Greece: need for a new voice

Submitted by Matthew on 9 May, 2012 - 9:58

Paulin, an activist from the Greek left group OKDE, spoke to Solidarity after Greece’s 6 May election, which resulted in a parliament where, so far, no party has been able to form a government:


Syriza, after the announcement of the results, said they will try to form “a left government”. But it is very difficult because the KKE has said that they will not participate in any government. Also the Democratic Left, a split from Syriza last year, will not participate in government.

Syriza changed its face before the election and accepted ex-members of PASOK into what it called a “Syriza United Social Front”. Many PASOK voters went over to Syriza.

The programme of Syriza is not clear, it is changing all the time.

We participated in the election for the first time in our history and got a small vote, around 2,000 votes.

The bulk of the left vote went to Syriza in this election and that is responsible for the low score for OKDE and Antarsya [the main far-left coalition]. Even anarchists voted Syriza. People voted massively for Syriza to stop the main two parties [ND and Pasok].

The 7% score for Golden Dawn [the neo-Nazi party] is not such a surprise if you look at the background.

Right-wing voters used to be represented by the big right or centre-right parties like New Democracy or Laos. After the destruction of those two parties, a lot of voters went to the fascist group.

The votes for Golden Dawn were radical, anti-system votes against all political parties and the whole system. The danger is obvious. But I do not think, personally, that this group has a social weight matching its votes.

Syriza, too, has gained a large number of votes but you cannot see them winning more people, organising more people into their party.

The radical left in general has different points of view on the situation. We will have to wait and see. There is a great need for a new revolutionary organisation in Greece. We are fighting for that goal.

Comments

Submitted by Olivier_Rubens on Sun, 13/05/2012 - 20:31

«The radical left in general has different points of view on the situation. We will have to wait and see. There is a great need for a new revolutionary organisation in Greece. We are fighting for that goal.»

These interview is strange : there is a situation of total collapse in a little country, due to the logic of the market, due to the economic politics impulsed by the European Commission, due to the bankruptcy of the government playing the game to enforce the Troïka’s politics, and what have to say a comrade claiming to be trotskyist ? «wait and see» and «build the group !»

It is time to argue for a government ready to reject the debt and the austerity decided by the Troïka.

After the last general elections, there is the potential to form such a left government, but the stalinist KKE refuse to meet Syriza. By acting so, the KKE is doing the traditionnal play given by the stalinist parties from 1933 : preparing defeat !

If anybody want to be the true heir of bolcheviks, he must act along the following line : 1917‘s «bread, land and peace» has to be translated into «cancel the debt, reject austerity» and a government to implement that politics, with the support of workers’ organisations (parties, unions and commitees) mobilised to control the economy and seizing the capitalists’ assets if any sabotage or retaliation mesure are taken by the capitalists or the European Commission.

One goal : reject debt and austerity. One tool : a government to do it. With the gains made by anti-debt left parties at the last general elections, it is time to do it, to claim for it.

Submitted by guenter on Tue, 15/05/2012 - 13:53

"there is a need for a new rev. org. in greece". -- how many more?

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