‘The Barricades Are Down’ Syriza Is Already Rolling Back Austerity ‘Reforms’

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– “The Barricades Are Down” Syriza Is Already Rolling Back Austerity “Reforms” (ZeroHedge, Jan 28, 2015):

It didn’t take long for Syriza to start making changes in Greece. While these may be minor at the margin compared to the debt “issues”, as KeepTalkingGreece reports, Alexis Tsipras and his junior coalition partner Panos Kammenos pushed the Fast Forward button to restore a series of so-called “reforms”, that is austerity measures imposed by the country’s lenders, the Troika – among the left-wing reforms are: scrapping planned privatizations, scrapping fees in public hospitals and prescriptions, restore “the 13th pension” for low-pensioners and other actions that SYRIZA had promised before the elections. And the iron barricades in front of Parliament have been removed.

Via Keep Talking Greece,

Iron Barricades

The first revolutionary move was conducted by alternate Minister responsible for Citizens’ Protection and Public Order. Yiannis Panousis removed the iron barricades in front of the Greek Parliament. The barricades were installed to protect the lawmakers from angry demonstrators after the huge anti-austerity protests from 2010 onwards.

Greece-barricades

Before

Greece-barricades2

After

Panousis, who is Professor for Constitutional Law, made the announcement Wednesday morning. Right after the first meeting of the new cabinet concluded, the barricades were removed.

Health sector

Alternate minister Andreas Xanthos announced the “targeted enhancement of the health sector”, scrapping the 5-euro fee at public hospitals and the 1-euro fee per prescription as well as reductions in the patients’ economic participation on drugs.

The unprecedented financial burden imposed on patients had quite some people stop taking their medication or seek charity organizations for life-saving drugs. KTG has reported many times about the plight in the Greek health sector.

Pensions

Alternate Minister for Social Funds, Dimitris Stratoulis announced a stop in pension cuts and to restore the “13th pension” for pensioners receiving below €700 per month. He also said that “uninsured farmers will receive again the €360 per month.

Minimum Wage

Minister for Labor and Social Solidarity, Panos Skourletis, announced that the minimum wage will be raised to €751 gross, while the collective bargains will be restored.

Under Troika pressure in the name of so-called “competitiveness”, the minimum wage plunged down to €580 gross and €490 gross for those below 25 years old in 2012 with the effect that households could not even cover their monthly basic needs.

Rehiring in Public sector

Alternate Minister for Administrative Reform Giorgos Katrougalos announced the re-hiring of those who were laid-off from the public sector in the scheme of “mobility”. According to Katrougalos, the lay-offs were against the Constitution.

School guards, cleaners and teachers were laid-off in masses, after the Greek government decided to fire over night some 10,000 people in order to meet Troika’s demands for a lean public administration. The lay-offs were not according to meritocracy criteria, the measure affected whole groups of employees.

Greek nationality to migrants’ children

Alternate Minister for Migration policy Tasia Christodoulopoulou announced that migrants’ children born and raised in Greece will be granted Greek nationality, probably also children that came here in very young age.

Taking into consideration the SYRIZA program as announced by Alexis Tsipras on January 2oth in Thessaloniki, more anti-austerity changes are on the note book of the new government. So far all ministers made their announcements in television programs. The official announcements are expected next week in the Greek Parliament when the coalition will seek vote of confidence.

So far we heard no ministerial announcement on TV regarding the painful issue of over-taxation.

7 thoughts on “‘The Barricades Are Down’ Syriza Is Already Rolling Back Austerity ‘Reforms’”

  1. I would not be surprised if he is getting help from BRICS. Also, a constitutional expert……..we thought we would get some benefit from one, instead he used his specialized knowledge to destroy every aspect of the constitution that protected the citizens from an overbearing government.

    If I were leading Russia and China, I would help him, and I am sure they are going to do so………Russia has already promised food supplies would not be cut as they have been for the Euro zone. Why did he do that? The Euro chose to follow US dictates with fool sanctions that cuts off the nose of everyone for no good reason. I think those sanctions will be rescinded soon. Seeing Greece removing the barricades from the buildings of the lawmakers……how I would like to see the White House open and free again……it won’t be as long as those creatures control the US. They aren’t human, they are consumed with greed, and have destroyed us. Every empire has this happen, then the system collapses, and perhaps there is a chance for a newer and cleaner system. Until then, it will only get worse……………but the end will happen soon, the dollar now relies on the EU for its very existence.

    I checked the CNBC website and it was talking about the strong dollar vs. Euro. Strong dollar? When 70% of the world no longer uses your dollar, how can it be strong in reality? But, they speak no reality and no truth……the endless lies and self delusion is beyond belief.

    The so-called strong dollar now relies exclusively on the EU. bombing Yemen is the most stupid and internecine act I have seen in years. What a fool response to the fact the Arab nations are finished with the US……..if their leaders were less corrupt, it would have happened long ago. The fact they are willing to take a serious cut in national income to wipe the floor with the US dollar would show a wiser and more stable mind that there are problems that ought to be worked out. Bombing Yemen is the wrong answer. The war commenced in 2010, it has been economic and steady…….the US didn’t pay attention until it was too late. Too many fools and no clear minds.

    As soon as the EU pushes back on the US, perhaps agreeing to half dollar and half basket of currencies………that will sound the end of the dollar. The dollar is moving closer to collapse, and as our fool leaders act like emotional spoiled children……it will only hasten the day. The US now relies on another economic system to keep the dollar afloat, and that is a dangerous place to be for anyone.

    Chipping away at the Euro is cool, calm and brilliant as Putin once again shows. Oh, why can’t we get someone like him? Obama appeared calm and intelligent, and turned out to be vindictive and corporate to the bone. He took bush two’s policies and set them into stone. Until the US collapses, those rules will remain.

    If one looks at a globe of the world, Greece is right on the Mediterranean Sea, across from BRICS member, Turkey. The next most likely ones are Italy, Spain and possibly Bulgaria. All have access to a major waterway, Bulgaria being on the Black Sea as well as the Mediterranean. This is being worked out by a master chess player, and he knows what to do. The Euro has 28 nations……maybe 27 now, and the ones with the best access to the oceans will be his goal. Greece is far closer historically and culturally to the east…….and so is Italy.

    Good for Greece, and good for those helping them! If I were young, and not dying of spinal cancer, I would emigrate east. The west is dying, and it is happening so fast nobody can believe it. I had a friend talk to me of taking extended trips with his retirement funds in a year or so………….the whole world will be upside down by then, and the dollar of no value anywhere but at home. Social mobility will be over. It is already far down from where it was 15 years ago, but this will really stop everyone in their tracks.

    The shock to me is how fast this is happening…………………..

    Reply

  2. This article sounds so familiar, they screamed the same stuff about Iceland.
    As for funds, they will get them from BRICS and the Eurasian Union, not Germany. Bulgaria is hurting even more than Greece, and they didn’t mention Italy or Spain…..both in deep depression giving all funds to the greedy bankers. They would be far wiser to tell the banks to go to hell…………it is overdue.

    Check this Bloomberg article out. If you changed the name from Greece to Iceland, it could have been written five years ago………..the greedy guts are getting nervous………

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-28/greece-wants-money-from-its-much-poorer-neighbors

    Reply

  3. Here is one for you from Bloomberg…..Obama care fine to be owed by six million taxpayers. Thank goodness I have Medicare………I would not want the IRS after me…….to pay some greedy gut private insurance company whatever they choose to charge. What a give away to the greedy guts, free collection services for them footed by the fool taxpayers……I don’t know how much collections cost in a business, but it isn’t small…………and Obama took care of the richest corporations on the globe. Insurance companies are the entities that fund banks….
    Sickening.
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-28/obamacare-penalty-to-be-owed-by-as-many-as-6-million-taxpayers

    Reply

  7. On another subject, Visa just split stock 4:1.
    In all my years, I have had stock split 2:1 occasionally, but the 4:1 stuff started for us as the beginning of the end. We had a majority hold on a very valuable company. The greedy guts got in, and started splitting our stock like this…………..and soon, the value for the real stockholders, we were the 3rd major holders, was diluted to nothing.

    This made the markets go crazy in the US today, but it isn’t good news. I have lived through this game, and it is really bad news for the shareholders, but few realize it. They don’t recognize the dilution, and the hiding of excessive debt.

    Banking sector is in deep trouble.

    Reply

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