instruction:
Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.
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TV debates: why broadcasters should give Cameron the empty chair treatment. In a short time, television debates have become a vital part of our democracy . They were watched by tens of millions of people in the 2010 general election campaign , and the Scottish referendum campaign would have been poorer without the two showdowns between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling live across all media platforms . Now is not the time to retreat from the kind of broadcasting that engages so many voters and illuminates the choices they face . Naturally, I hope all the major parties take part in the 2015 election debates . That will rightly remain the aim of the broadcasters . But I believe they should be resolute in the face of a refusal by one party to take part : the empty chair, or the deserted lectern, should be an option . The BBC guidelines do not specifically cover a national leaders' debate , but the principles they set out argue not just that they can wheel out the empty chair but that they should . On general output, BBC published editorial policy is that one reluctant participant cannot stop an item : "The refusal of an individual or an organisation to make a contribution should not be allowed to act as a veto on the appearance of other contributors." That is confirmed in the various election guidelines , where over the years the ability of one awkward candidate to stop a broadcast has been removed . And the BBC and other broadcasters do use the empty chair, albeit on less high-profile occasions : if a news maker is unwilling to face the cameras , best practice is to say so and to cover the topic anyway . As far back as 1987, when I was Today's political producer, we empty-chaired Labour in a campaign debate on defence - to the fury of their leadership . But they had been given every opportunity to take part and had chosen not to , so we went ahead with the other parties and told our listeners what had happened . There is in this current row a legitimate argument about fairness and about who takes part . The arid bureaucratic view would be that this should be based on the results of the 2010 general election and therefore be a three-way debate between David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg . The rise of Ukip and the surge in multi-party politics have muddied the waters , and the broadcasters are having to be more flexible , and I think the Greens should be somewhere in the mix . However ,  I believe we can trust the BBC, ITV and Sky to come up with the right format and a proposal that offers the appropriate levels of exposure to all the parties in the UK across the whole campaign . It is for them, with the appropriate regulators, to make that judgment and not for individual politicians to seek to exclude or include their opponents . It is, in any case, inevitable that some debates of some kind will happen . The Farage v Clegg encounter just ahead of the European election campaign was an example of the asymmetry that may now happen : it was not part of a formal coverage plan , but it was compelling viewing for anyone interested in politics and millions of people tuned in . The digital debate proposed by the Guardian, Telegraph and Google is one viable alternative ; and there is nothing to stop anyone hiring a hall in Manchester and getting Miliband and Clegg to debate there . I guarantee the broadcasters would turn up , and it is significant that the opposition parties are willing to take part in debates even without the prime minister . The broadcasters may, possibly, face a legal challenge about the allocation of national airtime , but in the court of public opinion it would be a brave act to try to close down a debate in which you have been invited to take part but have chosen not to . I'm pleased to say that I don't sense the broadcasters are wavering , and they are prepared to be tough . They are right - now is the time to hold firm . At a time of lack of faith in politicians, it would be the worst option to allow game-playing to block a format that the public find valuable . Electors have a right to see their potential prime ministers live and unfiltered and at length . Those who are willing to put themselves on the line should be allowed to do so . Those who don't can watch at home and see what an empty chair looks like over 90 minutes of primetime television .
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In a short time, television debates have become a vital part of our democracy


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If Greece turns left, will Europe follow? Greece is heading towards snap elections on January 25 after the conservative coalition government, currently in office, failed to reach a supermajority of 180 MPs in order to elect the new president of the republic as dictated by the Greek constitution . Stavros Demas, a former European Commissioner and candidate of choice of the two ruling parties, was never really proposed with the purpose to achieve and express the maximum consensus among the Greek population . Demas is coming from the heart of the ruling conservative New Democracy party and symbolises the party's loyalty to the current establishment in the EU . The main opposition party, SYRIZA, openly invested in the constitutional opportunity to overturn the government months ago claiming that its endurance in office for two more years would be abnormal as it would contradict the popular sentiment tracked in every opinion poll during the past year or so . By all odds , SYRIZA is leading the polls by 3 percent to 10 percent and is expected to form a government either based on a robust majority of the left in parliament, or, in coalition with minor parties who are willing to follow its agenda, renegotiate a bailout agreement that will not be catastrophic for Greek society and the Greek economy . Despite the fact that both the German and the Greek conservative governments present the current bailout programme as a "success story", most analysts around the globe agree that it has actually failed . Six years of continuing recession have resulted in a loss of 25 percent of GDP and a rise of unemployment to 27 percent . Greek debt is well over 170 percent of GDP now and according to Troika estimations it will be no less than 120 percent by 2020 . These facts translate to two things . Firstly , there can be no development under austerity policies for the majority of the population , even if the Eurozone fixes its competitiveness problem and exits deflation and the Greek economy starts developing at a growth rate of over 4 percent  - which is highly unlikely . Secondly, there can be no functioning democracy so long as Greece is not given choices other than poverty, degrowth and exclusion . Greece is in the state of protectorate at the moment, bound in a bailout agreement that strips its ability to produce and reject different solutions . But it's not just Greece . Spain follows the same path both in regards to the social crisis and the political management of that crisis . Poverty and unemployment figures look much like the Greek ones and the Spanish conservative government resorts to authoritarian measures in order to keep the Spanish society tight . For example ,  the public security law voted a few days ago is a clear attempt of the government to muzzle protests over its handling of the financial crisis . Deflation hits Europe and the prospects of its biggest economies like France's, Italy's and Germany's, are not looking good to pull the Eurozone back to the track of growth . As a result, political forces that question austerity are gaining momentum whether they are nationalist Euroskeptic and even fascist, or progressive, democratic and pro-European like the Spanish ally party of SYRIZA, Podemos . What is striking about SYRIZA is that its critique and analysis since 2009 have been proven to be correct despite the continuing fear campaign against him both inside and out of the country . Recently Prime Minister Antonis Samaras accused the party of the radical left that it will lead Greece to default and bankruptcy if it tries to negotiate lighter terms for the repayment of the Greek debt . Jean Claude Juncker's Commission has been issuing exhortations to the Greek electorate not to vote for SYRIZA and German finance minister is openly saying that there is no alternative for Greece, no matter which government comes in office . But economic analysts who have defended the reforms are starting to agree with SYRIZA on several issues, including the need to stop austerity and move faster to a process of debt forgiveness . FT's Wolfgang Munchau writes that "the radical left is right about Europe's debt" . Bloomberg argues that the end of austerity may boost the global economy and even Morgan Stanley asks bond holders not to be afraid of the coming elections . Despite the fear-mongering campaign, economic analysts reject now a possible "grexit" due to markets' belief that some kind of deal is preferable both for Greece and the EU . In this environment, a SYRIZA victory would mean two very important things; the return of the power to decide to a democratically elected government and the restoration of inclusiveness and national sovereignty and the opening of a new chapter in European politics , where the parties and the organisations who challenge austerity will have the momentum . The Greek people have patiently given the opportunity to the neoliberal technocrats of the IMF and the EU along with their local counterparts in the conservative coalition government to experiment and find a way out of the mess for more than five years only to receive back pain and failure . Now they're being given the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to choose which way the country will turn . SYRIZA is asking for debt forgiveness and a New Deal for Europe, both rather moderate demands coming from a radical left party . If SYRIZA actually wins the elections , the Greek people will be the first to send a clear message against austerity, one that can spark change, much needed on the continent right now . And if SYRIZA succeeds then Europe may start a new page in its economic and political history .
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Greece is heading towards snap elections on January 25 after the conservative coalition government, currently in office, failed to reach a supermajority of 180 MPs in order to elect the new president of the republic as dictated by the Greek constitution


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Will Congress give Alibaba a green light to crush America's small businesses? I actually know something about China . I lived there and helped U.S  companies negotiate trade deals and contracts , but it was not a glamorous job . I spent my last night in China in June 1989 in a baggage X-ray machine at the Beijing Airport as tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square . Only one bus full of Japanese tourists made it to the airport the next morning , and I sneaked out of my hiding place and slipped into their lines ... unnoticed . Not long after that I watched on television as a brave young man tried to block a phalanx of tanks heading into the square . The world learned something very important that day: Get in the way of the Chinese Communist Party and you'll be crushed . The Chinese economy is now estimated by some to be larger than our own . Radio talk show host Mark Levin even predicted on his show that the U.S  would lose its technological advantage to the Chinese within 10 years . How will this happen? Will China send its tanks to New York City and invade the banks, or to Silicon Valley to steal away our intellectual property? No need to ; we're actually handing them our wealth . And ,  oddly enough, many seem pretty content about it . I'm not a protectionist , but I'm no sucker, either . Preserving free markets takes work , but what's strange is that today we're actively distorting markets to the detriment of our domestic industries . History is replete with governments working against Adam Smith's invisible hand, but always with the intention of protecting their own . We're doing the opposite . There has been a debate brewing for decades within conservative circles over whether Congress should give deference to the 10th Amendment and allow States to control their own sales tax systems, or whether they should be prevented from collecting sales taxes on goods sold online under the guise of lower taxes . In my mind there's nothing conservative or free market about protecting businesses from competition . Since online shopping became the rage a decade and a half ago , Americans have enjoyed buying items -- from home necessities to Christmas presents -- without paying sales tax . I made up my mind on this issue in the 1990s after I kept hearing some politicians assert that Internet companies must be nurtured and protected while in their infancy . There' s nothing conservative or free market about protecting businesses from competition . Amazon and eBay look extremely well nurtured after decades of special tax treatment , while mom-and-pop Main Street retailers have been forced to charge sales tax . Well, a game changer named Alibaba, a billion-dollar Chinese e-commerce marketplace that's bigger than Amazon and eBay,combined, is now entering the American market . Fresh off the largest IPO in Wall Street history and flush with cash, within two years Alibaba and its hundreds of thousands of Chinese retailers will be selling the same goods and products to Americans the same way Amazon does . It's bad enough that local stores have had to compete on a tilted playing field against American e-tailers , but extending this uncompetitive advantage to subsidized overseas giants like Alibaba could spell the end for countless American business owners . Congress has the power to change this , and the U.S  Senate has already overwhelmingly voted 69-27 to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act to close the online sales tax loophole . Even Amazon, which fought closing the sales tax loophole for years, now supports the Marketplace Fairness Act . Conservatives in the Senate were divided on this vote , my hope is state legislatures will follow conservative Gov  Scott Walker's lead in Wisconsin and pass laws offsetting any revenue increases with corresponding income tax cuts . Conservatives should be of one mind to keep taxes as low as possible , and we can also work to ensure that markets remain free and competitive . It is now up to the House of Representatives to decide if they're going to stand up for small businesses or cut them off at the knees with a wet kiss for Alibaba . If you're kissing Alibaba , you're essentially in bed with the Chinese government and its Communist Party , which cares even less about the American economy than it cared for the heroic student who stood in front of the tanks in Tiananmen Square . As a recent Wall Street Journal editorial put it :. "[N]o one in China earns or keeps such wealth or celebrity without support from the Communist Party . ... [Alibaba's Chairman Jack] Ma recently accompanied President Xi Jinping on a state visit to South Korea , and a strong IPO debut could yield billion-dollar payouts for Beijing's sovereign wealth fund and several private investment firms tied to children and grandchildren of Party leaders." Why on earth would conservatives and Republicans want to undercut the local small businesses they claim to represent in favor of an online retailing Goliath backed by the Chinese government? This would be the height of lunacy . A standard talking point for GOP leaders, office holders and candidates has been to strongly advocate for small business . If House Republicans don't close this loophole , the damage done to the GOP's relationship with one of its core constituencies could be irreparable . How many GOP incumbents want to see this ad run against them in the next election? It would be both good politics and good policy to close the loophole so everyone - including Alibaba - has to compete by the same rules . That is, after all, what a free market is all about . Dan Schneider is executive director of the American Conservative Union .
answer:

Well, a game changer named Alibaba, a billion-dollar Chinese e-commerce marketplace that's bigger than Amazon and eBay,combined, is now entering the American market Fresh off the largest IPO in Wall Street history and flush with cash, within two years Alibaba and its hundreds of thousands of Chinese retailers will be selling the same goods and products to Americans the same way Amazon does