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Alexis Tsipras, leader of Greece's opposition Syriza party: live Q&A Alexis Tsipras, leader of Greece's opposition Syriza party: live Q&A
(about 2 hours later)
Alexis Tsipras is the European Left candidate for president of the European Commission. The Greek politician, who was born in Athens in 1974 and has been the leader of Syriza, the main opposition party in Greece, since 2012, is campaigning on a platform to end austerity and rebuild Europe on a democratic, social and ecological basis.Alexis Tsipras is the European Left candidate for president of the European Commission. The Greek politician, who was born in Athens in 1974 and has been the leader of Syriza, the main opposition party in Greece, since 2012, is campaigning on a platform to end austerity and rebuild Europe on a democratic, social and ecological basis.
In an article for the Guardian on his decision to stand, Tsipras wrote:In an article for the Guardian on his decision to stand, Tsipras wrote:
"The European elections [in] May ... provide an opportunity to start a real dialogue with the people – especially those who feel that no one cares for them – about a new basis for meaningful democracy and human dignity ... We must rebuild solidarity among the young, the workers, the pensioners and the unemployed to break down the new dividing line between Europe's rich and poor."
Leave your questions for Tsipras below. If you don't already have a log-in to post comments, you can sign up here.Leave your questions for Tsipras below. If you don't already have a log-in to post comments, you can sign up here.
kizbot asks:
Why hasn't Syriza done more to expose the governments suspicious auditing of the budget that found a primary surplus. And why no attack on the EU for colluding in this deception?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
Syriza has already done that through public statements and questions in the Greek parliament. The primary surplus is a political artefact and it is based on the Troika's will to help keep in place the government of Mr Samaras. But this also shows clearly that the solution both to Greece's but also to the Eurozone's problem will not be merely technical but also political.
TheGribbler asks:
You have consistently stated both your and your party's opposition to the memorandum and austerity, yet also your opposition to withdrawal from the Euro.Could you please explain, as you have yet convincingly to do so, how you could have obtained a renegotiation of the terms of the memorandum without this threat?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
Ms. Merkel has already answered this in the European Council (Dec 2013), when according to the French daily, Le Monde, she said to the heads of state of the Eurozone, that if Greece were to leave the euro, the EZ would fall apart.Thus, the Memorandum was not put in place to rescue Greece, but as a self-contained political plan of Chancellor Merkel's. Everything is renegotiable as soon as there's a government in Europe ready to take a stand against this plan.
panskevo asks:
EU's Cold-War like approach to the Ukrainian crisis seems to be not functional. What has the European Left to propose regarding this topic?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
The European Union should try to reinstate the April 17th Geneva Accord and seek an immediate end to violence. It should also issue a last warning to the Ukrainian interim government not to violate any accord again. The massacre in the trade union building in Odessa shows that there are elements within the Ukrainian government, closely linked to paramilitary neo-nazi criminal units, who want a smaller and «ethnically cleaner» Ukraine. And they try to provoke Russia to have their goal attained. A viable solution in the Ukraine crisis first requires the removal of all far-right and neo-nazi elements from all levels of the interim government. Peace in Ukraine is difficult with them in power. The reason is that they cause insecurity to all ethnic and religious minorities in the country.
Borislav_Brown asks:
The Left has often be accused by politicians like German Finance minister Schauble that is representing the past and that its ideas are irrelevant to today's Europe. How do you respond to that?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
The political elite of Europe have led Europe to a dead-end. These are the people responsible for turning Europe back to the times of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables--they are the past. We are the future of hope and change.
Κώστας Ψυχράνης asks:
as a Greek voter I would like to ask, how would SYRIZA respond if the ECB adopts an aggressive stance, i.e. as in Cyprus, and Greece does not find allies in the other South European governments (Italy, Spain, Portugal) to form a strong front against the austerity policy.Since the most significant portion of the Greek debt is now owned by the public sector, and not by the private sector as was the case in 2009, one could say that the situation is more manageable for the EU, which could afford to kick Greece out of the Euro, if we aren't the 'good students' anymore. Is SYRIZA prepared for such an eventuality ?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
The political change in Greece will set an example for all of Europe. The renegotiation of the new Left Greek government won't be done only on behalf of the Greek people, but of the entire European periphery. This will create a new dynamic in the continent. The other governments of the European south will be forced by their citizens to take a similar stance in support of the welfare state and social cohesion, and they will have to align with the Greek government.
mrwicket asks:
In Italy, who do you feel is your main rival, PD or M5S and which do you think you are closer to in terms of policy?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
In Italy we only have one opponent: the neoliberal policies implemented by the conservatives in the recent past, but also - and unfortunately - by the current social democratic government.
christos_m asks:
The final debate among the candidates for the post of the European Commission will take place on 15 May in Brussels at the European Parliament.Yesterday, reports in the media (European Business Review) mentioned that you will not attend physically the debate but only be part through a video link for a few minutes.Could you clarify if you will attend (or not) the debate?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
I don't know the original source of this rumour. I will be physically present there, as I have stated both on twitter and facebook. Stay tuned...
MakisN asks:
Please let us know what specific measures SYRIZA will take to improve the bismal record of Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Transgender rights and equality in Greece within the first 100 days of a SYRIZA government? As the Greek orthodox church is a huge political force that stands agains these measures, are you ready to take them on?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
SYRIZA is committed to achieving equal rights for all citizens regardless of gender or sexual orientation. We have always supported the LGBTQ movement in its efforts to achieve equality. To begin with, immediately, a SYRIZA government will legislate the extension of the cohabitation pact to cover all couples regardless of gender. It will also reinforce and utilize existing laws against hate speech and discrimination.We respect the Greek Orthodox church, but we do not think that it should have a decisive say on issues of public policy and family law. We need to convince even the most conservative of our compatriots that this is an issue of democracy and human rights, first and foremost.
Daniel Tkatch asks:
In the last five years, the GUE/NGL group at the European Parliament and The European Left party have been almost invisible in their parliamentary work in Brussels and Strasbourg. For example, the Greens, which have a comparable amount of parliamentary seats, have succeeded in attracting significantly more public attention with their work on ACTA, global surveillance, TTIP, etc. Are you planning to step it up with The European Left's public visibility and, if yes, how will you go about it?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
The European Left's visibility will increase as soon as it doubles its electoral strength and be able to play a crucial role in the next EP. However I do not agree with you that the Left was invisible. On the contrary it was the only force that resisted the neoliberal integration of Europe, and its predictions regarding the crisis proved to be correct. On the other hand the Greens consented to the critical core of these neoliberal reforms. Regarding the TTIP, a very important issue, we plan to fight against it along with other political forces. If ratified and implemented, Europe essentially will be shooting itself in the foot.
Greek_refugee asks:
and thank you for giving us the chance for this "face-to-face" Q+A.In the past years we had in Europe (but also in USA) a massive public demand for "real democracy": Syntagma Square, Piazza del Sol etc. First, I would really like to hear your comments on the authenticity of these movements. Second, I would like to know how SYRIZA is going to fight against the democratic deficit in Europe and what are it's plans in order to give the people of Europe, and especially young Europeans, the feeling that democracy is not an old-fashioned bureaucratic structure with no use at all. Cause unfortunately that's the feeling most of us have: great disappointment for the future of the European democracy...
Alexis Tsipras replies:
The square movement was an authentic expression of the anger of the Greek people. It was also an outcry of anxiety against the shrinking of democracy in its very birthplace. The youth of Greece then claimed their own right not to have others decide for them without them. The first victim of the Memorandum is democracy itself. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to have those measures implemented. That's why our motto is: stop austerity to regain democracy. Europe cant' go on as an entity of 28 member-states, where Ms Merkel decides, without any democratic legitimacy. We want every critical decision for Europe itself to be ratified directly by the peoples' vote through referenda.
papoutsis asks:
Do you believe that a referendum would be an appropriate way to gauge the Greekpeople's feelings vis-a-vis the EU and participation in it?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
Referenda is a means of having the people expressing their will at critical political decisions. Now, none raises the issue of Greece's participation in the EU. Neither Greece raises it, nor its partners, who are very well aware of the fact that if Greece withdraws, the Eurozone will be dissolved.
Gordonbnt asks:
especially those who feel that no one cares for them – about a new basis for meaningful democracy and human dignity ... We must rebuild solidarity among the young, the workers, the pensioners and the unemployed to break down the new dividing line between Europe's rich and poor."That is particularly good news Syriza cares for us.But from where I am sitting, the "dividing line" is created by the rich to contain and control the poor, that is neither neutral nor arbitrary but created by a constant concerted attack on the poor, destabilising their sources of income and shelter.Are you going to take that attack to the rich? And, if not, why not?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
We don't just care about the poor, we are a party of the poor. Not only because half of Greece has been pauperised by the imposed austerity measures, but because we are stronger in the poorest neighbourhoods and this is our natural base; our first priority will be measures to help the poorest stand up on their own two feet. SYRIZA is the only party in Europe right now, in a position to be elected in government, that has in its program the immediate goal of large-scale redistribution of income from the rich to the poor.
Tom Vasseur asks:
You have been successful in building a transnational electoral coalition with several parties of the Southern European left - especially with the Italian left.However, the North-Western European left* seems much less eager to engage in such a coalition.What are the reasons for this in your opinion? (How) do you intend to build a stronger connection to the North-Western European left? And what do you think those on the left in North-Western Europe could do to realize this?* I mean parties such as Front de Gauche, PvdA+ in Belgium, the SP in the Netherlands
Alexia Tsipras replies:
The picture you are painting couldn't be further from the truth. I might be a Greek political leader, but I' m running on a political platform which unites the entire Europe against austerity and for democracy. To us, Europe has no geographical, but social and class borders. As for our sister parties, I should probably let you know that, amopng many other parties, we maintain strong links of solidarity and cooperation with Die Linke, which is the main opposition in Germany, the Left Party in Sweden, the Left Alliance and CP in Finland, the Socialist Party in the Netherlands, which actually has been the first stop in my European campaign last January, and, of course, the FdG in France. I have visited France on numerous occasions, the most recent of which has been during the big anti-austerity demonstration on APril 12th. https://twitter.com/tsipras_eu/status/454995116009086977
youngexpat22 asks:
1)What is Mr. Tsipras' opinion regarding the situation in Ukraine and the role of EU?2)Does he consider his candidancy as a pro-European or as a Euroscepticist? Some people blame SYRIZA for being populistic also. Can he elaborate on that?3)How is Mr. Tsipras planning to convince the North-European countries and their people that a european solution is something that would be in their favour and not as a counter-attack? Living in North-Europe (expat from Greece due to lack of work as a scientist) I can see that the speculation and the prejudices for the southern people is massive.
Alexis Tsipras replies:
1. On Ukraine, see above our response to user panskevo2. My candidacy and SYRIZA's political programme, represent the only democratic answer to right-wing populist euro-scepticism. The policies of the mainstream parties (PES and EPP alike) are driving Europe to despair, turn European peoples against the EU, and are creating the grounds for the rise of all sorts of scary, far-right political parties. The source of euro-scepticism is neoliberalism. 3. If we keep on with austerity, Northern Europe will need to keep funding the growing debts of the South, to the benefit, in the end, of the banks. A truly viable solution to the European debt crisis, requires that countries be allowed to grow out of their deep recessions. This is a win-win proposition for all of Europe not just the South. We support the idea of a coordinated reflation of all the european economies.
News247gr asks:
If SYRIZA wants to be the next national government, you should collaborate with other parties and politicians. Which are your "red lines" in this critical situation that will determine the future of our country.The editing team of news247.gr
Alexis Tsipras replies:
We are confident that, in the next Parliament, SYRIZA will have the necessary majority to form a single-party government and implement our program. In that event, we will still seek cooperation with other forces, because the problems that the country faces are severe. We are certain that other political forces will join us in the struggle agaist austerity, the write-off of a large amount of the outstanding debt to make it sustainable, and to implement our national development plan to save the country and pave the way for future generations.
Nicos Zolotariof asks:
If u get elected at EC presidency what will you do on the problem of immigrants / refugees esp. in Italy, Greece, with the camps, poor living conditions and people dying at their attempt to reach these countries?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
Yesterday we had another tragic and unacceptable event with at least 22 deaths off of Samos, including 3 children. These tragic events -- occurring daily-- in the Mediterranean, prove that European immigration policy is not working. It has utterly failed. The Mediterranean has become a cemetery; this is a shameful legacy for Europe. We will seek an immediate reform of immigration policy and the renegotiation of the Dublin II treaty. We will seek to secure enough funding to be able to cope with the waves of immigrants and refugees in European border countries, as well as a just sharing of the responsibility among all of the EU member states.
AnonOpGreece asks:
During the great depression of 1929 when the level of unemployment was extremely high, president Rosevelt said that if the private can't or won't hire people then there is no other way from the federal government to do it. So he created 15 milion jobs.Do he plan to create federal/state jobs either as Greece's PM or as president of the EU commission in high unemployement countries as Greece, Spain etc?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
The only way for Europe to exit the crisis is a European New Deal. It is imperative that we abandon austerity and finance growth that will create new quality jobs. That can't happen but only through public European investment. We will demand such a European plan. The crisis is European, so the solution will be European.
sonoran asks:
For decades both PASOK and new Democracy have used their time in power to cram the Greek civil service with people whose first loyalty is to party bosses and not the public, how does SYRIZA hope to reform a public sector based on pork barrel politics?
Alexis Tsipras replies:
We are accused of being Statists, while in reality we want a State that can support social needs and not a clientelistic State like the one that New Democracy and PASOK created over the last 40 years of governance.In Greece, the most corrupt forces have been charged with "saving" the country. To be able to see real change these individuals must be forced out of government. The public's mentality must change as well.We aim to reform the public sector, avoiding across the board cuts and instead focusing on targeted interventions. To achieve this, we need the support of the public sector employees and we also need to create meritocratic institutions. SYRIZA will be the first party in modern Greek history that will come to power without having promised to hire its "client voters" in the public sector.