Greek PM accuses Spain, Portugal of anti-Athens 'axis'

[Bosonic]

Source: Reuters

Greece's leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accused Spain and Portugal on Saturday of leading a conservative conspiracy to topple his anti-austerity government, saying they feared their own radical forces before elections this year.

Tsipras also rejected criticism that Athens had staged a climbdown to secure an extension of its financial lifeline from the euro zone, saying anger among German conservatives showed that his government had won concessions.

Greeks have directed much of their fury about years of austerity dictated by international creditors at Germany, the biggest contributor to their country's 240-billion-euro bailout.

But in a speech to his Syriza party, Tsipras turned on Madrid and Lisbon, accusing them of taking a hard line in negotiations which led to the euro zone extending the bailout program last week for four months.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/28/us-eurozone-greece-idUSKBN0LW0ME20150228?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

[jakeXT]

1. As Hudson has said .. why should the neolibs empower the opposition ?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017247483

[RufusTFirefly]

3. Great analysis! Highly recommended! Thanks for posting! n/t

Go Yanis Go! Go Michael Go!

[arikara]

4. Of course he's right

they're afraid of their own people getting ideas from the Greek election and getting rid of them. They're probably taking a harder line than anyone.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. I doubt the Spanish or Potuguese governments are leading anything

They are themselves tools of the neoliberal mafia, as is the German government.

What we have here is the age old scheme where a decadent aristocracy, this time of industrialists and financiers, fights tooth and nail to hang onto a privileged position of power against the oppressed majority who are being harmed by the aristocracy.

Ignore the politicians. They are just the masks of the ruling class.

All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event — in the living act, the undoubted deed — there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask!

--Melville: Captain Ahab to Mr. Starbuck in Moby Dick (The Quarter-Deck)

[RufusTFirefly]

6. +1000

And you get extra credit for quoting from Moby Dick, one of my all-time favorite books!



By the way, you might appreciate The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New World.
Although it quotes from Moby Dick, it uses Benito Cereno as its taking off point to provide a fascinating historical examination of a time when slavery reigned and yet there was revolution in the air.

[DeSwiss]

7. K&R

[FLPanhandle]

8. Spain and Portugal have as much influence over EU finance policy as I do.

Nil.

Spain and Portugal could have been cheering and waving Greek flags or not. It would have made no difference.

Greece can't bitch at the real powers, they can't blame themselves, so they blame non-players in the game.

[MFrohike]

9. I wonder if it'll work

After all, Portugal and Spain have elections this year and the anti-austerity parties are gaining steam. The non-fascist anti-austerity parties, sorry. The head of Podemos helped with Syriza's campaigning in the fall, though I doubt they'll want Tsipras to return the favor after what's happened. For all he and Varoufakis argue to the contrary, they surrendered. Without doubt, it was definitely David and Goliath, except that David (Syriza) figured his odds were too good so he dropped his sling (Grexit).

This isn't the best wording. Quick version: I wonder if Tsipras' highlighting of the role of the current Spanish and Portuguese governments will hurt them in the elections later this year given that the anti-austerity parties of the left are getting stronger in those countries.

[uhnope]

10. Can someone explain to me why German taxpayers should have to pay for Greece's loan debt

and why Greece shouldn't have to ask their 1% to pay their taxes so that they would have the money to pay their international debts?