Within his freshly published personal account, named Ithaki, the former leader Alexis Tsipras pulls no punches as he reflects on that turbulent era during Greece's financial crisis.
An Unconventional Appointment
As per the ex-PM's account, he appointed the maverick economist Yanis Varoufakis to be the finance minister largely because of his global profile along with his very persuasive skills as a speaker.
“In reality, he was, actually, more of a star rather than an economic expert,” recalled Tsipras.
Clashing Agendas
The former leader alleges that Varoufakis possessed a personal agenda that included advancing his publications as well as experimenting with his own game theories on the nation instead of truly fighting for its economic stability.
Tsipras noted how the discussions to prevent bankruptcy became “not only a method of achieving improved terms for the country. They became a test, a monumental opportunity to demonstrate the validity of Varoufakis's theories.”
Critical Talks
During tense negotiations, the country came perilously on the brink of exiting the eurozone.
At stake lay not only Greece's future but also those severe austerity measures required in exchange for bailout funds by international creditors.
Unsuccessful Options
Attempts to find financing from other sources, including an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Helping the indebted country was tantamount to throwing money in the trash-can, the Russian leader is reputed to have informed his Greek counterpart in Moscow.
Public Vote and Reversal
That summer, those punitive conditions were put to a public vote, an action which threw Europe into deeper existential crisis.
Although the vote was carried decisively by those who opposed austerity, the prime minister was forced to ignore the result then negotiate a bailout package from creditors which proved to be more severe.
Final Straw
The ex-PM claimed how he began to doubt Varoufakis quite early on.
“He was the face of negotiation, the figure who attracted media attention, who graced the front pages of magazines the world over … it seemed he was enjoying the spotlight.”
When Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan that included establishing a secondary currency as well as distributing coupons to pensioners, the leader said he realised that it was the end and asked him: “Are you serious?”
Enduring Rebuke
Within the memoir, the author concludes how his former ally had proved himself to be “unsuitable for a deal demanding intricate and delicate handling.”
Tsipras further wrote that his aggressive approach made him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, while helped hawks that were pushing for Grexit.
The account of events has been met with fury along with stunned disbelief in some quarters, while the former minister has so far kept a conspicuous quiet on the matter.
