What is to be done

This week we have emerged from a media veil of silence, under the pretext of a strike, to discover that Tsipras’ government is creating a rerun of the 2015 summer from hell.

Tsakalotos returned from the IMF meetings in the US bearing a package of nearly 9bn euros worth of measures. 3.6bn of which need to be legislated and ready to implement automatically in case of deviation from future targets.

Let’s take a moment to explain what this means. Reductions in pensions, wages and hikes in taxes and contributions amounting to 5.4bn for 2016/17 plus automatic deductions in spending for 2018/19. The latter 3.6bn will be out of executive control and will be actioned by an independent fiscal council.

Why are the numbers so bad? 1) because Tsipras did not stick to the agreed plan and did not complete the current programme evaluation -pending since October 2015 2) because economic data have deteriorated since last summer 3) because Europe will not agree for debt relief to allow for a shallower adjustment.

Tsipras claims that he is asked to go over and beyond agreed measures. Yes he is, because this is no longer July 2015. He either does not understand the dynamic nature of fiscal measures or pretends not to. I don’t know which is worse.

Why are we about to relieve 2015? Because “negotiations” (the very word makes me nauseous) between Greece and the Troika have broken down (again) and Tsipras is pressing for a political solution (again). All this while the state is running out of money (again) and won’t meet its loan repayments without Bailout money in July (again).

We come therefore to the question posed by Lenin: what is to be done? As then, same now: overthrow the regime.

Tsipras, his chair loving sidekick Kammenos and the circus of incompetence they preside over needs to vacate government immediately, before they cause another credit crunch, default, Grexit. They have to go, now.

Who will replace them? Things have gotten so bad that there is only one solution, a National unity government staffed by technocrats and focused on bringing order to the chaos of cronyism, inefficiency and corruption Syriza bred and developed over the last year.

Isn’t this undemocratic? Isn’t this what the laughable Leventis is asking for? Isn’t it what I argued against in the past? Yes, yes and yes. Yet, it is this or Grexit and a Failed State.

What is to be done? The Greek people have a choice. Go to Syntagma and stay there till Tsipras leaves, or go to Syntagma, dance a kalamatiano, and dust off your Drachma.

@iGlinavos