It’s all over but the obituary. Rubber-stamp Greek parliamentarians overwhelming approved transforming the nation into a banker run colony – by a 229 – 64 vote. Six lawmakers abstained.
Coalition partner Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos and likeminded party members voted “yes” after rhetorically rejecting Troika terms.
The vast majority of bailout funding goes to pay bankers and other creditors – nothing for economic recovery and growth. The price is deeper punishing austerity, greater poverty and unemployment than already, and far more human misery ahead with no end in sight.
Only 32 of SYRIZA’s 149 parliamentarians voted “no” – including banished Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, Finance Ministry Secretary General Manos Manousakis, Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafanzanis, Deputy Labor Minister Dimitris Stratoulis and ousted Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou.
She called the bailout proposal “social genocide.” Other austerity opponents denounced it as “a new Versailles Treaty.”
Sovereign Greece no longer exists. Troika bandits own its soul. Democracy’s denouement became official in its birthplace.
Meanwhile, police clashed violently with thousands of anti-austerity protesters outside parliament demanding promised relief – social justice, not sellout.
Prime Minister Tsipras rubbed salt on the wound he inflicted saying he “does not believe in (the) irrational” capitulation plan he demanded and voted for.
He lied claiming he had no choice. Terms were forced on him, he said. Responsible leadership would have rejected them outright, walked away and stood tall ahead of being welcomed home as a national hero – challenging Troika bandits courageously, saying “no” when it matters most.
Instead he showed he’s like all the rest – pledging one thing, doing another, betraying his constituents in the process, proving he and likeminded SYRIZA officials are pretense populists, more contemptible than right-wing austerity supporters.
Judas officials are the most despised for good reason. They deserve the harshest condemnation. SYRIZA and likeminded traitors agreed to plunge Greece into greater protracted Depression than already and all the extreme pain and suffering along with it – a no-win Faustian betrayal.
Can Tsipras’ coalition government survive the sellout? Will he lose majority support? Will enough members bolt to force snap elections?
Overwhelming parliamentary support for destructive bailout terms may save him – including from nearly 80% of SYRIZA party members. The faithful were too few in number to matter.
At the same time, Tsipras’ status as Greece’s leader is hugely damaged. Whether he’ll remain prime minister remains to be seen – popularly supported last January, a recognized Judas after capitulating in Brussels.
The sobering day after offers no solace – an unsettling aftermath after a tumultuous evening. Reports suggest opposition SYRIZA ministers and other party opponents will be ousted. Rogue regimes operate this way. Affected parliamentarians would have a choice – leave government or continue in office as independents, weakening Tsipras’ hold on power.
He faces a near-impossible task of selling betrayal to an angry public. Since sweeping to victory in January pledging no more austerity, he systematically breached his promises.
Approving Troika bailout terms turned Greece into a failed state. Tsipras lost his most important political asset – public trust.
His explanation rings hollow – claiming he got better terms than Troika officials demanded, saying “we will now fight at home to finish the oligarchy which brought us to this state.”
Selling out to Troika bandits shows his rhetoric is meaningless. Fascists rule Greece, masquerading as social democrats. Financial tyranny is official state policy.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
