Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The final blackmail of Baron Papandreou [updated]

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The final blackmail of Baron Papandreou [updated]

Click here to access article by Costas Douzinas from Greek Left Review. (My commentary has been updated from November 1st.)

The unexpected announcement by Greek PM Papandreou yesterday that he is to call a referendum and ask people to vote about the October 24 agreement is the opening salvo in the endgame of the Greek tragedy. Is this extraordinary gambit a genuine request for a popular mandate or a desperate bluff of a gambler down on his chips?

From what I've seen this morning both from business sources (for example, this) and activists at various internet sites, everyone is quite stunned by the announcement of this Greek referendum. The referendum looks very much like a desperate gamble that may very well become a pivotal event. Because if the Greek government fails to gain support for the Oct. 24th agreement, it could precipitate a dramatic unfolding of world changing events in the near term. And that is precisely what worries the global capitalist leaders.

12:25 PM (Pacific Time) Update: the latest word is that the referendum has been cancelled! Clearly, the European ruling class vetoed it.

1:00 PM Now we hear that the referendum will be held.

11-3-2011: It seems that the referendum is again cancelled, according to this report from the Guardian. After all, the ruling class of Europe can't have the Greek people making a decision about whether they will mortgage their lives for generations into the future. Why shouldn't the people approve this deal made by the elites? See this article.