[Pookie]

First quick reaction to the latest developments in Greece.

Syriza going into a coalition with the right-wing Independent Greeks ANEL party is a huge mistake.It undermines the whole project of the radical Syriza party, and is a kick in the teeth for those who voted for it.

The Independent Greeks are a nationalist, anti-immigrant split from the conservative New Democracy that Syriza has just beaten and removed from office. ANEL received just 4.75% of the vote and has 13 deputies. Despite its small size and level of support it will be a block on any radical social policies and act as a cancer inside the government, poisoning everything Syriza tries to do. The playback that will be demanded on social policies for the support of ANEL will not be pleasant to watch.

It is likely that the Syriza leadership will use the coalition party ANEL as an excuse for reneging on some of its policies and some in the Syriza leadership may well welcome that, as it will allow them to argue that they can't go as far as they would want.

After such a resounding result, today it doesn't look so good. I didn't expect the disappointment to begin so quickly.

[Nefeli]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

please keep us posted

actually i feel i want to disengage myself.

had a really bad day, wasted all day but mostly my mood.
and it hurts.
also i have smth other personal stuff emerging and all that led to my having bit of insomnia last night and now entering the internet caused my stomach, ache.

if anything, its better to say/type i mean, after some time passes by. after we have more solid developments.

edit anel 's guy is one of the largest pieces of shit.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Nefeli

actually i feel i want to disengage myself.

had a really bad day, wasted all day but mostly my mood.
and it hurts.
also i have smth other personal stuff emerging and all that led to my having bit of insomnia last night and now entering the internet caused my stomach, ache.

if anything, its better to say/type i mean, after some time passes by. after we have more solid developments.

edit anel 's guy is one of the largest pieces of shit.

i'm sorry. i won't ask you again.

i know this sounds bizarre and it's probably a futile thing to say but-- anything i can do to help?

[Nefeli]

no need to say sorry. and thank you!

[>TNS<]

actually most lower class people seem quite happy and eager to see what's going to happen next. you can tell this by looking at the faces on the streets, the discussions people are having on the buses, grocery stores etc. There's a definite change in the social atmosphere, so to speak, towards a restrained optimism.

optimism is not an argument of course. The general sentiment is that the cretins that were in power for so long needed to go.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by >TNS<

actually most lower class people seem quite happy and eager to see what's going to happen next. you can tell this by looking at the faces on the streets, the discussions people are having on the buses, grocery stores etc. There's a definite change in the social atmosphere, so to speak, towards a restrained optimism.

optimism is not an argument of course. The general sentiment is that the cretins that were in power for so long needed to go.

i almost missed this! you live there too?

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by Pookie

Syriza going into a coalition with the right-wing Independent Greeks ANEL party is a huge mistake.It undermines the whole project of the radical Syriza party, and is a kick in the teeth for those who voted for it.



It is likely that the Syriza leadership will use the coalition party ANEL as an excuse for reneging on some of its policies

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

The conservatives are pretty nervous but considering how much Greece is in an economic bind more than likely this new government would be about as much a radical shift as was the Obama presidency (eg negligible ideological or policy change).. people voted simply to try something "new" but economics and geopolitics will probably thwart any substantive change towards "the left"

 

[>TNS<]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

i almost missed this! you live there too?

yep I live there. I was in the netherlands for 4 years but I returned to greece in 2014.


My first impression when I returned was that the 4-5 years of extreme austerity have almost destroyed the fabric of the country, so to speak.


Syriza is not 'radical leftists'. Perhaps they are radical in the current neoliberal lean-and-mean atmosphere of zero-hours contracts, reduction of the welfare state and concentration camps for the immigrants. Their politics is just social-democratic.

ANEL are populists and quite ridiculous.


if the new government gives 'naturalisation rights' to the 2nd generation of immigrants (that's what they say they will do) it will be a major positive development for thousands of young people here. So far the laws regarding that are totally absurd.

What will happen next remains to be seen.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by >TNS<

yep I live there. I was in the netherlands for 4 years but I returned to greece in 2014.


My first impression when I returned was that the 4-5 years of extreme austerity have almost destroyed the fabric of the country, so to speak.


Syriza is not 'radical leftists'. Perhaps they are radical in the current neoliberal lean-and-mean atmosphere of zero-hours contracts, reduction of the welfare state and concentration camps for the immigrants. Their politics is just social-democratic.

ANEL are populists and quite ridiculous.


if the new government gives 'naturalisation rights' to the 2nd generation of immigrants (that's what they say they will do) it will be a major positive development for thousands of young people here. So far the laws regarding that are totally absurd.

What will happen next remains to be seen.

ooooh... thank you thank you. i've been keeping an eye on your news so the first-person perspective helps.

i remember living under teh thumb of the IMF. it was not pretty.