On July 5th a referendum will be held in Greece. It will give it’s people an opportunity to choose between allowing the austerity measures being imposed upon them by international creditors to continue or to refuse the deal. What seems to be a simple choice is in fact far from it. The people of Greece must guess between the uncertainties of a return to the negotiating table with an opponent who has shown absolutely no will to compromise, on the one hand; and the possibility of exit out of the Eurozone – though a neoliberal formation in it’s own right, this does not make the alternative any more reassuring.
In this crucial time we must support the people of Greece and encourage them to say NO to the continuation of the kind of policies that have already pushed Greek society over the edge of ruin.
But to say that the events taking place in the following days are only about Greece would be an understatement. Not only is the current configuration of the European Union facing serious doubt, but an even greater question surfaces. A question between a blind faith in the global capitalist dynamic on the one hand and the idea that a democratic rule can enable people to choose and create the kind of society in which they wish to live. Hence the question in the referendum is not just a choice, but something more: an alternative to the existing state of affairs. Should the Greeks win back their country, a message will be sent to the rest of us, too. A message of hope and of a possible alternative.
In solidarity with the people of Greece, the Initiative for Democratic Socialism supports the NO vote. #OXI!
Initiative for Democratic Socialism,
member of the United Left coalition
