António Costa on the 25th January 2015
In January, António Costa was euphoric
about Syriza's election victory in Greece,
"A sign of change" that gives strength to Portugal
and other European countries to follow the same line.
"This is another sign of the change of political direction that is ongoing in Europe,
the depletion of the austerity policies and the need for under another policy
that allows the single currency to be effectively a common currency,
a currency that effectively generate gains for all peoples
and all of the euro area economies, "said António Costa.
The socialist leader lamented that not all the consequences
to the results of the European elections have been taken into account,
but stresses that there is some "positive steps"
such as Juncker plan and the recent decision of the ECB.
"It is important that other European countries
deem strength from these results in Greece,
which will strengthen this change.
We must thwart the will of the Portuguese Government,
who does not want to change and seeks to counteract the change.
Today, the Greeks said that this change have arrived, "he said.
According to António Costa,
it is necessary to wage a political strategy
that is not focussed on the achievement of economic success,
nor on the consolidation of public finances.
"Europe must have a reorientation of policy
if they want to be able to maintain public support for the single currency," he said.
The Socialist leader also praised the Greek people,
who "resisted all pressures," electing "a free and democratic" SYRIZA,
arguing that the European Union (EU)
have to respect the decision of the country.
~
SIX MONTHS LATER - The zigzag
Ferro Rodrigues, parliamentary whip of Socialist party
Greece out of the euro would be a "kind of global catastrophe"
PS says a Greek exit from the eurozone
would affect all the political programs and defends a European response.
"In such a kind of context will be a global catastrophe -
for it will be a tragedy not only for Greece but also for Europe -
we should be asking ourselves what the impact will be
on the PS program on the electoral level, is purely speculative"
said the parliamentary leader of the PS, Ferro Rodrigues,
quoted by the Lusa Agency.
"If there were such a situation,
there would be catastrophic consequences in financial terms,
having implications in all the Member States of the European Union
in all governments, for all opposition parties and all political programs," he added.
The leader of the Socialist whip argues that even in a scenario,
where no agreement between the Greek government and the 'troika', are reached,
a permanent or temporary exit of Greece from the euro zone
"it can not be done without a certain re-organization at a European level".
The PS's response sharply contrasts with that
of the current Portuguese Government who has devalued
the impact on Portugal, of a Greek exit from the euro zone,
arguing that Portugal is able to respond to such a scenario.
However, the Socialists see this possibility
with major consequences for Portugal.
"It is an illusion to think that the answer
to such a tsunami would come from a country
or a party," said João Galamba, national secretary of the PS,
to the "Economic" newspaper.
"The initiative of an adjustment would have to come from Europe,"
he concluded.
"The consequences are totally unforeseen and unpredictable as a whole.
Now when the whole situation is more than evident to the whole world,
the Socialist Party wants to shed their euphoric reaction in the beginning,
even sayin "We are all Syriza".
But even so, the problem always has to come from Europe,
according to the socialists.
In Portugal they fear that their whole electoral policy has to change also,
as Portugal may be next in line.
If the current government had not be prudent,
paying the outstanding debts left by the socialists,
implementing measures of austerity
and paying back before the time debts to the IMF.
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