INSIDE SCOOP - What's Happening Inside SYRIZA

Over the past few days there has been unrest within SYRIZA. For a while now certain factions within the party have been critical of the leadership over a number of issues. However it was decided that these no be discussed prior to the European elections for self-evident reasons. Now they are returning to the forefront.

This time it is not the usual suspects of the radical ‘Left Platform’ (Aristeri Platforma) of the party who habitually criticise the party’s organs and routinely take positions different to those of the majority. This time - and this is what makes it newsworthy - the ‘protesters’ are allies of Alexis Tsipras from the ruling majority.

More specifically, all who follow the internal politics of SYRIZA know that the political wing to which its leader belonged was AREN (short for Aristeri Enotita, or Left Bloc). All of Alexis Tsipras’s old comrades belonged to this bloc back in the ‘stone age’ when the party was still a coalition known as Synaspismos. Milios, Voutsis, Vitsas, Papas, Scourletis, Karitzis, Koronakis, Konstantatos, Tsakalotos are just a few of them.

When the SYRIZA of 4% rocketed to 27% - unexpectedly for most of the party’s officials, not even Alexis Tsipras believed that they would surpass 10% in the May 2012 elections - a lot of things changed. For one, the president of the party slowly adopted more of a central leadership role, as some in the new environment, in order to curry political favour, took to presenting the electoral result as Tsipras’s personal achievement, ignoring the real political facts.

Nikos Papas, his chief of staff, became in a very short space of time the new power player - the ‘number 2’ of Koumoundourou (as SYRIZA’s HQ is commonly known), in demand for meetings with all manner of people who wanted to approach SYRIZA or its leadership.

Equally rapidly in the new environment surrounding the president, figures from PASOK and large media organisations began coming and going. Subsequently friendly meetings took place between the party leadership and high powered editors of the ‘establishment’ for which no explanations were given, nor - it was said - could anyone understand why exactly they had taken place.

And more recently, there was the activity of the former PR guru of George Papandreou who took over the pre election campaign of SYRIZA, was behind the ‘poaching’ of the ‘New Greece’ slogan from New Democracy and the cooperation with journalists who were once singing George Papandreou’s praises when he was in office.

All of this, in conjunction with the de facto distancing of many party officials from the leader’s circle and the ‘turn towards realism’ seriously displeased the old AREN. Much more so because none of the above came from communal decisions by the party. Instead Alexis Tsipras was seen as centralizing power in a manner that was foreign to the culture of SYRIZA.

In the meantime, following 2012 there was another differentiation among the AREN members who could be said to have split into two groups - let’s call them left-AREN and right-AREN. Those who did not approve of the deviation from the positions established by the party conference and the move towards the center (which became an apparent trend after the 2012 elections), make up left-AREN, while those who agree with this repositioning make up right-AREN.

The faction that currently appears to have been angered and has been critical of the leadership is left-AREN, with whom Voutsis, Tsakalotos, Karitzis, Koronakis, Konstantatos, Scourletis appear to be aligned, among others.

This is the side that took the initiative after the elections, gathering signatures for a text that was critical, albeit well-intentioned and in measured tones.

This initiative became immediately known to Alexis Tsipras who assembled the old AREN (right and left) for a meeting which he asked be kept away from the public eye. The members who were invited were surprised, as few could even remember when AREN last met.

According to sources, Tsipras was very clear and told them that if they wanted the government to fall then it was essential that they must first find the 121 MPs required in order to prevent the election of a new President of the Republic (in elections due in March), and for the country subsequently to go to national elections. According to the logic of the leadership, for that to happen they need to approach MPs such as Ms Tsakris and other independents, which requires the success of the ‘turn towards realism’ approach.

The same sources maintain that during the meeting there was no substantive opposition to this by the party officials present and Tsipras took their stance to mean that they approved of his approach and would withdraw their criticisms.

This weekend will determine what is to follow for SYRIZA’s internal politics when the Central Political Committee is due to convene.

PressProject

SCANDALOUS - Megaron Concert Hall Received Quarter of a Billion in State Funds

Over a quarter of a billion euros of public money was given to the Athens Concert Hall between 1999 and 2011, MPs were told on Tuesday. In a written reply to a question tabled by Syriza MPs, the General Secretariat for Public Investments said that the concert hall, commonly known as the Megaron, received 287,291,456 Euros in a span of 13 years.

Commonly known as the Megaron, the institution is owned by a non-profit non-government organization (NGO) titled the Athens Concert Hall Organisation. Half of its broad members are appointed by the culture ministry while the other half by a separate NGO by the name of Association of the Friends of Music.

It was established by the late Christos Lambrakis, owner of one of the country’s biggest media groups DOL, which also publishes Ta Nea and To Vima among other interests.

(It should be reminded that Ta Nea and To Vima were always pro-PASOK and especially pro-Simitis. The attack from Syriza is not by chance, since we all know that it is pro-George Papandreou a rival of the Simitis-Venizelos regime).

In its reply, the General Secretariat for Public Investments said the sums were for projects such as the concert hall's car park, the conference and cultural centre. Other sums were simply described as "grants".

The same document clarified that no Megaron project has featured in the Public Investments Programme since 2011.

The information sent to Parliament was the first in a series requested by 28 Syriza MPs from the ministries of culture, finance and development. These concern funding received by the Athens Concert Hall company, including payments from the Public Investments Fund, bank loans and loan guarantees supplied by the state.

They cite a previous reply by Alternate Finance Minister Christos Staikouras that the Megaron has taken out three loans backed by a state guarantee for the sum of 245 million Euros, while the state had in March 2011 also undertaken to pay off a loan of 95 million Euros given to the Megaron by the Bank of Greece, at a time when the country was already under troika fiscal control.

They also asked for the report drawn up a firm of international auditors evaluating the market value of the concert hall's second building at 432 million Euros and ask whether the state is going to make a commitment that this real estate will not be transferred to private owners.

Sources - Elytherotypia, ANA-MPA

Greek Bishop Slams Thessaloniki Gay Pride Parade Calls It A Disgrace

When asked to comment on this weekend's Thessaloniki Gay Pride event, Thessaloniki's Bishop Anthimos was quoted by Eleftherotypia as saying: "Do not give dogs what is holy" (a line from the gospel of Matthew). He said that homosexuality is a "perversion of the human existence" and Thessaloniki’s annual gay pride festival is a “disgrace and a challenge”.

     "Show respect that my position and life is wholly dedicated to the church and the people and respect the fact that I’m well behaved, so don't associate me with this disgrace. Enough. This is a perversion of the human existence."

He said that he may attend a vigil by Christian organisations on Friday evening at the city’s cathedral against the Pride event, the third to be held.

During Thessaloniki's first pride festival, which occurred in 2012, there were quite a few residents from the city that even threw eggs and plastic bottles of water at the 400 people participating in the parade.  Anthimos had strongly condemned the event then as well.

Anthimos is but a mere voice, it should be reminded that in November 2013, Metropolitan Seraphim of Piraeus, said homosexuality was the "most disgusting and unclean sin" and "a unnatural aberration not even observed in animals".

Source - Eleytherotypia

Jailed Oligarch In Bribery Scandal Orders 2,500 Euros In Caviar & Cigars

We have come across quite a few offbeat stories here on HellasFrappe but this next bit of news totally astonished us. According to reports, one of the suspects currently detained for his involvement in a major arms bribery scandal paid an intermediary a whopping 2,500 Euros so that he could bring him black caviar, champagne and Havana cigars to his cell.

According to an article that was featured in the Ta Nea daily, the prosecutors investigating an ongoing corruption case related to an armament program were shocked to hear that the unnamed man was living the good life while in prison.

It should be reminded that the armament scandal involves many former high-ranking government officials and ministers who signed oblique deals to buy armaments at exorbitant prices.

The report in Ta Nea states that the intermediary who within an hour delivered the goods to the jailed oligarch also proved to be a black marketeer. And this is because he bought the above luxury goods for only 500 Euros from several retail shops at Athens' main airport, and kept the remaining 2000 Euros as "commission".

And then some people ask themselves why we never march forward as a nation...  ELEOS

Politicians SLAM Syriza MPs For Supporting Nov.17th Terrorist !!

New Democracy and PASOK reacted angrily on Tuesday in response to the testimony of SYRIZA MPs, Tasos Kourakis and Vasilikis Katrivanou, in favour of the request made Savas Xiros (a convicted member of the notorious November 17 terrorist organization) to be allowed to receive treatment at home.

The convicted terrorist of the group November 17 requested the suspension of his sentence due to health problems.

It should be reminded that Xiros was severely injured during the 2002 botched bombing attempt that eventually led to the group’s unraveling.

On its part, New Democracy stated that it was "unacceptable for two SYRIZA MPs to appear at the side of a terrorist,’ while PASOK characterized the move as a "major" political fail.

The SYRIZA MPs, on the other, stated that they had acted according to their consciences and according to ‘that which is demanded by the principles of a state of laws,’. (Good one...!!)

The Piraeus court, where the November 17 member was transferred under police guard, is expected to announce its final decision on Xiros' request by June 26th.

(Editor's note: What a Banania-Land! These men executed innocent people and now want special treatment? And Syriza supports this? Syriza is a hazard for our national security! But then again nothing shocks us about this party anymore, since it should be reminded that Kourakis is the same politician that also wants to tax Greek Orthodox Christians a tax for practising their religion.)

New Framework For Unserviced Loans - Measures to Manage Over-indebtedness

The Bank of Greece is seeking to put order to ‘red’ loans worth 70 billion euros, putting in place a ‘framework of oversight obligations for the management of outstanding liabilities and unserviced liabilities.” According to an article in the economic daily Naftemboriki, it is expected that a large percentage of the 18.5 billion euros in mortgages will be managed, about 37.5 billion euros in business loans and about 14 billion euros in consumer loans.

In its decision the Bank of Greece refers indicatively to the 22 internationally customary types of practical adjustments to deal with indebtedness.

Among these, says the article, are the partial write-off of debts, the provision of additional guarantees on the part of the borrower and the sale or renting of a mortgaged property.

The same article also notes that for businesses among the indicative measures presented is the functional restructuring with a change in the management of the business. Additionally exchanges of debt for share capital are also proposed.

The Double Standards of The IMF, The Troika & Poul Thomsen

The IMF’s representative in Greece Poul Thomsen recently granted a rare interview to the state broadcaster NERIT discuss the IMF’s recent report on the implementation of the bailout programme in Greece. ‘Interview’ of course may be a bit of a stretch to describe the apparently scripted exchange in which the IMF official merely repeated the main talking points of the report at a journalist whose job was to nod and read out questions that had (most likely) been pre-approved by the IMF’s press people. You know, ‘journalism’ - of the kind that Stalin could get behind. (Of course a Greek channel doesn’t land the only TV interview granted by the IMF head in the country without making at least some concessions).

Anyway, Mr Thomsen did manage to say at least something interesting. When asked whether he thought there was room for tax rates to be reduced he said, “I certainly agree with the government, with the Prime Minister that tax rates in some areas are much too high and that it should be an objective to reduce them... Now that should be done without jeopardizing bringing the surplus to 4.5% as we talked about...So I think key to achieving this is above all improving tax administration. If one can make sure that everybody pays taxes that the well-off also pay taxes and not just the wage earners and the pensioners who are easy to tax, if one can get this broadening of the tax base, then one can also reduce the rates in the long run, and we are fully behind that.”

In short, the only way Mr Thomsen can see for Greece to reduce the economy-strangling taxes that have imposed by austerity is, er, more austerity - or a ‘broadening’ of it to use his word. That the 4.5% of GDP target for a primary surplus from 2016 onwards might be insane is of course unthinkable. That target, bonkers as it is, must be met and cannot be questioned. Now if the government can meet the eye-watering target and at the same time rejig the tax code somewhat to balance the burdens, well Mr Thomsen is ‘fully behind that’.

The situation is akin to Thomsen telling the government that its donkey has to haul an enormous boulder up a hill. When donkey’s hind legs snap, Mr Thomsen is ‘fully behind’ splitting the boulder in two and placing half of it on the donkey’s head.

That isn’t of course to say that the rich should not pay their fair share - of course they should. But it is grating to be told that ‘everyone must pay their taxes’ in order to meet a ludicrous target promoted by a well-off man who… pays no taxes (none, just like IMF head Christine Lagarde).

In other words, it is do as I say, not as I do.

Similarly Mr Thomsen is also very happy with the concept of the public sector becoming more ‘performance oriented’ with wages linked to output. And it sounds like a reasonable concept - for everyone excluding the IMF, of course. For regardless of how many predictions, forecasts, and estimates they get wrong with disastrous results for millions, somehow their analysts never seem to lose their jobs or have their (tax-free) wages reduced. Just today it emerged that the tax hike on heating oil – for which the troika was very much directly responsible – has been a complete and utter failure, actually resulting in a 400 million euro fall in revenue (link in Greek) as demand collapsed. All it achieved was shivering citizens, school closures, and the return of 1980’s levels of smog to Greek cities as families took to burning wood in their attempts to keep warm (sometimes with fatal consequences). But far from anyone of the troika actually being held accountable, it would be a miracle if even a token apology was extended.

For while the IMF and troika seem very keen on improving accountability for others they have no desire to apply the same standards to themselves. Why should they given their unshakeable conviction that they can do no wrong?

This mentality is also clear in the latest IMF report which refers repeatedly to the ‘adjustment fatigue’ of the Greeks which is identified as a ‘growth risk’. With this deft turn of phrase popular anger at the troika’s policies which have undeniably contributed to a near full-blown depression is reframed as simple tiredness. It is the Greeks who are flagging, is the subtext, not the policies which are wrong. The troika is a strict but fair gym coach while Greece is the out of shape smoker who needs to suck it up and get with the programme.

The IMF report acknowledges that Greece will have a tough time meeting the target of 4.5% primary surplus in 2016, yet doesn’t entertain for a second the possibility that the problem might be more with the target and less with the Greeks. Meanwhile Mr Thomsen is happy to talk about everyone’s taxes except his own.

But before a populace of which 27.8% are currently living the humiliation of being unemployed, the troika could stand to show a little humility of its own.

PressProject

National Geographic: Santorini's Sunset - Top Ten in the World

Anyone who has visited Greece, and traveled to the island of Santorini knows that in order to get a great view of the sunset you need to go to Oia. The view of the sunset from this side of the island was also recently recognized by the National Geographic magazine and a new article ranked it in sixth place on a list containing some of the most beautiful summer sunsets in the world.

But it gets better. The sunset of Santorini even headlined the story. (Certainly a great boost to the Greek tourism industry). And why wouldn't it be? The sunset in Santorini is a huge giant postcard, just as the article states and even though Oia is often crowded, once that color starts to break in the sky as the sun sets, you don’t notice, the crowds, the noise and the havoc... all you do is breath in deeply and sigh because the scene is breathtaking.

Here is the list as featured by National Geographic.

• 1. Halekulani Resort, Honolulu, Hawaii
• 2. Antelope Island State Park, Syracuse
• 3. New York Harbor, New York
• 4. Key West, Florida
• 5. Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
• 6. Oia, Santorini, Greece
• 7.Clifton Beaches, Cape Town, South Africa
• 8. Kenting National Park, Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan
• 9. Vairou Bay, Bora-Bora, Haiti
• 10. Ayers Rock, Northern Australia