Within his recently unveiled autobiography, called Ithaki, the ex- prime minister Tsipras spares no criticism as he reflects on the turbulent era during Greece's economic turmoil.
An Unconventional Appointment
According to Tsipras's recollections, Tsipras selected the maverick academic Yanis Varoufakis as his treasury head mainly because of his international reputation and his highly compelling skills as a communicator.
“In reality, he was, actually, more like a star rather than an economic expert,” recalled Tsipras.
Clashing Priorities
The former leader alleges how his finance chief had a personal motives which involved advancing Varoufakis's publications and testing out his theories on the nation instead of genuinely fighting for its economic stability.
He wrote how those negotiations to avoid bankruptcy became “not just a way of achieving a better deal for the country. They became an experiment, an historic opportunity to prove the validity of his economic theories.”
Critical Negotiations
During volatile discussions, Greece found itself perilously on the brink of exiting the eurozone.
On the line was both the country's destiny but also the harsh cutbacks required in exchange for bailout funds by international creditors.
Failed Options
Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as an urgent plea to Russia to purchase Greek government bonds, fell on stony ground.
Helping Greece would be tantamount to throwing money into the garbage, Putin is reputed to have informed his Greek counterpart during their meeting.
Referendum and U-Turn
That summer, those harsh bailout terms were put to a popular referendum, an action which threw Europe into a deeper crisis of identity.
Although the referendum was won resoundingly by voters who opposed the cuts, Tsipras was forced but to reject its outcome then agree to a bailout package from foreign lenders which proved to be even harsher.
Breaking Point
The ex-PM claimed that he started questioning his finance minister quite early on.
“Varoufakis was the public image of negotiation, the man who drew media attention, who appeared on the covers of magazines globally … it seemed he was enjoying the spotlight.”
After Varoufakis proposed a contingency plan that included creating a parallel currency as well as distributing vouchers to retirees, Tsipras said he realised it was game over and asked him: “Is this for real?”
Enduring Rebuke
In the memoir, the author concludes how his former ally had proved himself to be “unfit for an agreement demanding complex and delicate handling.”
Tsipras further claimed that his confrontational style made him increasingly isolated among peers, endangered the country, while helped hardliners that were pushing for Grexit.
The account of events has been met with anger and stunned disbelief among certain groups, while Varoufakis has so far kept a conspicuous quiet regarding these claims.
