Bernie Sanders is America's "Tsipras"

Special to In Defense of Communism.

Let's get directly to the point: Many progressive americans support Bernie Sanders because they can't stand the Republicans or Hillary Clinton. The possibility of a Trump presidency is a nightmare, while Mrs.Clinton is nothing but the continuity of Barack Obama's administration. Senator Sanders has been presented in various ways: socialist, social-democrat, democratic socialist etc. Even Sanders himself has called himself a "socialist". But, does he really know the meaning of "socialism"? Is he confused with the political terminology or he does that by purpose?

Senator Sanders has as much relation to Socialism as Alexis Tsipras does. Tsipras, the leader of SYRIZA and current Prime Minister of Greece, was elected based on radical slogans, socialist rhetoric and illusions about "humanizing Capitalism". What Tsipras' government did is well known: he signed a new bailout agreement with the creditors and applied the same- and in some cases even harder- austerity measures. In fact, he did what his conservative predecessors did. 

For Capital's sake: SYRIZA government sold Piraeus port to chinese shipping giant COSCO

Sources: Reuters & 902.gr.

The Greek government sealed on Friday the sale of its biggest port to chinese shipping giant COSCO Shipping Corporation, the second major privatization for the bailed out country since late last year.

China COSCO's chairman Xu Lirong, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the head of Greece's privatization agency signed the 368.5 million euro ($419.43 million) contract in Athens. Under the deal, China Cosco will acquire 51 percent of Piraeus Port (OLP) for 280.5 million euros and the remaining 16 percent for 88 million, after five years once it concludes mandatory investments, which will amount to 350 million euros over the next decade.

Prime Minister and SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said that the privatization of Piraeus port is the starting point for upcoming investments in the country. Mr.Tsipras defiantly argued that his government's major concern is the protection of the labour rights of the dockworkers- on the same time the chinese shipping giant already applies "galley-slave" conditions in Piraeus.  

Nikos Mottas- The Total Vindication of Communist Party of Greece's Positions

The Total Vindication of Greek Communist Party's Positions.

By Nikos Mottas.

Republished from mltoday.com.

The Tsipras' Memorandum [set of austerity policies]  the "First time Left" [1] Memorandum, is here. Seven months after his election to  government, in the midst of summer, SYRIZA brought a third austerity memorandum – a package of barbaric antipeople measures which crushes what yet remains after five years of crisis and austerity. The "Left" of Mr.Tsipras proved in pratice that is the "Left" - as the Italian auto magnate Giovanni Agnelli used to say - "which can do all those things that the Right cannot do".

In other words, it is the kind of "Left" that can say "No" and actually mean "Yes", that can verbally "tear up the memorandums" and in practice sign new, even more barbaric anti-people austerity measures,  manipulating and trapping people's consciousnesses with fake choices , disorientating the working people for the sake of serving the interests of the bourgeoisie.

From the latest developments, the people – especially  progressive, left-wing people, the ones who trusted SYRIZA in the last elections, who enthusiastically voted "No" in the fraudulent referendum of Mr.Tsipras – must come to some conclusions. Not only regarding the character of SYRIZA as the new social-democratic pillar of a bourgeois political system in the process of  being re-shaped.  But also, regarding the character of the capitalist crisis itself, as well as for the real nature of the EU as an imperialist, pro-monopoly international union hostile toward the  interests of European peoples.