Europe must accommodate the will of the people
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Failing any last minute dramatic developments the people of Greece will vote this Sunday in a referendum that could re-define the EU response to the economic crisis.
The ballot paper will present Greek voters with the choice of accepting specific proposals from its IMF-EU-ECB creditors or rejecting them. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated this deal is no longer on the table and warned that a No vote will mark the beginning of the process of Greece leaving the Eurozone.
This means in reality the Greek people will be voting on whether to endorse their majority Syriza government’s approach, of ending crippling austerity, or to accept the logic that the economic policy of Eurozone member states is largely out of the control of individual states.
SIPTU welcomed the decisive victory of Syriza in the Greek general election in January. It was hoped then it would mark the beginning of the end of the nightmare austerity experiment across Europe.
Whether this election will in future be seen as merely a temporary deviation or the significant change of course many had hoped for is likely to be decided this weekend. Views may be divided on what is currently the best course of action for a Greek people faced with the reality that their Government is now largely isolated from its Eurozone partners.
However, what all progressive opinion should be able to agree is that a EU worth fighting to maintain must be one that can accommodate the outcomes of democratic expressions such as this Sunday’s vote and the general election in Greece which brought the Syriza-led government to power earlier this year.
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