(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL (September) - After
the failure of Syriza: To break with austerity, out of capitalism (fr,
it, pt) [machine translation]
The summer events around the Greek debt have finally unveiled the authoritarian character
of the European Union and the workings of an economy at the service of the dominant
countries. However, the output of the euro is a false solution posing as many problems as
it solves. It is a true revolutionary strategy which must now be implemented. ---- Came to
power in January 2015, Alexis Tsipras quickly started a sequence of negotiations to find
an "honorable compromise" with the European institutions on the issue of debt. It was for
Syriza to rationally demonstrate to European technocrats that the renegotiation of the
debt was the best solution for everyone, while excluding in advance any exit from the
euro. This strategy quickly turned short and Tsipras government found itself cornered in
July. Despite the refusal to 61.3% by referendum of the new austerity plan by the Greek
people, the government capitulated Tsipras greenfield and approved the plan.
European technocrats do not even bother with a semblance of parliamentary democracy. So
who heard about the European Parliament's position when negotiating with Greece? No one!
The negotiations were conducted directly between the European Commission [1], the ECB, the
IMF and the Greek leaders, and finally even between Merkel, Hollande, Tusk [2] and Tsipras.
EU decisions are the fruit of direct power relations between countries... when there is
disagreement. For it must be said that, generally, there is general agreement to use the
EU to impose social decline in all countries, including his own. Some heads of state
sometimes feel confident enough to validate what they have defended to the EU referendum.
One thinks of Maastricht in 1992 or the Constitutional Treaty in 2005... and how
governments are sitting on the results of these referendums when they repudiated them. Yet
there is always a part of the "left", and asked smugly more powers for the European
Parliament or to make believe that the EU structure is a reformable base, which can be
used to take to social rights the top. Syriza coalition and end of the Synaspismos party,
which had called for a vote to the Maastricht Treaty. She has since made a critical review
of that position but remains imbued with the idea that membership in the EU and the euro
area constitutes progress. This is what has led it to renegotiate its debt claim within
the EU institutions, but excluding any break... with the result that we know.
The euro, austéritaire tool
The euro, launched in 1999, has been pegged to the German economy, the best performing
eurozone. Thus, the euro is maintained as a "strong" currency because it is suitable for
German exporters. But for other countries, less competitive and can no longer devalue
their currency to be more so, this makes it difficult to export outside the euro area.
This is one reason the economic difficulties of Greece and many countries of southern
Europe. In addition, the Social Democratic government of Schröder, followed by the right
of Merkel, completely destroyed the achievements of German wage earners: lower wages, the
unemployed hunting, etc. German competitiveness is also built on the social lowest bidder
(not just on industrial power), which allowed the German capitalists to gain market share
within the euro zone. It is this anti-social way to regain the competitiveness that the
German government would like to see followed by all European countries.
The capitalists of other European countries and governments at their service took the
opportunity to demand a downward harmonization in the name of restoring their
competitiveness. They have never defended any harmonization of the wage earners' rights at
European level, regardless of their political or their statements in the media. The
workers, they have all been losers by cons, whether German, French or Greek.
Finally, the most powerful country in the departure (Germany, France) could establish
their imperialist domination and vassals small countries, who hoped on entering the euro
area to benefit from the performance of the imperialist powers. In particular, the entry
of Eastern European countries in the European Union has led to competitive pressure, for
example via offshoring, the weaker countries (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain). These
artificially compensated for their loss of competitiveness by the explosion of debt, first
through banks and through the States that rushed to the aid of banks by buying their Greek
debt [3]. Now they want to charge Greece and practice a real racket: Greece can not repay,
it lends at less favorable rates and it is required of an austerity plan, which further
pushes the country into crisis, which prevents ensure its new repayment schedule, etc. The
Truth Commission of Greek debt estimated that "2.614 billion euros of interest were repaid
by Greece in March 2012 to Member States". The states, led by Germany, who accuse them of
being lazy Greeks who do not want to pay are put in their pockets.
Today, there are more "cake" to be shared: the crisis and the failure to pay is near. The
only issue for the imperialist and capitalist countries is to maintain their domination,
not to find the least worst crisis solution for everyone [4]. Tsipras The government
thought it could negotiate on the pretext that a Grexit [5] would jeopardize the stability
of the euro and thus to the European economy. But fluctuations thereof during five months
of negotiations remained low. From there, there was no question of any compromise but only
to subdue Syriza, particularly in order to prevent contagion, especially in Spain, where
Podemos was riding high with the approach of parliamentary elections.
The plague or cholera
However, out of the euro, is the right solution for Greece and, more generally, for
countries wanting to break with austerity? This is indeed the main slogan of the platform
leftist Syriza coalition or Antarsya [6], or intellectuals like Jacques Sapir (which
recently declared as possible "futures" an alliance with the FN) Frédéric Lordon or in France.
It is important to note that in case of exit from the euro, the new currency would be
immediately devalued alternative. This would restore the competitiveness of the Greek
exports, but the price would increase the cost of imports, so that of many basic
commodities for the Greek people and also products necessary for the economy (energy, for
example). Now if the Greek economy has some potential [7], it remains significantly
dependent on imports.
The advantage of leaving the euro would be primarily for the Greek government to regain
control of its economy, and to be able unilaterally cancel part of its debt, without
incurring a near closure of its banks as of July 5 after the referendum.
But still, other pressures would be used. Thus, in memoranda memoranda, Greece has been
subject to a growing under guardianship by the troika (eg on the collection of taxes [8])
that the new memorandum accepted by Tsipras strengthens in July, to prevent attempt of
non-repayment of debt. More generally, the European imperialist powers will not leave
Greece to cancel all or part of its debt or develop a protectionist policy without
establishing economic retaliation, as were the subject Cuba or Venezuela, for example.
More importantly, even assuming that a euro exit would be beneficial for the Greek
economy, that is to say the Greek employers, the question is what are the benefits for
wage earners, who have paid the high price with soaring prices of imported products. Again
it would reach a compromise with the Greek capitalists. It is to this end that the Greek
government provided guarantees to the employers, not increasing the minimum wage, not
affecting the tax exemption of shipowners and of the Church, by making alliance with the
right-wing sovereignist Anel, maintaining a huge military budget [9]... which in no way
prevented the employers support the troika against Syriza.
The current situation, Syriza failure, shows that no government can get anything serious
within the capitalist framework. Out of the euro or not, if it is not from the perspective
of breaking with this framework is to choose between the plague and cholera. What will be
decisive to break with austerity, is the mobilization of workers, young people, the
unemployed, and the popularization of the need to break with capitalism. The expropriation
of the Greek capitalists, the socialization of the means of production, their
self-management, must be made the agenda.
Now the Tsipras government came to power in a context of demobilization of the Greek
social movement, this electoral turnaround being seen by many activists as an end in
itself, a solution to reflux of struggles. It was the same old stories in France with the
"political outlet struggles."
The situation is changing: beyond the rejection of austerity shown by the July 5
referendum by the Greek working class, we could see, July 15, day of the vote of the
agreement to the Greek Parliament, a joint demonstration bringing together 15,000 people
to the call of the central trade union officials (ADEDY), the Greek Communist Party and
the trade union front, from left Syriza, of Antarsya and anarchists took place. The Greek
working class then return to the path of the street in a marked unit to a country where
the labor movement is greatly divided. And for the first time since the arrival of Syriza
to power in January, police beat and arrested people. Fourteen activists at risk of
imprisonment [10]. Tsipras The government will now have to implement the new memorandum
and dissolved parliament to hope after new elections on September 20 have a majority
without its left wing, which split from to form a new party, the Popular Unity.
Remains in France to increase support to the Greek people, now dominated by the Left
Front, which maintains an uncritical support for Tsipras and relayed the myth of a
possible compromise... with Holland as mediator [11]! A position where the militants are
not without question. So we have to discuss within the social movement of this experience
that many have wanted to import in France and has polarized and polarized again, rightly
attention.
Gregory Mariman (AL Orléans)
[1] Made up of one representative from each EU country.
[2] President of the European Commission
[3] Today, the countries of the euro area hold 195 billion euros over the 322 billion
euros of debt of Greece, whose 56.5 for Germany and 42.4 for France.
[4] Note however that the ECB ended in March down the euro for two years, lowering
interest rates, thus facilitating its loans to banks, to prevent the entire euro area s
'sinks into crisis.
[5] forced exit of Greece from the eurozone.
[6] Near the NPA in France.
[7] In tourism, trade, agriculture, maritime weaponry, and with some mineral resources.
[8] Thus, in the famous plan B prepared by the former Minister of Finance Varoufakis, now
earned him a charge of high treason, the circulation of a shadow banking system,
independent of the ECB is doubling of hacking the management of public finances, that is
to say the Greek tax, now under supervision of the troika, to bypass it.
[9] Greece and Israel have also signed on July 19, a military pact providing for "joint
training".
[10] 10. See the unit press "No to repression of activists antiaustérité. Immediate
release ", signed by AL.
[11] See "Open Letter to Francois Hollande: not the coup of the ECB against democracy",
signed by leaders of the Left Front, Attac, EELV, the MJS, the emancipated School and
Solidarity. An excerpt: "By refusing the dictates of the ECB, requiring that time be given
to negotiations in good faith between European partners, you can interrupt this
mechanical. "Mélenchon said in the same register:" We can change the situation completely
democratically, peacefully, through the ballot. "
http://www.alternativelibertaire.org/?Apres-l-echec-de-Syriza-Pour
