Prime Minister Carvalho (best known by his given names José Sócrates) resigned after his draconian "program of stability and growth" was defeated by an opposition which fulfilled its role and said "no".
Recently Portuguese citizens massively went out to the streets in a "facebook revolution" style of almost headless spontaneous mobilization. Surely these protests, out of the established parties and unions, for the right to have a dignified job have put all opposition parties on their toes and have influenced the outcome of this vote.
While the conservative President Cavaco da Silva has yet to accept the resignation and is holding consultations across the board, the most likely outcome is early elections.
For the BBC (notice in the video how the economy minister Texeira looks very much like the former Irish PM Cowen: they clone them in Hell, I bet) this outcome forecasts a EU bailout but I'd dare say that what forecasts is a default because a EU bailout would come with too many strings attached to be acceptable.
The background problem is that EU and the member states are too submissive to the big banks and are therefore unable to guarantee anything close to full employment (and/or generous benefits for the unemployed). You cannot rule a society when you are just dumping its members massively into marginalization, misery and eventually death. It does not matter if you rule by means of votes or by some other form of consensus (there's no government without consensus, even if the consensus has to be implemented by means of fear).
If the authorities do not face big banks and corporations and guarantee dignified employment for all and related fundamental rights (per the UNHRD) such as dignified housing, then the People will face the authorities.
The People does not care about macroeconomics, the People does not care about defaulting foreign debt, the People does not care about nationalizing the banks or other companies... the People just cares about a decent standard of life and a future of some sort. That's what the People wants the governments to deliver: in Athens, in Lisbon and in Brussels.
If they do not deliver, they will have to face uprisings. It is unavoidable. And uprisings in Europe should evolve into a full fledged communist revolution - because the working class is fully mature.
This is it: it has already begun. Sing with me:
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