An Evening with Syriza on Greece and the Eurozone

A conversation on Thursday, January 24th, 2013, with top leadership of SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left), Greece’s leading opposition party, to discuss the challenges facing Greece and the Eurozone and SYRIZA’s vision for economic and financial reform.

• ROHAN GREY: Seminar Introduction & Opening Moderator Remarks0:00
• ALEXIS TSIPRAS: Introductory Remarks – Alexis Tsipras3:27
  • ALEXIS TSIPRAS: If you take out the interest on debt, Greece’s public spending is lower percentage of GDP than the average Eurozone member15:16
  • ALEXIS TSIPRAS: There has not been adequate taxation on capital and wealth17:21
• ROHAN GREY: Panel 1 – Redesign: Structural Solutions to the Eurozone Crisis45:34
  • KATHARINA PISTOR: Response – Katharina Pistor46:44
    • KATHARINA PISTOR: The crisis has shown that law is elastic at the core of the financial system, but rigid on the periphery47:42
  • MAT FORSTATER: Response – Mat Forstater50:55
    • MAT FORSTATER: Why doesn’t SYRIZA consider exiting the Eurozone?51:50
  • TOM FERGUSON: Response – Tom Ferguson55:54
    • TOM FERGUSON: This is about rolling back the welfare state56:55
  • YIANNIS MILIOS: Response – Yiannis Milios1:01:16
    • YIANNIS MILIOS: Austerity is demanded in order to boost certain country’s exports1:04:16
    • YIANNIS MILIOS: Does SYRIZA have an idea for restructuring the Eurozone?1:06:48
      • MAT FORSTATER, TOM FERGUSON, KATHARINA PISTOR: Questions from panelists1:10:39
    • YIANNIS MILIOS: Exiting the Eurozone will hurt the purchasing power of working people1:13:36
    • RENA DOROU: Response – Rena Dourou1:16:36
  • ROHAN GREY: Questions to panelists1:25:13
    • KATHARINA PISTOR: The Normative Agenda of European Integration1:26:24
    • MAT FORSTATER: Is there really a place for local currencies?1:27:29
    • YIANNIS MILIOS: The financial system must serve social needs1:29:41
• ROHAN GREY: Panel 2 – Next Steps: A Progressive Agenda for Greece’s Economy0:00
  • YIANNIS MILIOS: Overview: SYRIZA’s Platform1:32
    • YIANNIS MILIOS: Stop Austerity. Reform the State. Renegotiate the Debt.5:15
  • HELEN GINSBURG: Response – Helen Ginsburg19:14
    • HELEN GINSBURG: The Maastricht Treaty does not support direct job creation20:08
  • MARK WEISBROT: Response – Mark Weisbrot28:59
    • MARK WEISBROT: The economic case for exiting the Euro30:07
  • YIANNIS MILIOS: Response – Yiannis Milios38:22
    • RANIA ANTONOPOULOS: We are not Argentina, but we can similarly achieve direct job creation (JEFES)46:52
    • HELEN GINSBURG: Full employment is not on a goal for most politicians51:12
    • MARK WEISBROT: Greece is in a better position than Argentina ever was55:43
• ALEXIS TSIPRAS: Audience Discussion with Alexis Tsipras59:08