SYRIZA'S GREEK TRAGICOMEDY

Alexis Tsipras welcoming those who have no wish to stay.

by Daniel Barge

Greece, as is well known, was the birthplace of comedy and tragedy. Recently, with the GREXIT crisis, the “Greferendum” (the vote on whether Alexis Tsipras should prostrate himself to Angela Merkel or simply kow-tow), and all the other absurdities of recent months, we have seen both of these thespian aspects in constant interplay. One simply doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Greece has effectively become a tragicomedy

The main problem all Western countries have is that we now have highly-evolved economic, administrative, and policing systems – coping systems – that can manage most of the problems now deeply embedded in our societies. This sounds great but it isn’t. What it really means is that we seldom have to directly face any of our problems and thus we seldom have to solve them. Our system is essentially maladaptive. Having a gang of idiots like SYRIZA in power, however, changes this dynamic. This is the main value of the Left today.

THE GREEK CRISIS: AN INSIDE VIEW

Nothing has been decided, yet (Angela is still thinking). 

by Dimitrios Papageorgiou

The referendum in Greece stunned most of the Greek media who did not expect a landslide victory for the “No” side. After one week of capital controls, with banks not opening and long queues at the ATMs to extract a daily allowance of 60 Euros, many thought that the result would be much, much closer. But despite these measures, which, it was thought, would promote caution among voters, the “No” vote apparently soared in the last few days. Now, a lot of people think that it was exactly this kind of pressure that made many Greeks swing to the “No” side.

FLEAS BEG DOG FOR MORE TIME

by Aesop

In a recent meeting between the newly-elected King of the Fleas and the Dog, it was agreed that the Fleas could stay on the Dog’s hairy back for another four months, but only if they followed strict conditions.

SYRIZA: FRIEND OR FOE

The flattery begins: Tsipras gets the Simpsons treatment.

by Jan Stadler

The election of Syriza marks a watershed moment for Europe. For the first time in modern European history, a crypto-Communist and explicitly anti-capitalist party has won a national election. A feat not even seen during the Cold War at the height of global Marxist-Leninist power.

At initial glance, most right-wingers are dismayed at the fact that Greece, which was becoming the poster child for a right-wing/nationalist re-emergence via Golden Dawn, has suffered what could be a setback.

PODCAST 24: SERIOUSLY SYRIZA

Mike Enoch of The Right Stuff and Dimitrios Papageorgiou of Athens-based magazine Patria, join Andy and Colin to discuss modern Greek history, the country’s complex economic problems, Golden Dawn, and the hard-left Syriza party that has now become the governing party.

COMMUNESIA

by Colin Liddell

There is a new disease sweeping Europe. While the North continues to be afflicted by “Swebola,” the South is now being ravaged by a new illness, which I have taken the liberty of terming “Communesia,” a portmanteau term that combines “Communism” with “amnesia,” and denotes a collective forgetfulness about the ill effects of trusting one’s economy to Communist political control.

BLACKMAIL AND THE RED DEATH

The new Greek government.

by Colin Liddell

There is an art to blackmailing. I should know because I’m pretty sure my ancestors on the Scottish border were mixed up in it, either as perpetrators or victims, along with the Nixons, Maxwells, Armstrongs, and the other feisty Border clans.

You see, "blackmail" is an old Scottish Borders word, from back in the day when the Borders was a relatively lawless zone (for around 700 years) and what little law there was, carried a price tag.

Like any business transaction – kidnapping or hostage taking, for example – it depends on offering a relative service, i.e. giving the payer some benefit over not paying. Once the benefit is eliminated, it all becomes a bit pointless. Credibility is an issue. Morality not so much.

GREECE (AND THE E.U.) CHOOSES RED DUSK RATHER THAN GOLDEN DAWN

SYRIZA's Alexis Tsipras: Samson between the pillars of the Greek state.

by Dimitrios Papageorgiou

The results of the Greek elections were not really a surprise to any Greek except those hopelessly in love with the previous government. Everyone knew that after five years of austerity, which has been harder on Greece than most wars, a lot of people gave up hope on any chance of a smooth transition to an era of stability, and felt the need to replace their government.

As I have stated in my Vdare article, SYRIZA was effectively pushed into its present position by the supposedly conservative New Democracy Party through the criminalisation of Golden Dawn which was the main opponent of SYRIZA in gathering the votes of those opposed to government policies. The disaffected – and there are many in Greece – were actually funneled by the establishment and the previous government to vote for SYRIZA, since that was the only option seriously opposed to the austerity measures.

THE GLADIATORS

With Europe in the public eye over the next few days thanks to the European Parliamentary Elections, we are re-running some relevant and informative articles on Euro-nationalism, like this one from 11th October, 2012.

by Dimitrios Papageorgiou

Two days have passed since Angela Merkel's visit to Greece, a visit that was viewed by the Greek people as an “imperial visit.” It was treated as such, with a large crowd of about 50,000 people demonstrating in front of the parliament.

The pictures of rock throwing youths and clashes with the police were typical of the footage that usually accompanies stories about Greece in the world media. But what is the real situation in Greece nowadays?

One can best describe it as a resurgence of the “extremes.” Only three months after the July election, which wounded the political establishment but did not kill it, it seems that the political feeling in the country is flowing to the opposite ends of the political spectrum. Both SYRIZA (extreme left) and Golden Dawn (nationalists) are gaining in popularity, and are providing the main theses to the opposition. Both are self-branded anti-establishment parties, and both want to see an end the loaning agreement between the EU-IMF-CEB and Greece.

GOLDEN DAWN SHEDS LIGHT ON ITSELF

by Dimitrios Papageorgiou

The result of the elections of May 6th in Greece was a stunning defeat of the bipartisan system with the main parties of New Democracy (conservative) and PASOK (socialist) suffering major defeats. New Democracy still managed to come first, with 18.85% of the vote and 108 seats in the parliament (50 bonus seats go to the winner according to a quaint Greek electoral law). This is certainly a Pyrrhic victory compared to its previous showings: 33.47% (2009) and 41.84% (2007). PASOK finished 3rd with a shocking 13.18% and 41 seats, plummeting from 43.92 % (160 seats) in 2009 and 38.10% (102 seats) in 2007.