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The SP will vote against any additional loans to Greece and the austerity package which accompanies them. According to party leader Emile Roemer, Greece’s medicine hasn’t worked. ‘I’d go further,’ he says, ‘the medicine for Greece has turned out to be a poison pill. Poverty has grown enormously, half of the young people have no job and wages are down by 37%. The Netherlands could pay for a loan which the Greeks can’t sustain. That the SP will therefore not do.’

It’s now known that around 90% of the money advanced to Greece doesn’t go straight to ordinary Greek men and women, but to moneylenders, to German, French, Dutch and Greek banks. ‘The new loans will not provide a solution for Greece but for the ECB and the IMF,’ says Roemer. ‘They want to see money from Greece, now. And because Greece doesn’t have that money, the Dutch public has to extend a new loan to Greece.’

In the SP’s view, Greece must be given more space to get its economy moving. ‘The Greek economy must be given the chance to grow,’ he insists. ‘That is the only way in which Greece can possibly repay its loans. Moreover, the Greek government must be given the chance to settle accounts with all forms of corruption and nepotism elaborated by previous governments.’

Foto: SP

Below is the text of Emile Roemer’s speech in Parliament during the debate on the Greek loans:

The past few weeks have allowed us to see what the European Union really stands for. States and peoples in direct opposition to each other. Thanks to the eurofanatics, who are determined to make Europe into a political union at top speed, tensions among countries and within them are rising ever higher. How is it possible that a euro project aimed at bringing countries closer together is leading now to more discord and tension?

The Greeks feel as if they’ve been put through the mangle. They are being forced to impose still hasher spending cuts, to break up still more public services and sell off still more public property. Not to aid the Greek people, but to rescue European banks and financial institutions.

In 2010 the loan amounted to €110 billion. In 2012, 130 billion. And now we’re discussing a package of €86 billion. Despite all these loans, the Greek economy has in the last few years shrunk by more than a quarter. So the medicine for Greece hasn’t worked. I’d go further: the medicine for Greece has turned out to be a poison pill.

We know now that a good 90% of the money for Greece does not go straight to ordinary Greeks, but to German, French, Dutch and Greek banks. The agreement that we’re discussing now will not do the Greek people any good. It’s principally a solution for the ECB and the IMF. They want to see money from Greece, now. And because Greece doesn’t have that money, the Dutch public has to extend a new loan to Greece.

If things are going well for the financial sector, the profits go to the banks. But in bad times the taxpayer has to fork out to cover the losses. That’s how things always go. Profits are private, losses public. So you shouldn’t be too amazed if for the last five years the public throughout Europe has been feeling swindled.

Are you aware that a few years ago it was said that by 2020 Greece would have a debt of 120% of its GDP? Now we know that the debt is already above 200%. Did you know that it was then asserted that the country would be able to finance itself independently by this year? If that had occurred, we wouldn’t now be holding this debate. Did you know that we would get back every euro? With interest! So the Finance Minister promised us. Now we all know that a large slice of the loans extended will never come back.

Greek politics has in recent decades been loaded with corruption, nepotism and a thoroughly irresponsible attitude to taxation. It’s high time that this changed. But the troika policies of the last few years have brought nothing but destruction to Greece. , Poverty has grown enormously, half of the young people have no job and wages are down by 37%. Even the IMF’s own economists have openly acknowledged that they grossly underestimated the effects of all this austerity.

The piling up of debts, the piling up of spending cuts and the complete lack of any prospects is wringing Greek necks. And instead of recognising this, the Minister of Finance (Dijsselbloem – also chair of Eurogroup – translator’s note) ups the dose – while what he should of course have done was look for a medicine that actually works.

The European policy of issuing enforcement orders has, moreover, killed democracy. The Greek government must be given the chance to settle accounts with all forms of corruption and nepotism elaborated by previous governments. Rich Greeks and multinationals must at last make an honest contribution to the Greek exchequer. This is also a task for our prime minister, namely making tax constructions via mailbox companies impossible. Furthermore the Greek economy must be given the chance to grow. This means putting a stop to deep austerity and investing in the real economy. That is the only way in which Greece can possibly repay its loans.

This government is putting the Dutch as well as the Greek population up against the wall. The Netherlands could pay out a loan which the Greeks can’t sustain. It would then be only a question of time before we will be standing here again to debate a further loan for Greece.

This isn’t money for the Greeks, it’s money for the banks. This doesn’t give the Greeks any further help, but sets the country back. This is no agreement; this is a straitjacket. A Europe in which democratic countries treat each other in this way is not my Europe.