Within his recently unveiled memoir, titled Ithaki, the former premier Alexis Tsipras spares no criticism as he examines the chaotic era during Greece's financial crisis.
An Unconventional Appointment
According to the ex-PM's version, he selected that unorthodox economist Yanis Varoufakis as his treasury head primarily because of his global profile and his “extremely attractive” abilities when it came to communicator.
“In reality, he was, actually, more of a personality and less of an economist,” wrote the 51-year-old.
Conflicting Agendas
Tsipras suggests how Varoufakis possessed his own motives that included promoting his publications as well as experimenting with his game theories on Greece instead of truly advocating the country's financial survival.
He noted how those negotiations to prevent insolvency became “not just a method of achieving improved terms for Greece. They were an experiment, a monumental chance to prove the validity of his theories.”
Critical Talks
During tense negotiations, Greece came perilously close to exiting the single currency area.
On the line lay not only Greece's future but also the punishing cutbacks required in return for financial aid by foreign lenders.
Unsuccessful Alternatives
Attempts to find funds elsewhere, such as a desperate appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Helping Greece would be tantamount to throwing money into the garbage, the Russian leader is reputed to have informed Tsipras during their meeting.
Public Vote and Reversal
That summer, those excoriating conditions were put to a popular referendum, an action that threw the EU into deeper existential crisis.
Although the vote was carried decisively by voters who opposed austerity, Tsipras was forced but to ignore the result and negotiate a rescue deal from creditors which proved to be more severe.
Breaking Point
The ex-PM revealed that he began to doubt his finance minister quite early on.
“Varoufakis was the face of negotiation, the man who drew media attention, who graced the front pages of publications globally … it seemed he was enjoying his new role.”
When the minister outlined a contingency plan involving creating a secondary currency and issuing coupons to retirees, Tsipras knew it was the end questioning Varoufakis: “Can you be serious?”
Lasting Criticism
Within the book, Tsipras concludes that Varoufakis demonstrated himself “unsuitable for an agreement demanding intricate and sensitive handling.”
He also claimed how his aggressive approach made him more and more alone among peers, put Greece at risk, while assisted hardliners that were advocating Grexit.
The account of history has provoked fury and stunned disbelief in some quarters, while the former minister has maintained a deafening silence on the matter.
