For one more time, controversial ex finance minister Yanis Varoufakis stirred the local political scene on Thursday when he claimed that the “agreement with (Greek PM Alexis) Tsipras was to threaten them (the institutions) with Grexit behind closed doors.”
In an interview to an alternative news site in Athens, Varoufakis was referring to the talks between Greeks and the creditors in spring 2015.
Varoufakis said during the interview that the threat of “Grexit” was the reason why “I was not their favorite”, describing relations with European peers.
Even more revealing was Varoufakis’ quip that threats of Grexit were phony and that such a development, in any case, would cost one trillion euros – a prospect he said did not frighten him.
Specifically, the interview, posted on the website “Athens Live”, led with the phrase: When (German FinMin Wolfgang) Schauble said he’d throw me out I wasn’t afraid; do it, we won’t… There was no reason to go out in public and say it … The minute you say it you’re out,” he added.
Varoufakis, who served as the first finance minister in the SYRIZA government after January 2015 and then left the party ahead of the snap election in September 2015 in protest over the third memorandum, also wasn’t kind in his description of the influential German minister.
“Despite the fact that he (Schauble) is the most powerful minister in Europe , I nevertheless viewed him as an incompetent little man wrapped up in a conspiracy; amid powers that compete against one another, and who tries, like a symphony conductor, to achieve his own victory against (Angela) Merkel,” Varoufakis said. (via naftemporiki.gr)
Varoufakis interview is here
In two subsequent Tweets on his personal Twitter account over his statement regarding a meeting with Mario Draghi, Varoufakis wrote in English:
The Greek media scandalously present my retaliation plan to haircut some bonds, if the EU closed down our banks, as a threat to Grexit.
— Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) May 12, 2016
His first tweet was in Greek and it was reading:
Το μήνυμα μου προς την ΕΚΤ ήταν μετριοπαθές: Αν μας κλείσετε τις τράπεζες θα σας κουρέψουμε τα παλαιά ομόλογα. Καμία απειλή Grexit. Από εμάς
— Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) May 12, 2016
“My message to the ECB was moderate. If you close our banks we’ll proceed with a haircut of the older bonds. No threat of Grexit. From us.”
In other Tweets, Varoufakis spoke of the “Greek Troika” that moans “Grexit”.
Some media regretted the mistake to have spoken of Grexit and not of “bonds haircut”, politicians from the opposition came out with ironic comments claiming that SYRIZA was investing in catastrophe and was blackmailing creditors with Grexit”, social media trolls cheered without end …
and in general we have had a nice Greek Salad, lost in oily misinterpretation and cheesy translation, as usual in this country.
I watched Yanis Varoufakis – The eye of the storm –
What a load of rubbish Yani – obviously you can’t see to know what is real – you are purported to be “THE” economist of Europe – Xipnios – switched on – wow.
The ant & the grasshopper – paramythia leme – bravo – ya ta mora pou imaste, leme paramythia.
Thank goodness it is ultimately we the people who have the last say – we the people are the deciding factor, the kick in the back side that settles the conundrum.
Have a look at this video clip
Youtube – Andre Rieu & Trio St Petersburg – Zorba’s Dance (Sirtaki)
Na Mas, we the people, na tin omorfia mas – opa!
Faked dance for Anthony Quinn who was not beautiful enough for the real one, so better a Varoufakis writing a script from the inside