Die Neue Zeit
28th February 2010, 18:44
[Although I still think Lothar Bisky's reformism has gone too far with respect to liquidationist sentiments about his own national party, Die Linke (http://www.revleft.com/vb/left-partys-lothar-t124047/index.html), he has done a good job for the European left as chair of the GUE-NGL group, as noted by this article on Greece.]
http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=8472945&maindocimg=8468988&service=102
The government's measures were leading to a violent redistribution of wealth in favour of the powerful, Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) Parliament group leader asserted on Sunday, during a press conference with the Party of the European Left President Lothar Bisky on the actions they plan to take to combat the crisis and resist the planned measures.
According to Tsipras, the government and Prime Minister George Papandreou were engaged in 'secret diplomacy' and Papandreou was dropping hints in Parliament, instead of informing the Greek people about the measures that he intends to take.
"Even if we were in a state of war there would not be this much secrecy," Tsipras claimed, calling on the prime minister to lay his cards on the table or to postpone the discussion in Parliament until the following week, after he had completed his visits to the U.S. and Germany.
He also stressed that the government had been elected on the basis of a programme that was very different from that actually being carried out.
On the actions being planned by the European Left Party, Tsipras noted that they had discussed joint action on a national but also European level over the past two days. He pointed out that the crisis did not just concern Greece or the European south but all of Europe.
He said the first milestone in this effort will come on March 24, which Leftist forces throughout Europe would try to make a day of coordinated strikes and other events, followed by Labour Day, when there would be joint action by the Leftist forces of the European south.
Tsipras also warned that the measures being adopted by the government would fail to tackle the crisis but instead trigger an even deeper depression.
Bisky asserted that the banks of Germany and other countries were also engaged in the speculators' game targeting Greece and he also pointed out that Germany currently had the highest debt since WWII and that this was a problem for the German people. He stressed the need to tackle the causes of the crisis together and present alternative proposals.
On whether Germany should pay war reparations claimed by Greeks, Bisky said that he was not well informed on the issue but believed Germany owed restitution for the victims of the Nazis and the damage they had inflicted.
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=12137
The European Parliament has rejected an EU-US data transfer agreement, which some are calling a coup for democracy.
MEPs have voted 378 to 196 in favour of rejecting the agreement, which allowed US authorities to access data on Swift financial transactions.
Swift holds the data of approximately 8,000 banks and operates in 200 countries.
The European Parliament's civil liberties committee had already encouraged MEPs to block the deal. The original agreement, which was negotiated by EU governments, does not provide sufficient privacy safeguards, the committee said.
Following the vote, Lothar Bisky, president of the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) – a left wing grouping in the parliament, said: "The protests of concerned citizens have paid off. Popular and justified opposition has transformed into a European parliamentary majority against a dangerous policy. The parliament has demonstrated an understanding of its democratic responsibilities by refusing to allow big brother's supporters to bully it into compliance."
http://www.ana-mpa.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?maindoc=8472945&maindocimg=8468988&service=102
The government's measures were leading to a violent redistribution of wealth in favour of the powerful, Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) Parliament group leader asserted on Sunday, during a press conference with the Party of the European Left President Lothar Bisky on the actions they plan to take to combat the crisis and resist the planned measures.
According to Tsipras, the government and Prime Minister George Papandreou were engaged in 'secret diplomacy' and Papandreou was dropping hints in Parliament, instead of informing the Greek people about the measures that he intends to take.
"Even if we were in a state of war there would not be this much secrecy," Tsipras claimed, calling on the prime minister to lay his cards on the table or to postpone the discussion in Parliament until the following week, after he had completed his visits to the U.S. and Germany.
He also stressed that the government had been elected on the basis of a programme that was very different from that actually being carried out.
On the actions being planned by the European Left Party, Tsipras noted that they had discussed joint action on a national but also European level over the past two days. He pointed out that the crisis did not just concern Greece or the European south but all of Europe.
He said the first milestone in this effort will come on March 24, which Leftist forces throughout Europe would try to make a day of coordinated strikes and other events, followed by Labour Day, when there would be joint action by the Leftist forces of the European south.
Tsipras also warned that the measures being adopted by the government would fail to tackle the crisis but instead trigger an even deeper depression.
Bisky asserted that the banks of Germany and other countries were also engaged in the speculators' game targeting Greece and he also pointed out that Germany currently had the highest debt since WWII and that this was a problem for the German people. He stressed the need to tackle the causes of the crisis together and present alternative proposals.
On whether Germany should pay war reparations claimed by Greeks, Bisky said that he was not well informed on the issue but believed Germany owed restitution for the victims of the Nazis and the damage they had inflicted.
http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=12137
The European Parliament has rejected an EU-US data transfer agreement, which some are calling a coup for democracy.
MEPs have voted 378 to 196 in favour of rejecting the agreement, which allowed US authorities to access data on Swift financial transactions.
Swift holds the data of approximately 8,000 banks and operates in 200 countries.
The European Parliament's civil liberties committee had already encouraged MEPs to block the deal. The original agreement, which was negotiated by EU governments, does not provide sufficient privacy safeguards, the committee said.
Following the vote, Lothar Bisky, president of the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) – a left wing grouping in the parliament, said: "The protests of concerned citizens have paid off. Popular and justified opposition has transformed into a European parliamentary majority against a dangerous policy. The parliament has demonstrated an understanding of its democratic responsibilities by refusing to allow big brother's supporters to bully it into compliance."