Tsipras addresses SYRIZA central committee

The situation within the party, however, is heated with criticism from the Left Platform – headed by MP Panagiotis Lafazanis – concerning the deal reached at the Euro Summit on July 13 that goes against all the party’s principles, pre-election pledges as well as the referendum where more than 61% of voters rejected the bailout terms.

TSIPRAS SPEECH:

“Our dilemma is to move back or go forward in a compromise that is not what we dreamed of. It is a difficult choice,” he said. “We were forced to take difficult decisions,” he said as he addressed the conference at Kerameikos in central Athens. “We had to choose between a painful compromise and a disorderly default.”

“We came close to a rupture aiming for a better agreement,” the prime minister said adding that he did the best in the interest of the Greek people and the working class.

“Some maintain that there was a third choice – the choice of exiting the euro,” he said, underlining that the time has come to express our view. An exit from the euro without any support would have meant harsh austerity, he pointed out.

He said that there was no choice but to accept a program. “Some believe that from one day to another the majority of the party and government changed its views – agreeing to espouse liberal socialism – and that we suddenly decided to clasp, by necessity, neoliberalism,” he said, underlining that this is an extreme view.

Decisions to agree to the bailout was taken bearing in mind the poorer people of Greece who would have been better off with these reforms than a “disorderly default.”

“We selected the route of a difficult compromise,” he said, adding that this was done with a “clear conscience” after a hard negotiation battle. “If somebody believes that another government could have brought a better agreement they need to carefully rethink this.”

Regarding the referendum, he stated that “no” was never linked to a Grexit – except in extreme circles, mainly in Germany. He had held the referendum in order to get a popular mandate to negotiate a program that was not on SYRIZA’s agenda.

Over six months the government has searched for funding, even from private sources, in vain. “This battle that we gave for the right of the Greek people, is something we should be proud of,” he said.

He said that SYRIZA had trusted the Greek people every step of the way. “We managed in these difficult times to gain something. We showed the international community the intransigence of the EU mechanisms, causing the first rifts to the system,” he said regarding the creation of doubt and criticism as to how the economic system is structured. A “new political” period has dawned in Europe, says Tsipras, pointing to the battles of Greek people as a catalyst to this.

He posed the question: Does the left government have an obligation to continue to fuel discussion and fuel political conflict as it has done? “We need to answer, and I believe we need to give a positive answer,” he said.

He pointed that a plan for Greece would need to have international support or else all political plans are due to failure.

Tsipras showcased some of the successes of the party over the last six months in Greece such as the reoperation of the national broadcaster (ERT), cutting the 5-euro fee for Greek hospitals, giving citizenship to 2nd generation migrants, etc.

There are no magical solutions that can solve the problems of Greece, he said. Nothing is final, but there are many open fronts with possibilities. “Just as it is wrong to beautify the agreement, it is just as disastrous to demonize it,” he said.

He showcased some of Greece’s problems, such as tax evasion, that need to be addressed.

He pointed to three issues required for a solution of differing viewpoints within SYRIZA – Trust, solidarity and respect of the democratic process. He called for democracy rather than political noise and accusations for a constructive dialogue. He pointed to the conference in September where crucial questions will be addressed and look at the larger picture of SYRIZA in the European left as well as the party’s goals and prospects.