SYRIZA

After Greece鈥檚 bailout 鈥 lessons for the left

It had been planned to be a lavish celebration on the Pnyx hill next to the Acropolis in Athens where the citizenry would hold popular assemblies in the ancient democratic period.

The angry aftermath of the forest fires last month put paid to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hosting European Union and other luminaries in such a way. The event was to mark the formal end of the country鈥檚 subordination to the austerity memorandums enforced on it by the 鈥渢roika鈥 of the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB) and International Monetary Fund.

Greece: Pensioners protest new cuts

Nearly 2000 retired workers and Social Security department workers gathered in Athens on October 3 to protest 鈥渋nhumane鈥 cuts to pensions.

An army of 1500 senior citizens marched behind banners, chanting 鈥渟hame on you鈥 and calling for the government to cancel the memorandum that has led to ongoing cuts since 2010, with further cuts set for 2019.

Greece: Creditors out to crush any trace of Syriza disobedience

It has taken only nine months for the third memorandum between the near-bankrupt Greek state and its creditors 鈥 the 鈥淨uartet鈥 of the European Union (EU), European Central Bank (ECB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Stability Mechanism (ESM) 鈥 to lurch to the brink of crisis. That deal, which the Syriza-led government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras felt forced to swallow despite the Greek people rejecting an earlier version by over 60% in a referendum last July, will provide the country with 鈧86 billion. About 90% of this will go to paying off debt.

Greeks organise biggest strike since Tsipras took office

A 24-hour general strike in Greece against the 鈥渙dious plan to dismantle the country鈥檚 social security system鈥 shut down transportation, schools, courts, pharmacies and non-emergency hospital services on February 4. Up to 100,000 people attended, according to organisers, while police estimated 50,000 hit the Athens streets. The strike is the largest since the leftist Syriza party took power in January last year on a platform of opposing the type of austerity measures the strike targetted.

Greeks protest attacks on pensions, tax rises

Greek pensioners rally in Athens on January 21. Thousands of Greek white-collar professionals, including doctors, lawyers and engineers, took to the streets on January 21, protesting against major tax and pension reforms required by the country鈥檚 creditors.

Greece:鈥 鈥琒YRIZA's scores clear win amid high abstention,鈥 鈥琺ore austerity

SYRIZA pulled off a remarkable victory at the September鈥 鈥20鈥 鈥珿reek election.鈥 鈥珹lthough burdened by its acceptance of the draconian austerity measures in the third memorandum imposed by Greece's creditors and eight months of rule in the midst of recession,鈥 鈥琧losed banks and capital controls,鈥 鈥琒YRIZA's vote fell by only鈥 鈥0.88%鈥 鈥琣nd its parliamentary seats by just four.

Greece: SYRIZA central committee members resign, new left group to challenge in elections

Fifty-three members out of SYRIZA's 201-strong central committee, have resigned on August 26 in protest at the new bail-out deal SYRIZA signed that agrees to the type of brutal austerity measures SYRIZA was elected in January to oppose, Enikos.gr said that day. Most have joined the Popular Unity movement, supported by former members of SYRIZA's Left Platform that will run on an anti-austerity platform in new elections called when SYRIZA Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned recently.

Carlo's Corner: Jeremy Corbyn is cheating by pushing policies that are actually popular

Socialist Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn looks set to win the party鈥檚 leadership in the coming weeks 鈥 sending shock waves through the British establishment. He has generated huge enthusiasm among young people with his ultra-radical concepts like 鈥渕aybe don't start pointless wars so poor people die for economic elites鈥 and 鈥渓et鈥檚 ensure we can all access health care and basic services鈥. But surely Corbyn is cheating. The whole concept of 鈥渄emocracy鈥 seems rigged in his favour due to his dangerous approach of advocating policies that are actually in the interests of the majority.

Greece: New elections called, Left Platform to run own candidates

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced Thursday that he will step down and call snap elections for September 20, after facing strong resistance from within his own SYRIZA party. 鈥淚 will ask the Greek people if they think we have made achievements,鈥 said the prime minister. 鈥淵ou will decide how we will recuperate the Greek economy, with your vote you will decide the future of Greece.鈥

Greece: SYRIZA on brink of split over new bail out deal

By any logic, Greece's SYRIZA-led government should be sinking in the opinion polls. At the Brussels Eurosummit of Eurozone leaders on July 12, SYRIZA Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed to a set of draconian preconditions for obtaining a third 鈧86 billion bailout. The decision effectively reversed the opposition to austerity on which SYRIZA was elected in January.

Greece: New measures pass, SYRIZA youth oppose deal

The Greek parliament passed a second bill on July 23 including measures needed for Greece to open negotiations over the eurozone's bailout package of 86 billion euros, .

Greek activist: 鈥楴o to austerity and debt鈥

For the past couple of days I have been trying to understand what is happening in Greece. I shared the celebratory atmosphere after January鈥檚 elections [of the SYRIZA government] and the sense of hope and dignity that seemed to be restored following the destruction that led to one-third of the population living in poverty. The SYRIZA government inherited a country with a population devastated by austerity but, most importantly, with a sense of power for having chosen its future.