Greece’s main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras bemoaned the present state of European social democracy at the weekend, charging that it had lost its way and that, unless it stopped towing a neoliberal line, it risked losing its relevance in a fast-changing world.
Speaking at a Transform Europe conference on the “neoliberal agenda and European social democracy” in Florence, Italy, Tsipras – already dubbed by many in the media as Greece’s prime minister in waiting – said that European social democracy had taken the backseat to neo-liberalism and stands idle as events unfold.
“As long as it answers today’s challenges with conservative reflexes of the 90s, then it will lose its stride in history” he said. “…the ideology of austerity and stagnation is suffocating Europe.”
The leader of the country’s main anti-bailout party added that if social democracy is to survive, “then it must change.”
“Otherwise it will be transformed into a supplementary force of neoliberalism, as is already happening in Greece with Pasok [centre-left] of Mr [Evangelos] Venizelos.”
The 40-year-old said it was incumbent on the countries of the Eurozone’s periphery to start the struggle to overthrow neo-liberal rule in Europe.
“In Greece with Syriza, in Ireland with Sinn Féin. In Spain with Podemos and the United Left,” he said.
Tsipras’ talk in Florence wrapped up a weekend, which also included a visit to Madrid where he said Syriza is trying to create alliances with political and social forces throughout Europe, especially the South, to demand a debt haircut and to make use of European development funds.
“The issue of the debt is a European issue and relates to all European people, and we are creating alliances… in order to demand a just and viable solution through a definitive debt haircut and, of course, through the claim on European development funds so that Europe may see a return of social cohesion and balanced growth,” he said after meeting with the head of United Left (IU), Cayo Lara, and Spanish Communist Party Secretary General Jose Luis Centella.
On the threshold of political change
With polls suggesting Syriza holds a clear lead over the parties of the coalition government, Tsipras – who was the European Left’s candidate for president of the European Commission -. sounded assured in both Madrid and Florence, saying Greece was on the threshold of political change and that his government would pave the way for other EU countries to follow a more ‘progressive direction’.
“The imminent Syriza government will serve as an incentive to re-orientate progressive forces of social democracy in the European south. The invincible Europe of the Troika and its memorandums will soon move in a more progressive direction”, he vowed.
Tsipras, who led Syriza from being a far-left fringe party to the country’s most popular force, also reiterated his call for a ‘European New Deal’ involving the European Central Bank and European development funds, with public investment in social infrastructure, research, transport networks and new technologies.