Labor and the Greens would love for this to happen in Australia - a far-left government ready to print money, pay none of the countrys debt and raise wages and welfare! Greece is well and truly FKD! #auspol #BSWNBPM #sameoldlabor #greens -EUROPEAN leaders are bracing for vigorous discussions with Alexis Tsipras, leader of Greece’s far-left party Syriza, after his dramatic election triumph. The youngest Greek leader in decades won Sunday’s poll in a crushing victory, but the extent of the win was still unclear this morning and it was unknown if the party could rule on its own, or if it will have to seek a coalition. The overwhelming result has sent shock waves through Europe with fears a widespread rejection of austerity will quickly spread throughout much larger neighbouring economies of Spain, Portugal and Italy. In his election victory speech Mr Tsipras said the result was a ‘’page turner’’ that meant Greece now leaves behind austerity, fear and humiliation and advances with dignity and hope. Conceding defeat, outgoing prime minister Antonis Samaris of the New Democracy Party said: : “The Greek people have spoken and everyone respects their decision.’’ He hoped the next government would keep Greece in the EU and the eurozone. “We still have to see if it will be a big historic victory,’’ Syriza spokesman Panos Skourletis said as the party looked to be close to winning an outright majority of 151 seats in the parliament. “It sends a message against austerity and in favour of dignity and democracy.’’ Mr Tsipras said the verdict makes the troika of the IMF, European Bank and European Union “the past’’ and he did not resile from his pre-election vow to renegotiate the massive debt. He said the new Greek government was ready to cooperate and negotiate ‘’for a mutually beneficial and sustainable solution so Greece comes out of vicious circle of debt’’. He said Greece has successful fought for the space and time to create a future with dignity. But the result has seen an early impact on the value of the euro, falling to its lowest level in more than a decade. Syriza, an alliance of socialists, Greens and Marxists, and led by the charismatic Mr Tsipras, wooed the Greek voters with promises to renegotiate the crippling $318 billion debt owed to the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank and has vowed to increase pensions, increase wages and halt the privatisation of government assets. Greek’s debt is 175 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product and Mr Tspiras’s plan for Europe to wipe much of that debt to reinvigorate the Greek economy, puts him at odds with the views of the money lenders — the taxpayers of northern European countries. Mr Tsipras, 40, won on an anti-austerity defiance, but he will find it next to impossible to implement his socialist agenda if the debt is not rescheduled or renegotiated. International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde indicated there would be a strong riposte to Mr Tsipras’s plans. “A debt is a debt and it is a contract,” she said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Defaulting, restructuring, changing the terms has consequences on the signature and the confidence in the signature.” British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that Syriza’s victoy would create economic risks across Europe. “The Greek election will increase economic uncertainty across Europe. That’s why the UK must stick to our plan, delivering security at home,” Mr Cameron wrote on his Twitter account. German chancellor Angela Merkel has personally appealed to Greek voters to stay with the eurozone. “I want Greece to remain part of our (European Union) story,” she said on Friday. However, Ms Merkel has given no indication that the EU would embrace any of Mr Tsipras’ financial strategies. Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann said Greece would continue to require outside financial support, which he said would only be forthcoming if the country stuck to pre-existing agreements.- theaustralian.au/news/world/landslide-win-for-greece-anti-austerity-party-syriza/story-e6frg6so-1227196640832
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 03:46:51 +0000
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