Tsipras from Katerini: A fair society and prosperity for all means Public Health for everyone in every corner of the country

In Catherine continue her tour of after Thessaloniki today its President SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance, Alexis Tsipras. Mr. Tsipras spoke to citizens and then delivered a short speech, where I mentioned the following:

Alexis Tsipras thanked the gathered citizens for the warm welcome and emphasized that “We are standing and determined, because we are not fighting this battle for our party interest, but because society needs a force that will support its interests, that will fight for the public interest.”

Afterwards, Mr. Tsipras referred to tragic incident which happened in Mr with the death of a 63-year-old woman in a farm cart during her transport to the hospital, as there was no staff to operate the ambulances. “Is it possible in the year 2023 that people will leave because there is no care, no funds, so that every person feels safe in every corner of the country?” emphasized Mr. Tsipras and then emphasized “So, what does ‘fair society’ and ‘prosperity for all’ mean, which is our slogan in this electoral contest: A fair society and prosperity for all means not having the opportunity to save their lives, if something happens to them, only those in the urban centers and only those who can afford it. But every citizen should have the self-evident things”.

Alexis Tsipras spoke extensively about her issues of Public Health recalling that “In 2019, we left the NHS with 108,000 workers, doctors and nurses. In December 2022 from 108,000 they reached 84,000. Despite the fact that we went through a pandemic, despite the fact that this pandemic made us all think that we need to strengthen the NHS. The staff was reduced, the people who left were not replaced and at this time throughout Greece we are experiencing a situation of dissolution of public hospitals. You know it well here in Katerini with the negative records in the loss of our fellow human beings”.

In this context, Mr. Tsipras noted that for this “it is worth asking in focus in the pre-election period the major problems that concern Greek society».

“We ruled in the most difficult conditions. And we managed – despite the mistakes and failures – to get the country out of the memorandums, to regulate the public debt and leave 37 billion in the public coffers. We did not have the opportunity, like the next generation of us, to spend 60 billion. We had to collect almost 40 in the public funds to get the country out of the memoranda and bankruptcy. And we did it honestly. The next of us had the opportunity to spend 60 billion. Where did that money go? What is left today to be a support in the crisis? See what public hospitals are like. See what public schools are like. I come from Lagadas, Thessaloniki, where the children have a lesson in a container. See what the welfare state is like. There is nothing left of these 60 billion, which was an opportunity for the country after a ten-year crisis to heal the wounds in society,” said Mr. Tsipras and raised the major question that requires an answer, “Where are we going? What is the next day?’

Alexis Tsipras declared that he was determined to bring the big issues to the fore. “One is Public Health. A second is the big issue of looting income,” he said, talking about accuracy and profiteering.

“Mr. Mitsotakis tells us that he has not paid taxes for 4 years now. There is no bigger lie. 4.5 billion increased taxes, but for the many, the middle class and the weak. Because when the household basket goes from 50 euros to 100 euros, you don’t need to increase the rates of indirect taxes to increase taxation, it’s enough to keep them constant. From 50 to 100 euros, the tax doubles. 4.5 billion in 2022 more revenue and 1.5 billion in the first quarter of 2023. 6 billion more taxes have been imposed by Mr. Mitsotakis with his policy. He tells us that precision was imported, yes, but the avarice is Greek. The Commission recommended to all EU countries to reduce indirect taxation. Only three countries did not reduce them. Slovakia, Malta and Greece. They are now trying with lies and alchemy and turning night into day to convince us that if they reduced indirect taxes, they would favor the rich. Do they really care not to favor the rich, the ones who gave 15 billion in direct handouts and 10 billion in subsidies, which go straight to the energy, refining and supermarket cartels?” he emphasized.

Referring to June 25 elections, Mr. Tsipras initially noted that “we respect the popular verdict of the May 21 ballot box” and then underlined that “this was a simple proportional ballot box, which we had a vision for but we were strategically trapped. We had a vision to change the political system, to have cooperative governments based on programmatic convergences. But when we shook hands with the other progressive forces, they looked at how to cut off our own hand and made a front against SYRIZA, instead of dealing with the one who governs with the ND”.

Mr. Tsipras emphasized that “today is another ballot box. Not with simple analog, but with enhanced analog.” “Whoever comes out first will rule us for another 4 years. And what are the two alternative plans? One is the one implemented by Mr. Mitsotakis. Which says filthy lucre, private interests, privatization even for water, dissolution of the NHS, which says precision and there is no other way. The other alternative plan is that of SYRIZA. I don’t see any other alternative plan.”

Then he left points for parties of the progressive space, characteristically saying that “KKE is not interested in how the country will be governed. He says everyone is the same. And those who implement the dissolution of labor relations and those who want collective agreements. KINAL the same and worse. All they care about is that at some point they become ‘caliphs in the place of the caliphs’ again. They don’t care that Mitsotakis and ND will govern. If they cared, they would lend a helping hand so that we don’t miss the great opportunity of simple analogy. In fact, they had said before the election that they would have no problem cooperating with the ND, they only lacked his face.”

“We will stand up and call on the Greek people to support us. The place needs to have a strong social resistance force. Let’s not let an uncontrollable and all-powerful right-wing sweep it all. We will fight until the last second to overturn the correlations.

Before the last election, polls gave other correlations. However, 20% of the citizens decided on the ballot box. We will fight until the last second. We will be standing here, to fight for the farmer, for the breeder, for the worker, for the wage earner, for the unemployed, for the young women and men. Because the future lasts a long time. And the future ahead of us will unfortunately not be easy. We will be here and we will fight together” said Mr. Tsipras and then talked about specific programmatic points of SYRIZA – PS.

“We will put the taxation issues on the table. Because as the Commission said, at the end of 2023, the benefits will end. And what will happen next? If the VAT does not fall? Unless there is a ceiling on the profitability of the energy, refining and supply chain cartels? We will raise the issue of pensions. Because the ND promised to keep the 13th pension, which we brought and finally cut it. They have not given back the retrospectives decided by the SC. We will fight for pensioners to have dignity. We will be here to stand with the thousands of families who are worried that they may lose their homes. Because 700,000 mortgage properties have been transferred to the funds and a tsunami of auctions is expected the next day. The funds that bought these loans at 20% of their value and want to make 100%. After the disabled man in Halkidiki, who was left out of his house because he was a guarantor for a loan of his unemployed son, a mother of a single parent family in Ano Petralona with her child, they were evicted. Fortunately, the solidarity of the neighborhood was mobilized and they chased away the crows” said Alexis Tsipras and emphasized that “We have three weeks and we must do everything in our power to reverse the associations. Not for our party interest, but for the social interest. To stop seeing images like this in Ano Petralona, ​​Haldiki and Kos. To put an end to the obscene profit”.

Then Mr. Tsipras referred to the question of the costing of the parties’ programs and highlighted the hypocrisy and lies of the ND. “We were told before the election by Mr. Mitsotakis’s ‘excellent’, the former adviser of SEV, Mr. Skertsos, who came with an agenda to Maximou – the Pissarides Plan which is the dissolution of the middle class – that our program is not priced . And he passed around an old piece of paper as supposedly official paper of the State Accounts General – see how deceitful they are. An old piece of paper, which he made on his computer” he said initially and added “However, when I told Mr. Mitsotakis the day before yesterday that we should take our programs – both ours and theirs – to price them, either to the GLC, or to the Office Budget in the Parliament, or to any independent body, and the next day let’s do a public televised confrontation between the two of us so that the Greek can hear which are the two alternative programs that will be decided at the ballot box, his answer was no and one no and at the other. And he is afraid to discuss and he is afraid to take this old paper to be costed to an official body. But you can’t get very far with a lie. Lies have short legs. I hope the Greek people realize this. We will fight for it until the last moment.”

In closing, Mr. Tsipras called on everyone to join forces with SYRIZA – PS in the June 25 elections. “I call on all of you to join forces in this fight. I particularly want to address those who did not vote for SYRIZA, but realize that what is coming is very harsh and want to oppose the prospect of an all-powerful or self-reliant ND. At this time there is no other choice. The plan of the Right is: ‘vote small parties – wherever the challenge goes to ND, as long as it doesn’t go to SYRIZA’. They want the opposition to be fragmented so that they can be uncontrollable the next day. We invite you all, regardless of the disagreements you may have with us, to unite your strength in the SYRIZA ballot box on June 25. To be as strong as possible. To prevent social looting. All together we can achieve the overthrow, we will do the impossible for this”.

Mr. Tsipras walked along the main pedestrian street of Katerinis, entered shops, talked with shopkeepers and consumers, exchanged handshakes with the citizens who were walking at that time and took pictures with them.

After the speech he met with the Voluntary Action Group of Pieria and then laid a flower at the memorial for the victims of the Pontic Hellenic Genocide in Katerini.

In the morning he visited Lagadas of Thessaloniki where he met with representatives of teachers and parents who informed him about the problems of education in the area.

Mr. Tsipras also toured the municipal market of Lagadas.