If you haven’t read Barbara Tuchman’s March of Folly, go read it. It should be required reading in high schools everywhere. Anyone who has read it can only shudder at the possibilities opening up in a Europe that is marching in tandem toward chaos. If this writer is correct, and I suspect he is, the people of the other countries afflicted by German and corporate imposed austerity are taking heed of the Greek vote rejecting further austerity madness:
Meanwhile, the political fallout in Europe is just beginning. The Syriza-like party in Spain has become a serious contender, tied in third place with the two other traditional parties. No formal anti-establishment party has risen in Portugal, but the Socialist opposition, which is almost sure to win the upcoming election, promises to stand against austerity.
And it will not stop there. If Germany and its northern European allies don’t offer a respite, the anti-austerity political contagion will spread across the Continent because a new generation is slowly taking over and it wants a brighter future than the drab predictability of never-ending sacrifice. Old technocrats will eventually be replaced.
Greeks have defied the attempts to repress their democratic will. Welcome to the new Europe, for better or worse.
via Consortium News
The Greek government is by no means an existential threat. In fact, it is making a lot more sense than the austerians. But there is every reason to believe that parties of the right will step in to exploit the legitimate grievances of the peoples afflicted by austerity. In Greece itself there is a high level of anti-Semitism, with the vast majority believing that Jews have too much power over the financial system. In times of stress people everywhere (not just here) look for scapegoats, and there are plenty of political parties ready to blame the blameless for economic troubles those very parties have every intention of perpetuating should they gain power. If it’s not the Jews, it’s immigrants or some other out group. We are in the anniversary years of WW I, toward which Europe sleep marched, perfectly illustrating Tuchman’s thesis. It’s happening again, led by a Germany that is financially strong today in large part because it benefitted from forward looking policies it refuses to apply to Greece and the other peripheral countries. If Syriza goes, which is the clear objective of Merkel and her henchpeople, it is not at all clear it will be replaced by the corporate and bank friendly regime she appears to want. If history is any guide, it’s far more likely that a party of the right will take advantage of the opening created by the corporatists to gain power. It doesn’t have to happen, but it’s quite likely, and it’s a possibility that should be obvious to anyone (I mean, it’s been obvious to me for awhile, which shows how obvious it is), yet seems to be ignored by everyone with any semblance of power in Europe.
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