Battle Lines Drawn in Greece: Solon & Hamilton or the British Empire

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Greece has elected the first anti-bankers-bailout government in Europe since the European oligarchy launched its nightmare policy of bailing out the banks no matter how many people had to die for it to happen. The question now on everyone’s mind is whether Spain, Portugal, or even Italy and Ireland will be far behind. The real issue is that the battle lines have to be drawn: Either the ideas of Solon and Alexander Hamilton triumph, or Europe sinks with the British Empire.

The official election returns from the Interior Ministry in Greece, as of midnight East European Time (23:00 CET; 17:00 EST), show a stunning victory for Syriza and its left-wing anti-austerity policy, with 36.12% of the vote, giving the party 149 of the Greek Parliament’s 300 seats (the winner of the election receives 50 extra seats). The Independent Greeks won 4.69% which will give them 13 seats. The next government of Greece will most likely be led by Syriza in a coalition with the Independent Greeks.

In a statement following the release of exit polls showing they would win, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras declared it

“an historic victory for the Greek people, who have overwhelmingly stood against the austerity, sending a message to Europe which can become the launching pad for changes across Europe. Syriza is assuming the responsibility of forming a government of social salvation in order to implement the Thessaloniki program and negotiate in Europe.”

In a statement given after he voted, Panos Kammenos, leader of the Independent Greeks declared that today

“we send a message of hope. It is a day for the Republic, a fateful day for the history of Greece. One day the Greek people decided to reacquire sovereignty, democracy, and the restoration of the Constitution. There is no longer a Greece that will be managed by e-mail. Independent Greeks promised that we are regulators and we are. From tomorrow we will be the guarantors for a course in the country, where all Greeks will be united”

and defend the nation.

LaRouchePAC interviews Panos Kammenos, December 2013

Reuters quoted one Antonis Balousis, a 54-year-old butcher, who said:
“This is a very important victory for Greece and Europe. We are going to prove that a different kind of politics is possible in Europe.”

The former ruling New Democracy came in second place with 28.08% giving it 77 seats. The fascist Golden Dawn came in third with 17 seats, one less than in the last elections. The fourth party was To Potami, a new countergang party formed to draw votes away from Syriza, with 16 seats. The Communist KKE came next, increasing its number of seats from 12 to 15. Pasok came next, with less than half the votes they had in the last elections and now have 13 seats. No other parties got past the 3% threshold.

Political leaders throughout Europe quickly moved to show their support for Syriza’s victory. Katja Kipping, leader of Germany’s Die Linke party, hailed Syriza’s victory as the “beginning of Europe’s spring.”

In Spain the leader of the anti-austerity Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, told a rally of supporters yesterday:
“Hope is coming, fear is fleeing. Syriza, Podemos, we will win.” Podemos has been leading in opinion polls and could very well win in Spain’s municipal and regional elections in May, and general elections in December.

In Ireland, Sinn Féin spokesman Pearse Doherty congratulated Tsipras and gave support for Syriza’s call for a European debt conference, saying

“I want to congratulate Mr. Tsipras and his party on this stunning victory, which will bring real change for the people of Greece and brings an opportunity for progressive change in Europe. Syriza has promised to renegotiate Greece’s debt if it wins the election and to call for a European Debt Conference, which would be in Ireland’s interests also.”

Doherty then blasted Prime Minister Enda Kenny:

“Enda Kenny bluntly rejected the idea of a debt conference when asked about it by Gerry Adams in the Dáil [parliament] last week. Ireland should not be dependent on Greece to propose something which is so obviously in our interests. If Enda Kenny and his government are not going to stand up for Irish citizens then they should remove themselves from office and allow the people to elect a new government that will.”

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