Seizing the Opportunity to Fight Austerity
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- Published on Monday, 02 February 2015 21:00
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin .... No. 1076 .... February 3, 2015
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Seizing the Opportunity to Fight Austerity
An Interview with Alexis Tsipras
Alexis Tsipras is the leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Greece (Syriza), who recently was elected Prime Minister. This interview was conducted in October 2014 in Athens by Haris Golemis, who is an economist, Director of the Nicos Poulantzas Institute (Greece), and member of the Central Committee of Syriza. It was translated by Maria Choupres, and first published in the Transform Network Yearbook for 2015.
Haris Golemis (HG): Just three years ago, Syriza's presence in Greece's political landscape was quite small. Today, Syriza is predicted to be the frontrunner in the next elections -- making you the next Prime Minister of Greece. What factors do you believe have led to Syriza's meteoric... rise in popularity, and do you believe that similar results are possible in the near future, elsewhere in Europe?
Alexis Tsipras (AT): The effects of the crisis on Greek society have been truly devastating. It comes as no surprise that there have been major changes in the political scene. Syriza has always offered a detailed analysis of the crisis and the underlying causes. While the mainstream parties led people on -- rather brazenly, I might add -- we were vehement that austerity would have severe negative consequences and lead to recession; these policies simply weren't sustainable. We supported grassroots initiatives, including major demonstrations and the social solidarity movement. Lastly, our political emphasis has been on uniting the left. This was critical -- and it really resonated with people.
Alexis Tsipras's first act after being sworn in was to lay flowers on the National Resistance Memorial in Kaisariani, to honor the resistance fighters and as a symbol of liberty from German occupation.
The response from the Greek people was immediate -- and clear. During the May 2012 elections, Syriza captured seventeen per cent of the vote, and during the second round of elections the following month, Syriza's numbers increased to 27 per cent -- just three percentage points less than the centre right party. It's important to note that we achieved these numbers despite the mainstream media's relentless fear mongering. While we did our best to address these scare tactics, we weren't able to overcome them to the extent needed to be placed first in the elections. We didn't rest on our laurels after the elections, though. We diligently worked to develop a detailed programme outlining how to exit the crisis, including ending austerity and renegotiating the terms of the debt.
