By Josep Colomer.
In a post here a week ago about the weird referendum in Greece, I argued that “no sound government takes the initiative to call a referendum to vote ‘no’”.
Now, former minister of finance, Yanis Varoufakis, explains that, actually, Prime minister Alex Tsipras wanted the ‘yes’ to win, in order to “have to” accept the deal with the EU that he had already seen as inevitable.
This clarifies the apparent ridiculousness of Tsipras’ challenge, which would have been only a gesture for the gallery after he had reached a deal with the EU.
It also explains Varoufakis’ sudden resignation immediately after the victory of ‘no’, which would have backed his tough negotiating stance only if had it been supported by his Prime minister.
In fact, Tsipras too-smart maneuver backfired and now he, according to his previous plans, has accepted the EU deal, but in spite and against the referendum result. A double political defeat.
Varoufakis declarations to ABC radio in Australia:
About his resignation: “I jumped more than I was pushed.”
How he realized that Tsipras had wanted and expected the ‘yes’ would win:
The night of the referendum “I entered the prime minister’s office elated. I was travelling on a beautiful cloud pushed by beautiful winds of the public’s enthusiasm for the victory of Greek democracy in the referendum. The moment I entered the prime ministerial office, I sensed immediately a certain sense of resignation—a negatively charged atmosphere. I was confronted with an air of defeat, which was completely at odds with what was happening outside.
At that point I had to put it to the prime minister: ‘If you want to use the buzz of democracy outside the gates of this building, you can count on me. But if on the other hand you feel like you cannot manage, handle this majestic ‘no’ to an irrational proposition from our European partners, I am going to simply steal into the night’… I saw that he [Tsipras] didn’t have what it took emotionally at that moment to carry that novelty to Europe, to use it as a weapon… I decided to give him the leeway that he needed in order to go back to Brussels and strike” the deal.
Listen to Varoufakis’ words: CLICK (until minute 3)
