Merry Felonies: Greeks vote “Oxi” or no against IMF Bailouts
Context
Another Europe Was Not Possible by Boris Kanzleiter
“When the first referendum results started trickling in on the evening of 5 July 2015, the many thousands of citizens gathered in front of parliament for a spontaneous rally on Syntagma Square in Athens cheered, united by the feeling that they were making history. When the final result flickered across the screens around midnight, many could not believe their eyes: 61.31 percent had voted “Oxi” (no). The overwhelming majority of Greeks had defied the threats from Brussels and the mass media’s fearmongering. Instead, voters backed the left-wing Syriza government under the leadership of charismatic Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, only elected in January of that year.
The Oxi vote made it clear that the vast majority of people, far and above the left-wing camp, wanted an end to spending cuts and privatizations. It also showed that Syriza represented more than just its voters — it had the support of the overwhelming majority of Greek society. Indeed, the referendum marked a historic turning point, even if it ended very differently than the cheering crowds on Syntagma Square had hoped. The no vote was a powerful signal of resistance against the so-called Troika consisting of the European Commission, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and European Central Bank (ECB), which had been imposing round after round of social spending cuts and privatizations on Greece for years.
Nevertheless, the jubilation was short-lived. Despite the vote, the Troika enforced its dictates just a few days later. The no vote thus marked the climax, but also the endpoint of a years-long protest wave, the significance of which extended far beyond Greece. Just as the protests had served as an important impetus for the international Left, the Troika now laid the groundwork for the implementation of a neo-liberal restructuring that in turn paved the way for today’s right-wing surge across Europe.” [read more…]
Learn more:
• Yanis Varoufakis on the Legacy of Greece’s Oxi Referendum
• 2015 Greek bailout referendum
• The Troika’s Policy in Greece: Rob the Greek people and give the money to private banks, the ECB, the IMF and the dominant States of the Eurozone
• Greek government debt crisis
• Greek austerity packages
• Austerity Kills – Still: The Lingering Effects of Austerity Measures on Greece’s Healthcare System
• Trauma lingers in Greece, 10 years after austerity referendum
News from the wrong perspective
Have you ever read the news and thought something like this…
• Is this true?
• No! This must be a joke.
• Are these people are crazy?
• You’ve got to be kidding!
• Is this guy on drugs?
Well, you’re not alone. Merry Felonies is our form of relief. A way to lighten our spirits when the news is too damn much! So, when we see something ridiculous, we have to make fun of it.
Latest Merry Felonies ✎﹏﹏
જ⁀➴ Read ALL of our Merry Felonies cartoons!
How did the comic strip start?
The idea for Merry Felonies started with our reaction to the news. Miguel and I would watch or read the news and make sarcastic comments. If there was something particularly funny, Miguel would sketch something out and I’d think of a punchline.
When our good friend and favorite renegade economist Steve Keen worked with IDEA Economics, a small outfit that worked to educate regular people about how economics functions, we were hired to provide the comic strip. It ran from about 2015 – 2020.
It’s interesting to look back at that era and realize that not only have things not changed much, they’ve somehow gotten worse (economically speaking). Now we’ll republish all the comic strip here.
Free Comics
