Syriza’s thrilling win in the Greek elections highlights a gap at the heart of Europe – how we, as EU citizens, can engage politically across national frontiers. What can we do – apart from signing petitions on change.org – that will influence Europe’s decision-makers to respect the outcome in Greece, and place people’s wellbeing ahead of this dangerous obsession with cuts and debt reduction? Instead of Greece being “put on collision course with Europe” (Report, 26 January), it is surely time for Europe to change course. A start would be a version of the Marshall plan, with debt-restructuring in line with growth and public investment to improve infrastructure and sustainability. Politicians in Britain might even see the advantage of such a course of action, if it was to demonstrate the benefits of staying in the EU. Is there a movement I can join to make this happen? Mary BraithwaiteWye, Kent• The lesson of the Greek elections is that European rulers are sleepwalking into a collision with their electorate because the core premise of their economic model is faulty. The electorate has been asked to put up with pain for years with the unfulfilled promise of better things around the corner. It is always the fault of the poor and the sick, not the fault of the predictive power of a discredited economic model. Continue reading...
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