Greek General Elections, 2015

[PaleRider]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30975437

As I am sure many of the politically in-tune players on here know, the radical leftist party known as Syriza has a very real chance of coming into power in Greece. IMO, you can kiss the EU and entire European project goodbye if they so much as get a junior undersecretary of desk arrangements. There is going to be a huge confrontation I foresee between the new Syriza government and the Germans who are keeping Greece on life support. And if the Germans pull their support, there really is no way for Greece to remain solvent....so is the US ready to begin accepting refugees from Europe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_legi ... tion,_2015

[SelucianCrusader]

Independent Greeks, most probably. I don't mind kissing the European project goodbye, but I wouldn't want to vote for Syriza or the nazis.

[PaleRider]

Independent Greeks, most probably. I don't mind kissing the European project goodbye, but I wouldn't want to vote for Syriza or the nazis.

My biggest problem with the EU and European project is that its rudderless. They cant decide if they want to move to a federal Europe (something I would tepidly support) or if its just going to be an association of nations. Someone needs to introduce some clarity here. If the goal is a federal Europe, just come out and say it already. Stop pussyfooting around

[SelucianCrusader]

Independent Greeks, most probably. I don't mind kissing the European project goodbye, but I wouldn't want to vote for Syriza or the nazis.

My biggest problem with the EU and European project is that its rudderless. They cant decide if they want to move to a federal Europe (something I would tepidly support) or if its just going to be an association of nations. Someone needs to introduce some clarity here. If the goal is a federal Europe, just come out and say it already. Stop pussyfooting around

They probably want it, but they can't say that openly because there is hardly any popular support for it. So they centralize step by step instead.

[CanadianEh]

I would vote for New Denocracy the only party that seems to be close to representing my values.

[Lionking]

I would definitely have voted for Syriza. Done with the fairy tale of continuously austerity, the troika has burned their own feet. Today they actually reap what they sow. How on earth can you justify and defend the cruel Greek project of the Troika. GDP loss of 25% in 5 years, Pensions and wage cuts by 40%, unemployment 27%, youth unemployment above 50%, poverty well above 30%! They tried and miserably failed, to bad they just can't see it, every economist in the world is against the EU austerity and yet those foolish leaders are pushing it through. In the future we will see more left wing or right wing parties taking over.

[CanadianEh]

I would definitely have voted for Syriza. Done with the fairy tale of continuously austerity, the troika has burned their own feet. Today they actually reap what they sow. How on earth can you justify and defend the cruel Greek project of the Troika. GDP loss of 25% in 5 years, Pensions and wage cuts by 40%, unemployment 27%, youth unemployment above 50%, poverty well above 30%! They tried and miserably failed, to bad they just can't see it, every economist in the world is against the EU austerity and yet those foolish leaders are pushing it through. In the future we will see more left wing or right wing parties taking over.

I don't really see the EU as an economically bad idea. I don't think that the down turn of Greece is because of the EU it's because of all of the Socialism there that still needs to be cleaned up. Let's face it tiny European nations need the EU to economically live it's basically like ensuring friendships with more than 60% of all the nations in Europe. I would assume that any good economist would support the EU.

[Amazeroth]

Independent Greeks, most probably. I don't mind kissing the European project goodbye, but I wouldn't want to vote for Syriza or the nazis.

My biggest problem with the EU and European project is that its rudderless. They cant decide if they want to move to a federal Europe (something I would tepidly support) or if its just going to be an association of nations. Someone needs to introduce some clarity here. If the goal is a federal Europe, just come out and say it already. Stop pussyfooting around

That will never happen. It will either remain in limbo, go down, or slide into a federal union. But only in the second case you will have people stating before that that's their target. If it remains in limbo or goes federal, it will happen without a general will behind it.

At least if things more or less stay the way they are. Anything could happen if something big and rather unforeseen would happen, like a war with Russia, or something on a scale like that.

[PaleRider]

I would definitely have voted for Syriza. Done with the fairy tale of continuously austerity, the troika has burned their own feet. Today they actually reap what they sow. How on earth can you justify and defend the cruel Greek project of the Troika. GDP loss of 25% in 5 years, Pensions and wage cuts by 40%, unemployment 27%, youth unemployment above 50%, poverty well above 30%! They tried and miserably failed, to bad they just can't see it, every economist in the world is against the EU austerity and yet those foolish leaders are pushing it through. In the future we will see more left wing or right wing parties taking over.

The Greeks have only themselves too blame. Easy money, no structural reforms and a bloated bureaucracy all contributed to Greece's economic troubles. The only reason austerity is harsh and its hit Greece so hard is because they've never really had to address the underlying problems in the country which continued to fester and grow until finally they couldn't borrow any more to paper over their problems.
Also, from my viewing of the situation, there has been no deep reform, just pain without benefits. A fundamental reworking of the state is needed so that it is leaner, less intrusive and more efficient. Further, the international community cannot prop up Greece forever with loans and bailouts meaning serious changes to Greek spending habits, and a reduction in government spending. Greece needs more responsible fiscal management.

[Reddy]

ND for me.

Like the French Bourbons, the Greeks remember everything but they've learnt nothing. Three decades ago another populist pol called Andreas Papandreou won an election with a manifesto that was probably to the left of Syriza and full of deception as well. He was the founder of the same party PASOK which has led them to their economic ruin. This illusion that an inexperienced politician who has never held a real job in his life like Tsipras can responsibly end austerity, while remaining in the Eurozone, while agreeing with the lenders is why I again I say, in some societies, liberal democracy is not only flawed but potentially dangerous.