politics for the 99%

Understanding the Defeat, Means Preparing a Victory – The Greek Dilemma and Us – Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin No. 1144, by Blockupy Goes Athens, July 16, 2015 (first appeared in German in the blog Blockup goes Athens/12. July 2015 - die Niederlage verstehen heisst den Sieg vorbereiten, das griechische Dilemma und wir … neun provisorische Überlegungen …).

Nine provisional considerations after both the popular Oxi and Syriza’s Yes to the Memorandum. This is being written after the vote in the Greek parliament and before the final decision of the Eurogroup (12 July). At the moment, everything is open, and we are certain of only a couple of things. Almost everything can change, but some things will remain true.

1. From Blackmail to Coup:  

• The alternative of Grexit or a third Memorandum is not the same as reform or revolution; it is only a matter of the lack of alternatives dictated by the creditors. It corresponds to the relation of forces within Europe, which can at the moment only produce defeats.
• The blackmailing of Greece by the creditors leaves open two paths, both of which would be defeats. This is unavoidable. First, Grexit: It means: ‘We’ll take from you the possibility of carrying out Europe’s class conflict within European political space. If you want to keep fighting, then fight for your survival at home and let the world watch the hopelessness of your struggle. If you want to keep on fighting in the name of your population, then your population is going to suffer the consequences.’ A Grexit makes the problem of inner-European politics into one of developmental and humanitarian aid. It isolates the political conflict in Europe, limiting it to Greek territory … //

… 2. Political Submission as Strategy:

• Apparently, the Syriza government has decided, on strategic grounds, to end the policy of negotiations with a symbolic defeat in order to ‘pacify’ the fiscal and economic situation. It changes nothing in terms of social devastation … //

… 9. The empire is being destroyed from inside, not from outside:

• Those who say that the European empire cannot be reformed should not conclude that one should leave it. Of course, there is nothing to be expected from Merkel. She is a real warrior for her class. But it is just as self-evident that one has to be and stay precisely where the enemy is, where one’s own enmity can be brought to bear.
• Ultimately, we fight in the factory and in the city neighbourhood and not in a place where the relations of domination are absent. In any case, there is and will be no such place, even in Greece after a Grexit. Whether inside or outside the euro and the EU, the European reality forms the objective boundaries of the Greek breakthrough. This is where the responsibility of the European movements begins, especially in Germany. Crossing borders is now in our hands. This involves all social movements and political struggles for a Europe of rights for all and true democracy. It involves anchors of transnational protest like Blockupy, as well as other cross-border connections of the radical left. And, of course, it involves the Party of the European Left around Die LINKE. Everyone has to change something; everyone has to reassess their policies and ask: How can we internationalise the Greek cause and Europeanise the OXI vote? Together, separately, united, in each place, in each form. We have to modernise our practice – within this constellation.
• And one more thing: Syriza doesn’t need a fan club. We should appreciate the great value of a left government, without being ‘faithful to Moscow’. ‘Unfortunately, small steps forward still require big sacrifices’, is what a Diktio comrade texted us from deep inside the government during the Friday in which the momentous decision was made. Yes, it’s a lot of rubbish. Just carry on. What else?

PS: As a team we are now ending our report and going back into action. Whatever happens from now on we have already been changed by the recent events. In Athens we fought to the point of exhaustion along with others, but also spoke with far-sighted comrades and courageous common people who told us the reasons for their OXI. We saw how much we desired more Greek friendship against Germany’s order. It was exciting and historic, and we learned a lot.

PPS: All our basic assessments still stand up, though many things could turn out differently in the next hours and days. ‘There is no alternative’ is supposed to win – shock and awe, nothing is to survive. If the enormous level of submission is insufficient then Greek society will have to risk the great leap into the unknown. Either they remain in a repeatedly produced void or they are to go under. Then for the moment something will again have occurred. But that will be decided not by the government alone; then all the stakes will really be in the streets.

(full text).

Links:

ECB Expected to Continue to Strangle Banks, Not Provide More ELA Funding Today, Despite Greek Parliament Passing Austerity Legislation, on naked capitalism, by Yves Smith, July 16, 2015;

I’m Not a Butcher – an Interview with Islamic State’s Architect of Death, on Spiegel Online, by Christoph Reuter, July 16, 2015 (Photo Gallery): for one and a half years, Abu Abdullah was responsible for organizing Islamic State’s suicide bombings in Baghdad. He is one of the organization’s rare leading figures to be captured alive. SPIEGEL met with him in a high-security prison in Baghdad …;

3,500m icy peaks of Pluto, NASA reveals striking images of dwarf planet (PHOTOS), on Russia Today RT, July 15, 2015;
Pluto / NASA: on YouTube-search; on Google Images-search; on Google News-search; on Google Web-search;

On The Trail of the Troika, 89.22 min, uploaded by wocomoDOCS [HD 720p], July 6, 2015 … a Must-See to Understand the Crisis in Greece - video and comment also on Global Reseach.ca … German journalist and best-selling author Harald Schumann travelled to Athens, Lisbon, Dublin, Nicosia, Brussels, Washington, New York and London, in order to find out who has actually benefited from austerity measures …;

Oben bleiben – Max Uthoff, auf 3sat 2014, 43.59 min, von Citizenfive am 5. Màrz 2015 hochgeladen;

Die Wahrheit über Griechenland, 89.59 min, von KingMinos100 am 24. Feb 2015 hochgeladen;

Militär+Wirtschafts Nachrichten – Juni 2015, 25.08 min, von Werner Altnickel am 2. Juni 2015 hochgeladen;

Star Trek London – All 5 Captains Talk, 2012 FULL, 51.12 min, uploaded by G Man, Dec 13, 2012;

Star Trek TNG EXPOsed (uncut), 76-48 min, uploaded by jpgmtech, May 2, 2012;

… 25th Anniversary Full Cast Reunion - Calgary Comic Expo 2012, uploaded oby jpgmtech, May 2, 2012;

The men who crashed the world, 42.30 min, uploaded by FauzinfoVids, Sept 25, 2011.