SYRIZA is not the Democrat Socialist Party in Greece.
The Democrat Party in Greece, PASOK (Socialists) went along with the EU austerity and they have collapsed to only 13 seats (4.7 percent of the popular vote).
SYRIZA is a new left of center party that has risen in the last ten years to replace the old Uniparty Democrat type party that was part of the establishment.
SYRIZA is an extreme Left Marxist Party. Their name is an acronym in Greek for: Coalition of the Radical Left. Their party platform, includes these Gems:
- Renegotiate interest rates and suspend debt payments until the economy has revived.
- Hold referendums on treaties and other accords with Europe.
- Nationalize banks, and re-Nationalize privatized companies (railroads, airports, mail, water).
- Nationalize private hospitals. Outlaw private participation in the national health system. Eliminate payments by citizens for national health services.
- Increase funding for public health from 3% to 6% of GDP
- Raise income tax to 75% for all incomes over 500,000 euros.
- Increase taxes on big companies
- A tax on financial transactions
- A special tax on luxury goods.
- Prohibit speculative financial derivatives.
- Abolish financial privileges for the Church and shipbuilding industry.
- Use the buildings of the banks and the Church for the homeless.
- Combat the banks’ secret measures and the flight of capital abroad. (i.e. Impose capital controls)
- Drastically cut military expenditures.
- Close all foreign bases in Greece and withdraw from NATO.
- Withdraw Greek troops from Afghanistan and the Balkans. No Greek soldiers beyond our own borders.
- Abolish military cooperation with Israel. Support creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
- Negotiate a stable accord with Turkey.
- Raise the minimum wage to the pre-cut level of 750 euros per month (from 500).
- Guarantee human rights in immigrant detention centres.
- Facilitate the reunion of immigrant families.
- Open dining rooms in public schools to offer free breakfast and lunch to children.
- Free health benefits to the unemployed, homeless and those with low salaries.
- Subvention of up to 30% of mortgage payments for poor families who cannot meet payments.
- Increase of subsidies for the unemployed, for one-parent families, the aged, disabled, and families with no income.
- Price reductions for goods of primary necessity.
- Decriminalize consumption of drugs. Increase funding for drug rehab centres.
- Preference for renewable energy and defence of the environment.
- Change the election laws to a proportional system.
- Revise the Constitution to guarantee separation of church and state; and institute rights to education, health care and the environment.
- Abolish privileges for parliamentary deputies. Remove legal protection from ministers and permit the courts to proceed against members of the government.
- Demilitarize the Coast Guard and anti-insurrectional special troops. Prohibit police to wear masks or use fire arms during demonstrations. Change training courses for police so as to underline social themes such as immigration, drugs and social factors.
-Institute a right of conscientious objection in draft laws.