Left-Democracy gains ground in the European periphery

Good news from Turkey, Spain and Greece

by Kumar David-June 27, 2015

If democracy and the demand for clean government

is gaining ground in parts of Europe, if authoritarianism is suffering
setbacks and if working people and middle classes are fighting back
against austerity imposed for the purpose of bailing out moribund
capitalism, it is a good thing. It is even good for us in Lanka as a morale
booster. Secondly, the clarity on principles and tactical wisdom which is
guiding a variety of left movements to show initiative and originality is a

lesson for the donkeys of the Lankan left. These barbs are not intended for
the Dead Left alone, but in different ways and degrees also for the JVP and
sectarian left microbes that proliferate in Lankas political crevices.
I will refrain from interjecting comparative remarks and leave it to readers
to draw their conclusions except when a simple, party-X in country-Y is
similar to our party-Z, type of comment may be useful. My ill-concealed
lament is the sectarian folly of the entire Lankan left. The need is for a
single unified party, not united front rubbish-of-the moment. The material
used here is on the web or in newspapers, what I have done is to collect,
collate and link together appropriate bits.
Turkey
Price increases and involvement (or non-involvement) in Syria do not have
close parallels with Lanka, but President Erdogans plan to amend the
constitution and enhance presidential powers (contrast Sirisena) and the
relationship between the state and the Kurdish minority have parallels. The
first bit of good news is that the plans for an all-powerful presidency
suffered a fatal setback when the AP (Justice & Development) Partys
hopes of a two-thirds majority (330 seats) crashed; it won only 258 seats.
The main reason for this is that the HD (Peoples Democratic) Party for the
first time crossed the 10% threshold required for parliamentary
representation. It polled 13% securing 80 seats and after that there was
no way for AKP to scoop up enough seats form the Turkeys proportional
representation system.
The other bit of good news is that HDP, a left democratic-party,
championed Kurdish democratic rights and kept fraternal links with the
KurdishDemocratic Regions Party. Despite accusations that it had contacts
with Kurdish rebels and the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Group of
Communities in Kurdistan which are engaged in armed struggle, the HDP
did not slacken its support for thepeace processwith Kurdish rebels and
supported non-violent protest. It did not panic in fear of a majoritarian
Turkish backlash; the exact opposite of our JVP; vide its anti-Tamil stance
in the war spurring on chauvinism and militarism, and its current
bashfulness on Tamil rights, 13A and devolution. The breakaway microbe
FSP is no better. The HDP is seen as the Turkish version of Greeces
SYRIZAand Spains Podemos and describes its programme as anticapitalist, anti-nationalist (sic!), democratic socialist, environmentalist,
feminist, and pro LGBT and minority rights (sic again!). It will be a long

night before the JVP or its rump FSP awaken to such a day.
A third excellent item of news is that 97 women were elected; the largest
number ever. AKP is a nationalist party with a strong base in rural areas
but weak in cities (see geographical results-distribution map and compare
with electorates Mahinda won) and as pro-Islamic as the SLFP is proBuddhist, but it will not dare suggest amending Turkeys secular
constitution. It has a similar petty-bourgeois cum national bourgeois base
but is less primitive and corrupt than the SLFP though corruption
investigations of relatives of politicos, including Erdogans, have been
interfered with. The CH (Republican Peoples) Party is like the Ranil wing of
the UNP, while the MH (Nationalist Movement) very roughly a Sajith cum
JHU concoction.
Spain
The left parties Podemos (We-can) in Spain, SYRIZA in Greece and HDP in
Turkey have grown because of European capitalisms economic difficulties.
Unemployment, especially among the young has skyrocketed Podemos
appeal, and it has mastered the use of Obama-kids style use of social
media. Its leader (Dr) Pablo Iglesias Turrion is a professor of political
science and a TV presenter. Podemos was launched by the Spanish section
of theTrotskyist Fourth International in January 2014 in the aftermath of
the201112 protestsagainst inequality and corruption. It is left populist,
and addresses problems of inequality, unemployment and economic
malaise following Europes economic crisis. It wants Spain to exit NATO
and has called for a renegotiation ofEU austeritymeasures. It backs selfdeterminationfor minority regions which thought will putrefy the carcass
of Vasudevas DLF, bury Dead Left corpses even deeper and frighten the
JVP; only Bahus NSSP and Siritungas USP will be pleased to hear this.
Podemos is Spains second largest party by membership after thePeoples
Party and became the third largest in opinion polls within 20 days of its
launch. In this 20 day period membership snowballed to 100,000;
currently it has 350,000 members. It entered the May 2014 European
Parliament elections and polled 8% and secured five of Spains 54 MEP
slots including a place for Iglesias; an unprecedented triumph for a four
month old party! To enter the EU elections Podemos set three conditions
upon itself: to receive the support of at least 50,000 people; that both
party lists and the programme be elaborated through open participation;
and that there be unity with other parties and movements of the left. The

signatures arrived in less than 24 hoursand the Podemos website crashed

due to excess traffic!
Greece
I will touch on Greece with two tables of recent opinion polls because the
German government, European finance capital and the ECB at one point
set themselves the target of regime change. Unable to force it to capitulate
and cut pensions and wages they moved to economically undermine and
politically remove the SYRIZA government. EU leaders blinked at the last
moment last week only when it became obvious that they were provoking
an uprising in the streets. Despite, or more truthfully thanks to the antiausterity fight the Tsipras led government put up against EU and German
finance capital, its popularity has swelled. For comparison with these
Tables, in the January 2015 parliamentary elections, SYRIZA polled 36%
for 149 seats, two short of a majority. Note: ND (National Democracy) is
the party that lost power in that election; PASOK is Greeces traditional
Dead Left.
Popular Vote: Poll % forecast
Poll Date Polling Source SYRIZANDXA Potami KKEANELPASOKKIDISOEKO
thers Lead 6 Jun Metron Analysis
45215754421624
Parliamentary seats forecast (151 needed for majority)
Poll Date Polling Source SYRIZANDXA Potami KKEANELPASOKKIDISOEKO
thers 5 May Palmos Analysis17553172214109000
(I have kept word-count down to 1250 to make room for a selection from
the illustrations on next 2 pages)
TURKEY
Winners according toprovinces:AKPCHPMHP
HDP AK=Justice & Development, CH=Republican Peoples, MH=Nationalist

Movement, HD=Peoples Democratic

Turkey, 7 June 2015: Geographical distribution of results
Party Votes % MPs AKP 18,863,832 40.9% 258 CHP 11,518,404 25.0%
132 MHP 7,519,103 16.3% 80 HDP 6,058,150 13.1% 80 Turkish
Parliament after 7 June 2015 (Total 550 seats) Two-thirds needed to
change Constitution, 330 votes
Selahattin Demirta? and Figen Yksekda?: Co-Chairpersons of Turkeys HD
Party
SPAIN
Spanish opinion polls (Nov 11 to June 15); elections due in Dec 2015
(Podemos at 21% is third below the governing Peoples Party and the main
opposition Socialist Party)
(Fourth at 14%, and also rising fast, is the liberal-bourgeois Citizens Party)
Pablo Iglesias Turrin
Secretary General of Spains Podemos
End of illustrations
(Omit portraits if necessary, but try to keep graphs, tables and maps thanks)
Posted by Thavam