In a freshly published personal account, called Ithaki, the former leader Tsipras spares no criticism while he examines that turbulent period of Greece's debt drama.
A Controversial Appointment
As per Tsipras's account, Tsipras selected the maverick economist Varoufakis as the finance minister primarily because of his worldwide fame along with Varoufakis's “extremely attractive” skills when it came to public orator.
“He was, actually, more of a celebrity rather than an economic expert,” stated Tsipras.
Conflicting Agendas
Tsipras alleges how his finance chief had his own motives which included promoting Varoufakis's publications and testing out his own game theories on the nation instead of genuinely advocating its economic stability.
Tsipras noted how those talks to avoid insolvency were “not just a method of achieving improved terms for Greece. They became a test, a monumental chance to prove the validity of Varoufakis's economic theories.”
High-Stakes Talks
Amid rollercoaster negotiations, the country found itself dangerously on the brink of exiting the eurozone.
At stake lay both the country's future and the severe austerity measures demanded in exchange for financial aid from foreign lenders.
Failed Alternatives
Efforts to find financing from other sources, including a desperate appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek government bonds, fell on stony ground.
Assisting Greece would be equivalent to tossing cash into the garbage, Putin is reputed to have told Tsipras in Moscow.
Public Vote and Reversal
In July 2015, the excoriating bailout terms were subjected to a public vote, a move which threw Europe into a further crisis of identity.
Although the vote was carried decisively by voters against austerity, the prime minister had little option but to ignore the result and negotiate a bailout package with creditors that turned out to be more severe.
Final Straw
Tsipras claimed that he started questioning his finance minister quite early on.
“He was the public image of negotiation, the figure who drew publicity, who graced the covers of magazines the world over … it seemed he relished his new role.”
When the minister outlined a contingency plan that included establishing a secondary currency as well as distributing coupons to retirees, Tsipras knew that it was game over questioning him: “Is this for real?”
Enduring Rebuke
Within the book, Tsipras concludes that his former ally had proved himself “unsuitable for a deal demanding intricate and delicate handling.”
He also claimed how his confrontational approach made him more and more alone with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while helped hawks that were pushing for Grexit.
The account of history has been met with anger and stunned disbelief in some quarters, while the former minister has maintained a conspicuous quiet on the matter.
