The Greek Left Wins Big…

…Over the Greek Left.

If you’re a passive News Watcher you might’ve heard that ‘The Greek Leftist Party, Siryza, has won power in Greece by a Landslide.

But you might also take away the idea that Leftists winning must mean that something other than Leftists were in power.

You would be wrong.

What happen over the last 48-hours is Leftists took power from Leftists in a Landslide.

The Old Leftists had embraced Fiscal responsibility as demanded from the European Union in order for Greece to retain its membership and continue to receive bail outs from the more prosperous members like Germany.

The New Leftists don’t like the idea of Fiscal responsibility as they don’t think they should have to be more responsible, and/or think the “Austerity measures” are only being applied to the Sheep (Of course they don’t see themselves as Sheep, they never do.) and not all Greek Citizenry, particularly those in Government.

I would tell you the Latter is true… but the tragedy is the Leftist Progressive Ideology is exactly why 1.) They’re in the Fiscal Hole they are in and 2.) The Austerity Measures only Apply to the Sheep.

Socialists Always fight each other over Who gets to control everything…  the only time they unite is in their hatred of those of of who believe in Individual Liberty and Freedom.

Which brings us to today.

The Old Left, those Elitist Rich Guys who believe Greeks are Stupid and have no idea how to make the right choice when presented with only one choice to make, decided to try whatever they had to try to save the Great Socialist Dream which has been Greece for decades and by extension the European Union.  (They were excited to join the EU in the first place because they knew they were in fiscal trouble.)

In doing so, the Old Left made those who have kept them in power… Greece’s Useful Idiots… angry because the idea of responsibility is completely foreign to them and brings with it difficult times requiring sacrifice. “Austerity” is not Fun.  But they had the ‘Fun’, and now they have to pay for the ‘Fun’.

The above set the stage for a ‘New’ Left to “Win Big” during this election cycle.  As we know here is the U.S., people tend to vote for people who promise to give them stuff.  It’s a rule the Left knows well and uses always.

So what we have here is The Useful Idiot Left throwing out The Elitist A-Hole Left. Leftist on Leftist violence.

Remember, there are no ‘Conservatives’ as we call them in Greece.  The ‘Right-Wing’ only means the Right side of the Socialist Spectrum.  Actual Capitalists do not exist as a political movement in Greece.  You have all the varied flavors of Marxism such as Fascism, Communism, Progressivism, Liberalism, Socialism, etc. some of which the useful idiots label as Capitalism.  But Free-market Capitalism protected by Constitutionally Limited Government is non-existent in Greece.  (It could be argued it’s non-existent here too… but that’s many other posts.)

The events in Greece are going to be fun to watch as the entire utopian EU dream is at stake.

This turn of events amounts to what happens when a plane gets caught in a flat spin. The outcome is fatal not just for the plane but for all on it and all directly underneath it.

But this is Socialism on Parade.

(It’s also worth noting that the Greek ‘opposition’ parties have long labeled ‘conservative leftists’ and ‘fascists’ as Capitalists. The Left has jockeyed with other Leftist groups for power for 100 years or longer. None of this new. What’s new is the idea that a group of appropriately self-interested countries can get together and trust each other to ‘pull their weight’ and operate for the benefit of the Commune. We, at least those of us firmly grounded in Capitalism and Voluntary trade motivated by Self interest, knew full well it would fail before it started. Socialist Dreams like the EU have never worked. And, they never will…  but those who subscribe to these ideas will be doomed to repeat such experiments over and over.  If nothing else, you have to admire the tenacity of Useful Idiots.  Keep an eye on Spain and Portugal… they’re EU members chock full of Useful Socialists too.)

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Whether They Want To or Not.

Top official: Russians will ‘eat less’ for Putin

Jan 23, 8:18 AM (ET)

By CARLO PIOVANO and NATALIYA VASILYEVA

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, on Friday warned the West against trying to topple President Vladimir Putin and said that Russians are ready to sacrifice their wealth in Putin’s support.

Russia has for the past year been sliding into recession amid a slump in its energy export prices as well as Western sanctions against Moscow’s role in the conflict in Ukraine that has claimed more than 5,000 lives. Questions have been raised in Russia and abroad whether the price that ordinary Russians are having to pay for the annexation of Crimea is too high.

Shuvalov, who is believed to be one of the richest men in the government, said that what he considers the West’s attempts to oust Putin will only unite the nation further.

“When a Russian feels any foreign pressure, he will never give up his leader,” Shuvalov said. “Never. We will survive any hardship in the country — eat less food, use less electricity.”

Shuvalov’s comments triggered pithy remarks on Russia social media including an opposition activist who posted photos of Shuvalov’s Moscow, London and Austria homes to illustrate where the deputy prime minister would experience the hardships he described.

At the same panel in Davos, Putin’s long-time ally and former finance minister Alexei Kudrin said that Putin clearly thinks that Russia’s foreign policy interests at this point are worth the price the nation pays in higher inflation and the collapse of the Russian ruble.

Shuvalov, who worked with Kudrin until he resigned from the government in 2011, defended Russia’s foreign policy but warned that Russia is “going into a longer crisis” compared with 2008, when it was battered for about two years by the global crisis.

Shuvalov said Russia should focus on cushioning the economic fall through reforms and supporting the financial system. “It is going to get worse and the anti-crisis plan should be aimed at adapting to the hard landing,” he said.

Russia’s foreign currency reserves shrank by 2 percent last week alone to $379 billion as the Central Bank sold foreign currency in a bid to prop up the ruble.

Russians have a very Long, Sad History of ‘Eating Less’ and ‘Going Without Electricity’ for Mother Russia.  However, I cannot find a time where that was voluntarily embraced.  A Leader with the Power of Force was perpetually at the Helm.

There are many parallels to the past.  While I do not believe the past repeats itself, it does look more like a copy of a copy of a copy.

History degenerates into some similar but completely different Present.

The problem is it just turns out to be a different ‘bad’.