Notes from the front

Budget promises only more austerity

Despite a rapturous welcome to George Osborne’s last Budget (on 18 March) from the press and the BBC the political impact has been negligible. Party political support registered by polls has been barely affected.

US declares its aim to overthrow socialism in Venezuela

On 9 March President Obama signed an Executive Order declaring ‘a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela’ and imposed sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials.

The declaration has sent out a clear signal that the US priority in Venezuela is to overturn the elected government. It is similar to an order signed by Ronald Reagan in 1985 against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, which added Presidential authority to that campaign to destabilise a country which at the time, like Venezuela today, was trying to consolidate its socialist revolution.

EU is using ‘salami slicing’ tactics against Syriza

The EU rejection of the latest Greek government proposals confirms that the struggle is both intensifying and is likely to be prolonged.

The EU’s very public dismissal of Syriza’s proposals on reforming the tax collection system – and the widespread ridiculing of them by the European media – shows that the Eurogroup of finance ministers is not looking for any compromise and just aims to crush Syriza’s opposition to austerity. This stance is reinforced by the European Central Bank which is refusing to provide short-term funds (‘liquidity’) to Greek banks in case these are used to fund government operations.

Eurogroup, ECB and IMF seek Syriza’s unconditional surrender

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told a weekend rally that Syriza’s international opponents ‘plan was and is to wear down, topple or bring our government to unconditional surrender before our work begins to bear fruit and before the Greek example affects other countries,’ he said, adding: ‘and mainly before the elections in Spain.’

Greece: EU still trying to impose austerity

The new Greek government’s struggle with the EU has started to unfold with the outcome of the first round of negotiations with the EU institutions. This has seen Syriza forced to make a number of concessions on their anti-austerity programme.

The Syriza government is in a fight with hugely powerful forces – Germany, the IMF, European capital – which made it clear to Greece they were prepared to unleash a whirlwind if its government does not comply. The clearest threat was of an engineered run on the Greek banks which would have brought the tills to a standstill and led to an immediate chaotic social and economic crisis. The consequences would have made the 2013 Cyprus crisis look like a walk in the park.

Black, Muslim, Jewish, all these lives matter

Events of recent weeks have provided an object lesson in why it is vital to build a united movement against all forms of racism.

The attacks in Copenhagen last weekend, one of which was on a synagogue, and the desecration of Jewish graves in France, have added to the deepened concerns in the Jewish community that – on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz – they are facing a new wave of European anti-Semitism.