“SYRIZA won’t betray the Greek people,” Tsipras said in statements televised on NET TV after the meeting with Papoulias and the leaders of the New Democracy and PASOK parties. “We are being asked to agree to the destruction of Greek society.”

 Tsipras talks as if he has a mandate from the Greek people rather than 16% of the vote on a lowish turnout. This grandiose posturing is characteristic of the far left the best of whom can be said is that they can neither rule nor be ruled. The presence of the British based Socialist Worker’s Party in the ranks of SYRIZA should raise alarm bells as to their integrity.

Ekathimerini

14th May, 2012

Greece’s political deadlock looked set to continue for a second week as President Karolos Papoulias failed to secure agreement on a unity government and avert new elections with the country heading toward a possible exit from the euro area.

Read the rest of this entry »

PressTV

8th May, 2012

France’s President-elect Francois Hollande has launched a scathing attack on the British government saying Britain “is indifferent to the fate of the euro area”.

France’s Socialist leader said Britain is only obsessed with the protection of the interests of the City of London, reportedThe Mail

The British have been particularly shy about the issues of financial regulation, and attentive only to the interests of the City – hence their reluctance to see the introduction of a tax on financial transactions and tax harmonisation in Europe,” said Hollande.

Hollande is an advocate of an EU-wide transaction tax on financial deals and a fresh push for tax harmonization in Europe, to which Britain is opposed.

After Hollande’s victory over Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday night, British Prime Minister David Cameron called him and said he looked forward to “building on the very close relationship that already exists between the UK and France”.

However, Hollande has a closer relationship with opposition Labour leader Ed Miliband as they held high-level talks when he visited London in February.

Hollande believes that a shift in focus away from austerity to growth could be a way towards pain-free economic growth for France and the eurozone saying “austerity can no longer be the only option”. Nevertheless, the British press have accused him of creating “cruel illusion”.