The president of SYRIZA-PS harshly criticized the government, Socrates Famousspeaking in the Budget debate in Parliament, deconstructing her arguments. The government’s policy is both inadequate and unfair, Socrates Famellos said and added characteristically: “Lefto trees bloom in the courtyards of the cartels, they are cultivated and watered by the policy of Mr. Mitsotakis. And for the great majority of citizens, workers, professionals, small and medium-sized enterprises, farmers, pensioners and young people, dead ends are increasing and inequalities are intensifying”.

Regarding government interventions, he said that “it is forced, dragged to intervene, when the problem in society becomes explosive, when it has a political cost and when it is exposed. Society doesn’t believe you anymore, and that’s reflected in the metrics.”

He went on to criticize his evidence Budget: “You are triumphant that unemployment is falling. But you don’t say that working conditions are getting worse, hours are becoming rubber, shift work and part-time work are increasing. We are penultimate in purchasing power, last in purchasing power of hourly wages, third from the bottom in average salary, Poland and Romania also surpassed us during the year.”

He talked about growth: “Last year you told us about investment growth of 15.1%, and we finally landed at 4%. This year we will reach 6.7%, last in the EU in terms of investment to GDP. And the low tax argument collapses of dividends to have investments. And you know that foreign direct investment is also falling every year. What balance and fiscal responsibility are you talking about when you plan production of primary surpluses of 2.7%, i.e. above the target? When you draw almost 2 billion more from the Greek economy? To return only 150 million to our vulnerable fellow citizens…

These are crumbs in front of the 1.6 billion profit in bank fees. You are giving the pensioners a spoonful of the super profits soup”, he pointed out.

He then referred to taxation: “You talk to us about a tax cut, but what we see in the Budget is 2.5 billion. EUR more tax revenue in 2025, 1.5 billion more than VAT, 1 billion more than the income tax compared to this year. From 49 billion in 2021, taxes reached 69 billion in 2025. You insist on a mixture of unfair policy, you don’t even discuss reducing VAT. And you don’t talk about how the prices will be reduced. We remind you that cumulatively since 2019, olive oil has risen in price by 127%, eggs and bread by 33%, fruit by 38%, meat by 43%.”

He also spoke about the overdue debts of the State to private individuals: These “increased by 700 million. euros, exceeding in total – together with pending tax refunds – 3.5 billion. euro! Hospital overdues have reached no further and the Eur. Commission sends us court. 2.8 billion The State owes euros to private suppliers”.

He then referred to the issue of the banks, personally accusing Kyriakos Mitsotakis of “putting his back on their super profits”. Continuing, he said: “The proposals you are preparing and the proposals of PASOK, which went from 800 million a year to 240, are a treat. They don’t solve the problem. Strong taxation of excess profits is required, a deterrent for the years to come. And interventions in the fees.

But stronger intervention by the state and a plan to finally break the cartel is needed… We are surprised by the justification that the State cannot have an opinion and a say on the pricing policy of the company that is the major shareholder! Why shouldn’t the state propose to the bank, which is a major shareholder, that the difference in interest rates on deposits and loans be reduced to the levels of the European Systemic Banks? If we do not break the banking cartel, the oligopolistic situation will remain the same.

He spoke about the need to change the production model: “You managed to squander a development tool like the Recovery Fund. Instead of changing the production model, you reverently implement the Pissarides plan for the annihilation of small and medium entrepreneurship.”

He responded to the government’s arguments for improving citizens’ living standards: “70% of employees are paid up to 950 euros net per month. Your goal, the society of the working poor. A family with 2 employees does not make 950 euros. Minimum increments have been flattened by accuracy. The percentage of coverage of collective agreements is at 29%, while Europe has twice the percentage and a target of 80%. At the same time, you act as a trailblazer, both in health and in education. Expenditure on education far below the European average. Facilities with deficiencies. School mergers and closures. Teacher vacancies. But you made sure to legislate in favor of private universities trampling on the dreams of young people and the Constitution itself.”

Mr. Famellos also raised the issue of the constitutional revision “and PASOK’s stance on the revision of Article 16 of the Constitution” asking: “Will it be a field of consensus between PASOK and New Democracy?”.

Specifically for health, he said that “the 2025 Budget favors the privatization of the NHS and the one-track approach to private health service providers and in particular the large business groups of the sector”.

He referred more generally to privatizations: “And among the rest of the goods that you are privatizing, you have also focused on the municipal water supply and sewerage infrastructures. After taking care to bankrupt the municipal water utilities with the energy crisis, now to save them you are giving them to private individuals. In conclusion, you are privatizing goods such as education, health, water.”

Regarding Greek-Turkish issues, he noted that “we see your priorities running out in internal party balances, as a result of which you follow the policy of the pendulum”. We clearly insist, he said, that “the prospect of delimiting the continental shelf/EEZ in The Hague must be kept alive. With clear red lines and with a double strategy of strengthening the country and ensuring peace”.

Regarding the defense spending that SYRIZA will vote for, he said: “The positive vote of SYRIZA-PS concerns the support of national security and defense. But not all of the government’s options in this matter. With our vote, we do not support your own choices, but the national security and defense and the strategic choices that we have also supported in the competent committee”.

He announced that he would request “a detailed update from Mr. Dendias at the beginning of January. And about the issues I raised, which are of particular concern to us. But also the programs contained in the Budget. We don’t give you patriotism!”

The president of SYRIZA-PS, however, also spoke about the developments in his party: “We managed to come out strong and organized and more determined. And we will carry out the tasks that Greek society assigned to us in the last double parliamentary elections as well as in the recent European elections. The duties of the official opposition. No one and nothing can question the popular verdict and the vote of hundreds of thousands of citizens. And we will contribute so that there is an alternative programmatic progressive proposal to change the current government”.

He also aimed his arrows at Nikos Androulakis: “We will never be the convenient or consensual opposition. There is no room for consensus in the face of the relentless government of Mr. Mitsotakis who rules with bribery, infidels, propaganda. And clearly, possibilities and initiatives must be sought among the progressive parties. And I would say immediately. And SYRIZA-PS is growing and getting stronger to play the role of catalyst. Because we see that some are trying to play games with partisan selfishness.”