Tsipras: A new national goal, equivalent to joining the EEC, is the reversal of the impoverishment of the Greeks –

The Alexis Tsipras Institute organized a conference on the topic of dealing with accuracy, the challenges and prospects of the Greek economy.

In his speech at the packed Piraeus Theatre, the former prime minister referred to the great national issue which, as he emphasized, is reversing the course of impoverishment and divergence with an economy based only on tourism and real estate. The new national goal – equivalent to joining the EEC in the 1970s and 1980s, joining the Eurozone in the 1990s and exiting the crisis in 2010 must be “the acceleration of convergence in terms of social cohesion and justice, in terms inclusion of the popular strata who put their backs in order to keep the country standing”.

He showed four paths of intervention and change:

• Development in the medium term, in a sustainable manner – the necessary and basic condition without which the country will be faced with existential challenges.
• Redistribution and justice – with the support of the welfare state and the protection of labor – so that the fruits of development are spread throughout society,
• Resilience – for the country to be able to face the challenges posed by geopolitical uncertainty, the climate crisis as well as new potential disruptions in the global supply chain,
• Security – in the face of increased crime, but also in the face of the effects of the climate crisis, in public infrastructure and transport, but also in the changes brought to people’s lives by the transition to a new complex work environment.

Central role of a “strategic, developmental state”, a state of responsibility to promote progressive reforms and radical changes. Against the staff state which is a “mechanism for the reproduction of client relationships, the protection of oligopolies and the management of interests that reaches the limit of pareocracy”.

He referred in particular to the need for a deep reform of the public administration in order to strengthen the state’s capabilities to fulfill its developmental and social role, against the practices of the staff state that entrusted more and more critical functions of the administration to private consulting companies. He gave examples of the establishment of public energy and infrastructure bodies by the new British government.

The public administration must be strengthened in order to take on “the role of supervisor and coordinator that holistically approaches the request of upgrading the country’s infrastructure, the NHS, energy and the green transition. Bringing together public and private investment, credit institutions and regions under a common medium-term plan.”
At the same time, there must be reforms in the institutions and especially in the Judiciary. Shielding and strengthening of independent authorities and especially the Competition Authority.

He emphasized the need to have a “large national investment plan in human capital, in infrastructure, the green transition, in health in order to create the conditions for economic transformation, attracting capital to new productive and not existing activities, with the aim of achieving medium-term sustainable growth rates in the region of 2-2.5% in the next decade”. With proper and transparent utilization of European resources in contrast to the management of the Recovery Fund which is characterized by opacity, lack of vision (nothing for housing policy and 2% for Social Security) and exclusion of small and medium enterprises in favor of large companies. Claiming opportunities that the Draghi Report may create in a European investment program.

He said that a conflict with big interests is needed to ensure both healthy competition and the reduction of inequalities.

• with fair taxation of large wealth and large incomes, reversing the mix of indirect/direct taxes and tackling tax evasion,
• With a banking sector that supports innovation and small and medium entrepreneurship, instead of replicating customer practices and supporting oligopolies
• creating an over-the-counter energy market where prices will be set on the basis of bilateral contracts, as is done in the rest of Europe, and not by four companies that control raising prices. Further development of energy communities that will significantly reduce prices.

The country immediately needs a big development shock, similar to the counterparts of the Trikoupis and Venizelos period in order not to lose the convergence train for good. The implementation of a National Reconstruction Plan must be a priority with a horizon of 2030. A National Reconstruction Plan with the central role of a strategic developmental state. A State of Responsibility and not of Complicity. With proper and transparent utilization of European resources. With reforms in critical areas of public administration, justice, education and shielding of institutions. With a clear, multi-year, realistic, sustainable plan of public and private investments as a priority in the critical sectors of infrastructure, human capital, the National Health System.

With interventions to change the production pattern, such as strengthening industry, processing and the production of quality food products. With a banking sector that supports innovation and small and medium entrepreneurship, instead of reproducing customer practices and supporting oligopolies. With a plan and incentives to attract new productive investments in new digital technologies and innovation. And above all with a determination to clash with the big interests.

The current imbalance of the political system, if it is not restored from the left, the danger is that it will be restored even further to the right. From the rise of the Far Right, as we see happening in a number of European countries. The only comforting and actually hopeful thing is that something is slowly starting to move. Not at the political opposition level. There “no one” continues to lead in all polls. But at the level of social opposition.

After all, let’s keep in mind, without social processes there can be no political subject of change. This is also shown by the example of the New Popular Front in France, and Lucy Castells reminded us with her intervention today. Its formation was not an artificial fusion from above, but a demand of the social opposition, in the neighborhoods, unions, universities, workplaces. An expression of the struggles of a society that fought and fights in the streets and in fact wins many of them.

No plan of reforms and ruptures will be implemented if it does not first express and mobilize the majority of our society. The forces of production and creation. Of healthy entrepreneurship that suffocates in the context of corruption. Of our young scientists, who continue to emigrate from the country. Of the modern underprivileged who are gradually beginning to realize that this situation must change. Of the great majority that today declares that it cannot make ends meet. And that sooner or later it will demand and obtain the political representation it deserves.

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