As is usual with the left, a little bit of electrol success gets the blood rushing. Not so long ago we had Galloway in Bradford, now people are getting excited by Syriza’s second place in the Greek election, with perhaps further improvement in another round of elections. Although people voting for left-wing candidates is much better than ring-wing alternatives, much caution is needed. Time & time again we see advocates of socialism stand for election, get elected & end up trying to reform the capitalist system. Will Syriza be any different?
If they end up leading an anti-austerity coalition what will they achieve? A debt-default most likely. Will this mean they run out of euros to pay for essential services & end up droping out of the eurozone? Will they take what’s left of the Greek financial sector into national ownership? A dramatic increase in the price of essentials & even more unemployment? The hope that a new Greek currency will re-establish international competiveness? All in all an economic mess looks likely. Will this mean a resurgent right-wing?
Does it not make much more sense to promote new institutions of direct democracy, local assemblies, workers’ councils, etc. to give people a real taste of participation & equality in decision-making. Democractic institutions that will lay the foundations for socialism & challenge the so-called democractic institutions of capitalism. A real attempt to take power from the market & give it to people.
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