Last week Socialist Party TD Paul Murphy was an eyewitness to SYRIZAs’ historic victory after the snap general election on the 25thJanuary. Yesterday he spoke to a packed Public meeting in Belfast about what he witnessed and the possible effects of the SYRIZA victory for the people of Greece and for politics in Europe and further afield.
Firstly, Paul explained the depth of the social crisis in Greece. He said, “It’s not an exaggeration to talk about a humanitarian crisis when referring to Greece. If you’re a long term unemployed young person you cannot get access to basic resources such as food on a regular basis.”
Paul spoke of how SYRIZA has already begun to implement its programme of reforms such as the reversal of privatisation and reversal of cuts to pensions and the minimum wage. Though he pointed out the potential challenges for SYRIZA in the future “This all points toward a confrontation between SYRIZA and the European representatives of international capitalism such Angela Merkel and Mario Draghi within the next six months.”
Paul went onto explain how the British and Irish Labour Parties are likely to face annihilation just like Greece’s old ruling party PASOK (Labour’s sister party). He described how SYRIZA’s victory has “smashed a hole in the wall of the idea that there is no alternative to Austerity” and this victory will almost definitely lead to similar forces coming to power such as Spain’s Podemos.
