The media`s reaction to the "clear win for left
populist party Syriza" in Greece appears to be that the Greek situation is
really a very particular one, and that its situation is unique. They support this claim with the severity of its fiscal crisis
and its political history, which includes government corruption. However, many
countries in Europe actually do fit the bill, and are suffering from similar
"fiscal rectitude", which causes hardship for those least able to defend
themselves, and for those least responsible for contributing to the economic
crash. The support for Syriza must be partly explained by the fact that all
Greeks are "not in it together", and this hardly marks Greece out as being
different!
Britain is only one of a number of European
countries where the standard of living of working people has fallen since the
economic crisis, where respect for politicians from the traditional parties has
declined due to unfair fiscal management and financial chicanery, and where
polling suggests increasing support for left-wing solutions. The prevalent opinion in the media seems to be that a Syriza victory
could lead to "contagion", with similar success likely for anti-austerity
parties in Spain and Portugal. What most commentators ignore, however, is the
fact that such a victory could well inspire a major surge to the left in
Britain, and Labour leaders should be aware that at the moment, they would not
be its beneficiaries!
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