Thursday, March 31, 2011

Could Greece be leading Europe's 'March for the Alternative'?

But private discussions with PASOK colleagues suggest there are three principal lessons from the Greek crisis to Labour and our sister parties across Europe.
First, it is essential for the left to offer a vision. Parties of the right treat cuts as an accountancy exercise and give those suffering pain little hope that it can still lead to a better future.
Second, the European left has to support new ways of raising money, including full support for a transnational financial transactions tax - the socialist campaign for a 'Robin Hood' tax - and for the creation of a Euro Bond. We need the money but we also need to show the political realism that raising revenue demonstrates.
Third, although the European Council failed to countenance it, Socialists cannot stand by as welfare is dismantled and must refuse to accept Conservative attempts throughout the EU to strip away Europe's social model.
Committing Greece to an alternative economic model of environmentally sustainable and high value-added production, Papandreou puts it succinctly: "Competitiveness should be based on quality not inequality."
On the very day we met with PASOK, the markets lowered Greece's credit rating once again. It showed how the economic solidarity the EU has given to Greece needs to be matched by political solidarity amongst Socialists symbolised by our joint meeting this week.
Greece may be struggling to calm the markets but its experience should excite all those who suggest it is the markets themselves which need reform.
Richard Howitt MEP is Labour Member of the European Parliament for the East of England.
http://www.labourlist.org/could-greece-be-leading-europes-march-for-the-alternative

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