GLW: Greece: SYRIZA's scores clear win amid high abstention, more austerity

Dick Nichols writes that Greece: SYRIZA's scores clear win amid high abstention, more austerity.

There are three basic reasons why. Firstly, the government's six-month-long struggle to win an acceptable deal was seen by many as the best that could have been achieved in the face of the blackmail of the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund (the “Troika”).

The argument that an alternative course was possible without sooner or later ending in “Grexit” seems not to have convinced many, if the vote won by PU and the KKE is an accurate indicator.

Secondly, the SYRIZA-led government at least started to implement some aspects of the “Salonika Program” on which it was elected.

These measures included free electricity for more than 200,000, food vouchers for 350,000, an accommodation program with rent subsidy for 30,000 families and cuts to various health care and hospital payments.

The government also provided tax and social security contribution relief for 750,000 individuals and small businesses, reopened public radio and television, and started to go after the big tax evaders.

According to Leo Panitch, co-editor of the Socialist Register and a close observer of Greece: “The humanitarian stuff they introduced immediately in February, right after they were elected, has not been pulled back, and it's had an enormous impact on the people who are suffering the most.”

Thirdly, the SYRIZA government is still regarded as the first honest administration in contemporary Greek history. Despite its defeat in the battle with “Brussels”, SYRIZA is still viewed as a break with traditionally corrupt Greek politics as represented by ND and PASOK.

Emphasis Mine

The failure of the Capitalist elite to destroy SYRIZA is amazing. They had hoped that by forcing SYRIZA to accept the utterly humiliating third memorandum, SYRIZA would have been so thoroughly discredited that SYRIZA would have been annihlated in any subsequent election.

As Nichols writes, SYRIZA survived by being honest, open, and committed to its programme.