The Left in Power: reflections on SYRIZA’s promise and achievements

Contributor(s): Euclid Tsakalotos | When SYRIZA came to power in January 2015, it promised an end to the bailouts and to austerity. After a major political struggle, it was obliged to accept new bailout terms and it spent its remaining years in office, in part, implementing its painful measures. In this conversation with Kevin Featherstone, Euclid Tsakalotos will discuss its achievements and setbacks; what lessons its experience suggests for the Left in Europe; and the future for the Left in Greece and elsewhere.

Meet our speaker and chair

Euclid Tsakalotos (@tsakalotos) was born in 1960. He studied Economics, Politics and Philosophy at the University of Oxford, Development at the University of Sussex, and completed his D.Phil in Economics at Oxford in 1989. He has taught at the University of Kent and Athens University of Economics and Business. Since 2010 he has been Professor of Economics at the University of Athens, and a Syriza MP since May 2012. He was Minister of Finance of the Syriza Governments from July 2015 until July 2019. He is currently serving as the Speaker of Syriza parliamentary group, and coordinator of Economic Policy of the leading opposition.

Kevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor in Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in European Politics and the Director of the Hellenic Observatory.

More about this event

The Hellenic Observatory (@HO_LSE) is internationally recognised as one of the premier research centres on contemporary Greece and Cyprus. It engages in a range of activities, including developing and supporting academic and policy-related research; organisation of conferences, seminars and workshops; academic exchange through visiting fellowships and internships; as well as teaching at the graduate level through LSE's European Institute.