greek capital and with extra foreign investment, restore the economy. At the same time, it is hoped that the Eurozone economy will start to grow strongly and so help Greece, as a rising tide raises all boats. So far, this policy solution has been a signal failure. Profitability has only improved marginally and Eurozone economic growth remains dismal. The next solution is the Keynesian one. This means boosting public spending to increase demand, introducing a cancellation of part of the government debt and leaving the euro to introduce a new currency (drachma) that is devalued by as much as is necessary to make Greek industry competitive in world markets. This solution has been rejected by Troika, of course, although we now know that the IMF wants ‘debt relief’ at the expense of the Euro group (ie Eurozone taxpayers). The trouble with this solution is that it assumes Greek capital can revive with a lower currency rate and that more public spending will increase ‘demand’ without further lowering profitability. But the profitability of capital is key to recovery under a capitalist economy. Moreover, while Greek exporters may benefit from a devalued currency, many Greek companies that earn money at home in drachma will still be faced with paying debts in euros. Many will be bankrupted. Already over 40% of Greek banks loans to industry are not being serviced. Rapidly rising inflation that will follow devaluation would only raise profitability precisely because it will eat into the real incomes of the majority as wages failed to match inflation. There would also be the loss of EU social funding and other subsidies if Greece is also ejected from the EU and its funding institutions. Eventually, perhaps in five or ten years, if there is not another global slump, either the first or second solution can restore the profitability of Greek capital somewhat, on the back of a Eurozone economic recovery. But it will be mainly at the expense of Greek labour, its rights and living standards and a whole generation of Greeks will have lost their well-being (and their country as they go elsewhere in the world to make a living). Both these solutions mean that Greek labour will still be poorer on average in 2022 than it was in 2008. The third option is a socialist one. This recognises that Greek capitalism cannot recover to restore living standards for the majority, whether inside the euro in a Troika programme or outside with its own currency and no Eurozone support. The socialist solution is to replace Greek capitalism with a planned economy where the Greek banks and major companies are publicly owned and controlled and the drive for profit is replaced with the drive for efficiency, investment and growth. The Greek economy is small but it is not without an educated people and many skills and some resources beyond tourism. Using its human capital in a planned and innovative way, it can grow. But being small, it will need like all small economies, the help and cooperation of the rest of Europe. The no vote at least tells the rest of European labour that the Greeks will resist the demands of European capital. That could encourage others in Europe to throw out governments in Spain, Italy and Portugal that continue to impose austerity at the dictate of the Troika. That, in turn, could bring to a head the future of the Eurozone as a Franco-German project for capital. _ 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
[Marxism] Greece debt crisis: Greek voters reject bailout offer, BBC News 1 hour ago
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[Marxism] Displaced Iraqis Selling Body Parts for Food
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. * http://www.juancole.com/2015/07/displaced-people-selling.html In addition to this story being gruesome in itself, it also sheds some context on some of the trolling that was done re: an article I wrote recently that Louis republished on UM. Some of the trolls insisted that a woman who had been sullied as an anti-Semite-enabler was criticized for writing about a military scandal in which Israeli authorities had engaged in this kind of behavior during the early 1990s. They claimed (in my view, dishonestly) that she was reinvigorating the ancient blood libel myth against Jews. In reality it seems like this kind of disgusting practice can take place in warzones in which victims have no protection from those who are displacing them - Amith _ 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
[Marxism] AnalyzeGreece! on European solidarity
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. * Ögmundur Jónasson: Thank you, Greece! AnalyzeGreece! July 5 http://www.analyzegreece.gr/topics/greece-europe/item/265-oegmundur-jonasson-thank-you-greece . . . A key moment in this fight has been the Greeks’ decision to resort to direct democracy as the ultimate source of political mandate. This was also the weapon used by Iceland to fend off the attack by the City of London and the National Bank of the Netherlands. A further inspiring element is Tsipras’s language: a rhetoric that resonates with references to the common man´s everlasting fight for human rights. The resultant prevalent term is, simply, “hope”. It comes as no surprise to me that the institutional world is reacting the way it is after the Greek government´s decision to turn to the people in a democratic referendum. I applaud the Greeks for this decision and I join the millions who condemn the undemocratic and vile reactions of the guardians of capitalism – uncomfortably reminiscent of Europe´s colonialist past. After Iceland suffered a financial crash in 2008 we faced the storm. As a member of the government at a time in which the country was assaulted by big European banks and the capitalist vulture funds supported by the governments of Britain and the Netherlands, I was shocked at the viciousness of these governments. It was war. There was nothing civilized about it. We took the dispute to the people in a referendum and that proved to be the decisive weapon. The political superiority of direct democracy is not easily called into question. . . . Ögmundur Jónasson is Icelandic Minister of Health 2009, and Minister of the Interior 2010-13. Teaching us how to fight GREFERENDUM FROM THE VIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENTS by Catarina Principe AnalyzeGreece!, July 3 http://www.analyzegreece.gr/topics/left-goverment/item/259-c-principe-teaching-us-how-to-fight Being southern European today is not an easy task. Not only have the central and northern European elites (with the complacency of our own right-wing governments!) changed the narrative of our people from being honest, hard-working, and warm-hearted to being corrupt, lazy, and unproductive; the European elites have also decided we are no longer worthy of living according to the so-called “European standards”. We are no longer worthy of labor, worthy of education, worthy of health, worthy of culture, worthy of having a home, worthy of having food on the table. We are not even worthy of living in our own country anymore, among our families, friends, and the ones we cherish the most. On the contrary, the banks are worthy of all our money and sacrifice in order to be saved. the Markets are treated as people (the markets are happy, sad, depressed, we need to please them), and we, the people, treated as numbers, statistics, reports. We are only worthy if we give our lives and postpone our futures in the name of a system that doesn’t care about us, that has shown again and again that profit is its highest value, and our lives are just causalities in this war they are fighting against us in the name of capital. They have made us poor, precarious, nomads; people that carry around that deep nostalgic feeling of missing and longing that we, the Portuguese, call “saudade”. But you, the people of Greece, have shown us something that has no price: you have shown us that if we fight back we can actually win. You have shown us that in this world ruled by bankers and economic elites, nothing is inevitable. That if we come together, if we struggle and organize, we can actually change this world and reclaim the worthiness of our lives. You are teaching us how to fight. Electing a left-wing government that refuses to accept austerity, that refuses to follow blindly the dictates of undemocratic, non-elected structures and institutions, that refuses to exchange the lives of the people who have elected them for seat at the table is something we had already deemed impossible. But you’ve made it: you refused fear and subjugation and opened a space for self-determination, democracy, justice, and equality. You opened the space for hope. Not only for you but for all of us. You are teaching us how to fight. A referendum is one of the highest forms of democracy possible in the world we live in today. It is the decision of the people, your decision, against the dictates of the ones who have considered us unworthy of deciding for ourselves. Against the ones who know that austerity is a political program to alter profoundly the relation between the classes, to destroy all social and labor rights, and to make us fearful, subjugated, poor, and quiet. They know that this political program is so
[Marxism] Celebrations as Greeks vote 'No' to blackmail, new EU Summit called
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. * Streets in cities across Greece has erupted into celebrations as results from Sunday’s referendum showed voters clearly rejecting the bailout terms put forward by the country’s lenders. https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/59415 -- “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is humanity’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde, Soul of Man Under Socialism “The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of dummy?” — Jarvis Cocker _ 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
[Marxism] from Greece on Oxi victory: Tsipras, Varoufakis; Evans-Pritchard for the Telegraph
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. * PM Tsipras on NO Vote Win: Greece Returns to Negotiations Tomorrow by Anastassios Adamopoulos The Greek Reporter, July 5 http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/07/05/tsipras-no-vote-win-greece-returns-to-negotiations-tomorrow Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras addressed the nation following the country’s unambiguous opposition to the international creditor’s’ proposed bailout deal, a stance which his administration has fully endorsed. Tsipras labeled the referendum as a victory for the whole of Greece, as well as a clear sign that democracy cannot be intimidated, and pressed for unity among Greeks. “Regardless of what you voted today, from now on we are all one. And it is our duty to do our best to overcome this crisis and elevate Greece again” he said. Tsipras reiterated that today’s vote was not a question about Greece’s presence in the Eurozone but a question of what kind of Europe Greeks want. The mandate Greeks have given him is to strengthen the country’s negotiating position for a socially just deal with potential and to end the austerity cycle. “We all know that there are no easy solutions. There are however fair solutions. There are are sustainable solutions. If both sides want it” he said and thanked the European people who showed solidarity with Greece this week. Tsipras confirmed that Greece will return to the negotiating table starting tomorrow with the main priority being the recovery of the country’s banking system and financial stability, which has been compromised this past week with the imposition of capital controls. “I am certain that the European Central Bank understands fully not only the general economic situation but also the humanitarian side of the crisis in our country” the prime minister said. The Greek government will continue negotiations to secure a plan of credible financing and reforms which will be socially just, that will move the burden from the weak to the financially powerful and will ensure investment growth with the help of the European commission. “This time there will also be the issue of the debt at the negotiating table, especially when the International Monetary Fund report accepts that,” he added. “A report that was absent until today from the negotiations as it became public just two days ago and confirms Greek positions of a necessary debt restructuring to reach sustainable solution for Greece and Europe’s exit from the crisis”. Tsipras informed the public that following his speech he will meet the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, to call for a meeting with the country’s political party leaders to discuss the result and get their suggestions on the next move. Varoufakis on Referendum Result: ‘Greeks Returned Ultimatum to Creditors’ by Anastasios Papapostolou The Greek Reporter, July 5 http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/07/05/varoufakis-on-referendum-result-greeks-returned-ultimatum-to-creditors “The ultimatum has been returned to to the creditors,” noted Yanis Varoufakis on Sunday night from Athens after the official results of the Greek Referendum showed that most Greeks say no to a previous take-it-or-leave-it proposal offered to the creditors. “Today’s no is a big yes to a democratic Europe,” said a smiling Varoufakis. After the landslide win of the NO vote he supported, Greece’s Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said that tonight Greece put an end to 5 years of bad medicine. Varoufakis said that creditors wrongly believed that the bankruptcy of the Greek state could be averted with new loans the poor would have to pay. “We said no to new loans unless we have restructured our old ones,” however, Varoufakis said that he fully supports real reforms that kill corruption. The end of austerity and the restructuring of Greece’s debt was always a discussion creditors did not want to have, but now they will have to negotiate based on the resounding win of the NO vote. Even with the fear that was spread through the “mass media of oligarchy” and with Greek banks closed in absence of ECB liquidity, Varoufakis noted that the vast majority of Greeks still said a big NO to the creditors’ previous proposal. “We are ready to sit at the negotiations table and we are looking forward to holding discussions with the ECB who kept a neutral position, and the IMF that agrees with our position of debt restructuring and the European Commission that could play a positive role for Greece. After strong 'no' vote, Tsipras to resume talks I Kathimerini, Athens, July 5 http://www.ekathimerini.com/199004/article/ekathimerini/news/after-strong-no-vote-tsipras-to-resume-talks Greek voters delivered a resounding “no” in a
Re: [Marxism] The Greek working class overwhelmingly rejects austerity
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. * Agreed totally. I confess to thinking the YES camp would win. But this is just wonderful news. The working class vote was up to 90% NO. Decisiveness on the part of the people won the day. I particularly enjoy recalling Alan Kohler's prediction of a YES as he cl;aimed there was no alternative. He can shove his no alternative now. I will be so bold as to predict a retreat by Merkel and co. If they do not deal with Tsirpas and Varoufakis, then they may have to deal with someone a lot tougher. comradely Gary On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 7:44 AM, John Passant 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. * There is joy in the streets of Greece that echoes in my heart. Thank you to the working class in Greece. You have restored hope for humanity. http://enpassant.com.au/2015/07/06/the-greek-working-class-overwhelmingly-rejects-austerity/ _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/gary.maclennan1%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
[Marxism] Greece what now?
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. * The curse (of needing to make a prediction) has come upon me (yet again). My reading of the entrails is influenced by Krugman, Galbraith and above all by Alan Kohler's comment. The latter, a regular on Australian TV, said that YES would prevail because there was no alternative. I am inclined to think he genuinely believed that. But NO has triumphed and so an alternative must emerge and fairly quickly too. Merkel, Juncker, Gabriel, Schauble, Draghi, Lagarde and Hollande all have egg and worse on their face. For them the unthinkable has happened. They have allowed a political drama to develop and what was designed to be an object lesson for the Irish, the Spaniards, the Portuguese and the Italians has achieved the exact opposite. I can sense the stink of fear from all of the pro-austerity governments. Merkel Co will either toughen their stance, as Gabriel seems to have suggested, or retreat. More harshness would mean that the current politicization of the masses will continue. A crisis of legitimization might ensue with unpredictable consequences. So what is my prediction? They will retreat. All they have to do is to accept Syriza's compromise offer. Tsirpas has shown himself willing to retreat. It was just that Merkel and co got too far ahead of themselves and went for the big prizes, regime change and the crushing of the anti-austerity movement. Watch Kevin Kostner's awful film *Draft Day* to get an idea of what they thought they were doing. If I read the entrails correctly, Krugman and Galbraith offer a way out. A retreat to moderate Keynesianism is on the cards. Everything will be done to return to business as usual. Bruised egos aside, a renewed attack on Greece puts the whole bloody system in danger. I suspect that somewhere behind the scenes the Americans are handing out sedatives to the European leaders and advising a fall back. What this means for the anti-austerity movement is hard to predict (that word again!). Obviously, it has had a tremendous victory. may be we should just enjoy that for the moment. comradely Gary _ 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
[Marxism] Great 'No' victory in Greece
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. * We've just reblogged excellent article by the always reliable Michael Roberts: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/greece-votes-no-to-austerity-what-happens-now/ Do also go and check out his blog, the next recession. Hopefully the great result in Greece (61.39% to 38.61%) will put more wind in the sails of anti-austerity feeling and movement in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Phil _ 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
[Marxism] Scottish Socialist Party, Irish Republican News, European United Left/Nordic Green Left on Greek victory
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. * all three below also posted at LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal http://links.org.au/node/4496 Greece: Astonishing and resounding 'Oxi' (No) to EU austerity by Colin Fox (co-spokesperson of the Scottish Socialist Party http://sspcolinfox.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/greece-sends-astonishing-and-resounding.html Greece vote marks historic blow against austerity Irish Republican News, July 5 http://republican-news.org/current/news/2015/07/greece_vote_marks_historic_blo.html#.VZnAi0Umb-Y A victory for European democracy! by Gabi Zimmer, European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) president http://www.guengl.eu/news/article/gue-ngl-news/a-victory-for-european-democracy _ 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
Re: [Marxism] The Greek working class overwhelmingly rejects austerity
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. * The proletariat won a victory today in greece. In spite of the terror crusade of the bourgeois parties and EU officials In spite of Syriza's ambivalence about the referendum: till Wednesday it was unclear whether the referendum was to take place or not. In spite of Tsipras letter to the troika begging for any compromise and the declarations of retreat by top government officials, talking again about a deal as soon as in 48 hours after the referendum! The level of the greek working class was too high for the referendum. The victory was visible in the streets: Working class people were asking for more NO leaflets for their friends. I had phone calls at home from people i just knew who were asking questions about the no vote. It is the first time in my militant life since 1977 that the masses were looking for me to hear my opinion and not me for them. And we in ANTARSYA had the right thing to say. It was us who have something to say about the next day. People were asking us because nobody could take seriously syriza's bullshit about restarting the negotiations. We were the only political force speaking out a clear no to memoranda, whether right wind or left wing here and now. No, till the end was our banner and that is the meaning of the vote It is now clear enough that Tsipras wanted a stalemate result, a shy no vote to struggle for its government's survival. And that he had dared call for a referendum because of the hesitation and ambivalence of the greek bourgeoisie who refused to sacrifice capital (in tourism and pharmaceutics industry and, above all, in shipping industry) refused to see itself slipping down in the imperialist chain. But OXI, no got a 61,3% of the vote and that had already a seismic effect. Samaras resigned from his party's presidency. He could not even wait until the election of a new leader. KKE has lost at least two thirds of his January votes. Many of its members and cadres were overtly for the no vote. This is more than crossing the Rubicon for a Stalinist CP. The government is steping aside, hiding itself behind the bourgeois parties.Late this night Tsipras declared that he will ask president Pavlopoulos to convene the council of the political leaders which will decide about the eventual negotiations. Decide with whom? With ND's transitional president since Samaras resigned. With the lords of terror, the bourgeois leaders who for a whole week were repeating Armageddon in every single phrase, who till yesterday were chanting that voting NO means NO to EU and euro and today have no shame to declare that after all, the NO vote of the people does NOT at all mean a rejection of the EU and euro. The class struggle is getting really acute here, and this is not a third world country... JA _ 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
[Marxism] Building Bridges: Greece at the Crossroads; Mexican Farm Workers’ Struggle in Historical Strike
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. * Building Bridges over WBAI Radio, 99.5FM with Mimi Rosenberg Ken Nash Mon., July 6, 7 – 8 pm EST streaming @ www.wbai.org/playernew.htmlhttp://www.wbai.org/playernew.html smartphone streaming @ http://stream.wbai.org Listen live on any phone 1-712-832-2645tel:1-712-832-2645 to listen, or download archived shows podcasts, www.wbai.org/server-archive.htmlhttp://www.wbai.org/server-archive.html * Greece at the Crossroads: July 5 Referendum to Decide On More Austerity or A Leap into Uncharted Waters with Costas Panayotakis, Associate Professor of Sociology, N.Y.C. College of Technology of the City University of N.Y. author of Remaking Scarcity: From Capitalist Inefficiency to Economic Democracy. Struggling to free itself from a web of debt and the economic restructuring plans imposed by the Troika of European creditors (the IMF, European German Central Bank and European Commission) which has resulted in 5 years of ever worsening poverty and unemployment, Greece’s Syriza government last week refused to pay a $1.7 billion debt payment and called for a national referendum of the Troika’s most recent draconian economic restructuring plan focused on pension cuts and tax policy . With the Greek banks closed by a decision of the European Central Bank cuttng off supprt and European Union officials themselves and much of Greece’s media campaigning against him, on Friday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras renewed his call for Greeks to reject the terms of the bailout offer from the country’s European creditors, warning voters against caving in to “blackmail.” Many are seeing the results of this referendum impacting Syriza’s rule, Greek participation in the Euro and the financial stability of Europe itself. Many economists including Nobel Prize winners Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz agree with Tsipras that austerity itself is the problem not the cure and go further urging a Greek exit from the Euro unless the entire European economic framework is reformed. --- Mexican Farm Workers’ Struggle in Historic Strike with . Al Rojas, a Founding Member of the United Farm Workers; current Pres. , Sacramento Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (AFL-CIO) . Eduardo Rosario, Executive Board Member, NYC Chapter, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Mexican farm workers in the San Quintin Valley of the state of Baja California are calling for international action to support their demands for decent wages and an end to labor abuses by international produce companies that operate throughout Mexico primarily for export to the US under the label of Driscoll’s. More than 33,000 farm workers declared a historic strike in late March which stopped work at peak harvest and have continued their protests ever since waging intermittent strikes and road blocks and mass mobilizations which have extended to workers in Washington State. They compare their working conditions to those that existed during the colonial period with workdays of more than 15 hours . The San Quintin Valley is a major producer of fruits and vegetables that are exported primarily to the United States. Workers here pick as many as 160 kilos a day that sell for more than $2,000, while the workers make on average US$7 a day. The workers are demanding a base salary of at least $13 for every 8-hour workday as well as recognition by companies and union officials. * Tune in at 6 - 8 am to Wednesday Edition hosted by Mimi Rosenberg ** In addition to being broadcast over WBAI, 99.5 FM in NYC and the tri-state area 7 - 8 pm EST Mondays, Building Bridges is syndicated to 50 broadcast and internet radio stations in the US, Canada and the UK Building Bridges National Edition is regularly available over: WZBC, Boston, Mass. WDRT, Viroqua, WI. KYRS, Spokane, WA Liberty and Justice1640, Shirley Mass KWTF,Sonoma County CA KNSJ, San Diego, CA KMUD, Redway, CA KRFY, Sandpoint, ID WXOJ-LP, Florence, MA KPOV, Bend, Oregon KONR Ankorage, Alaska WAPJ, Torrington, CT. WOOL, Great Falls, Vermont and New Hampshire KKRN Bella Vista, CA KGHI, Westport, WA KSVR, Mount Vernon, WA WAZU, Peoria, Illinois
Re: [Marxism] The Greek working class overwhelmingly rejects austerity
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. * The class struggle is getting really acute here, and this is not a third world country... ...and there is no proof that Tsipras is some sort of sell-out, your claims notwithstanding. All along, Tzipras' offer of concessions was a bluff. He knew that the Troika would reject them, so he 'offered' them knowing that the Troika's arrogant rejection of them would galvanize the Greek electorate into giving him a majority during the ensuing referendum. Getting a majority was crucial since Syriza itself won less than a majority during its initial election victory. Unlike Obama, Tzipras is the true master of three-dimensional chess! He doesn't do stalemates. _ 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
Re: [Marxism] The Greek working class overwhelmingly rejects austerity
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. * Congratulations to the Greek working class and to you JA, Your hard work helped get the good results. Thanks for telling us about your experiences, about what's going on... Best wishes for good results in the coming struggles, Dayne On Sun, Jul 5, 2015 at 6:07 PM, ioannis aposperites via Marxism marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu wrote: The proletariat won a victory today in greece. In spite of the terror crusade of the bourgeois parties and EU officials In spite of Syriza's ambivalence about the referendum: till Wednesday it was unclear whether the referendum was to take place or not. In spite of Tsipras letter to the troika begging for any compromise and the declarations of retreat by top government officials, talking again about a deal as soon as in 48 hours after the referendum! The level of the greek working class was too high for the referendum. The victory was visible in the streets: Working class people were asking for more NO leaflets for their friends. I had phone calls at home from people i just knew who were asking questions about the no vote. It is the first time in my militant life since 1977 that the masses were looking for me to hear my opinion and not me for them. And we in ANTARSYA had the right thing to say. It was us who have something to say about the next day. People were asking us because nobody could take seriously syriza's bullshit about restarting the negotiations. We were the only political force speaking out a clear no to memoranda, whether right wind or left wing here and now. No, till the end was our banner and that is the meaning of the vote It is now clear enough that Tsipras wanted a stalemate result, a shy no vote to struggle for its government's survival. And that he had dared call for a referendum because of the hesitation and ambivalence of the greek bourgeoisie who refused to sacrifice capital (in tourism and pharmaceutics industry and, above all, in shipping industry) refused to see itself slipping down in the imperialist chain. But OXI, no got a 61,3% of the vote and that had already a seismic effect. Samaras resigned from his party's presidency. He could not even wait until the election of a new leader. KKE has lost at least two thirds of his January votes. Many of its members and cadres were overtly for the no vote. This is more than crossing the Rubicon for a Stalinist CP. The government is steping aside, hiding itself behind the bourgeois parties.Late this night Tsipras declared that he will ask president Pavlopoulos to convene the council of the political leaders which will decide about the eventual negotiations. Decide with whom? With ND's transitional president since Samaras resigned. With the lords of terror, the bourgeois leaders who for a whole week were repeating Armageddon in every single phrase, who till yesterday were chanting that voting NO means NO to EU and euro and today have no shame to declare that after all, the NO vote of the people does NOT at all mean a rejection of the EU and euro. The class struggle is getting really acute here, and this is not a third world country... _ 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
Re: [Marxism] The Greek working class overwhelmingly rejects austerity
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. * A wonderful result indeed Gary. Now for the hard work. John -- From: Gary MacLennan gary.maclenn...@gmail.com To: en.pass...@bigpond.com; marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu; Subject: Re: [Marxism] The Greek working class overwhelmingly rejects austerity Agreed totally. I confess to thinking the YES camp would win. But this is just wonderful news. The working class vote was up to 90% NO. Decisiveness on the part of the people won the day. I particularly enjoy recalling Alan Kohler's prediction of a YES as he cl;aimed there was no alternative. He can shove his no alternative now. I will be so bold as to predict a retreat by Merkel and co. If they do not deal with Tsirpas and Varoufakis, then they may have to deal with someone a lot tougher. comradely Gary On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 7:44 AM, John Passant 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. * There is joy in the streets of Greece that echoes in my heart. Thank you to the working class in Greece. You have restored hope for humanity. http://enpassant.com.au/2015/07/06/the-greek-working-class-overwhelmingly-rejects-austerity/ _ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/gary.maclennan1%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
