Within his freshly published personal account, called Ithaki, the former premier Alexis Tsipras pulls no punches while he examines the turbulent era during Greece's economic turmoil.
An Unconventional Appointment
As per the ex-PM's recollections, Tsipras appointed that unorthodox economist Varoufakis as the finance minister primarily because of his international reputation and his “extremely attractive” skills as a communicator.
“He was, actually, more like a celebrity rather than an economist,” stated the 51-year-old.
Clashing Priorities
The former leader suggests how Varoufakis possessed a personal motives which included advancing Varoufakis's books as well as testing out his theories using Greece instead of truly fighting for the country's economic stability.
He noted how the talks to avoid insolvency were “not only a way to secure improved terms for Greece. They became an experiment, an historic chance to demonstrate the validity of his theories.”
Critical Negotiations
During volatile negotiations, Greece came dangerously close to leaving the eurozone.
At stake was not only Greece's destiny and those punishing austerity policies required in exchange for bailout funds from foreign lenders.
Failed Alternatives
Attempts to find funds elsewhere, including a desperate appeal to the Kremlin to purchase Greek bonds, were rejected.
Helping the indebted country would be equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, Putin reportedly told Tsipras in Moscow.
Public Vote Followed by U-Turn
In July 2015, the harsh conditions were put to a public vote, an action which threw Europe into further crisis of identity.
Even though the vote was won decisively by voters who opposed the cuts, the prime minister was forced to ignore the result and negotiate a rescue deal with foreign lenders which proved to be more severe.
Final Straw
Tsipras claimed how he began to doubt his finance minister relatively soon.
“Varoufakis was the face of the talks, the man who attracted publicity, who graced the covers of publications the world over … he gave the impression he was enjoying his new role.”
When the minister outlined a contingency plan that included establishing a secondary currency and issuing coupons to pensioners, Tsipras knew it was game over questioning him: “Can you be serious?”
Lasting Rebuke
Within the memoir, Tsipras concludes how his former ally demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for an agreement that required intricate and delicate management.”
Tsipras further claimed how his aggressive approach made him increasingly isolated among peers, endangered the country, while assisted hardliners that were pushing for Grexit.
This retelling of events has been met with anger and stunned disbelief in some quarters, while Varoufakis has maintained a deafening silence on the matter.
