Controversial former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis on Friday again lashed out at his former comrades in the first Tsipras government over the first half of 2015. Speaking on an Athens radio station, Varoufakis was again scathing in his criticism of Tsipras and his successor at the finance ministry, Euclid Tsakalotos. “Are you utterly stupid?” Varoufakis said he told Prime Minister Tsipras when the latter accepted 3.5% primary surpluses.
He repeated a charge that Tsipras and his SYRIZA-dominated government did not want a “no” vote in the July 5 referendum, a result that eventually emerged by a margin of two to one.
“I didn’t believe we would win, but I wanted this,” he said, again stressing that he witnessed “sad faces” among top government cadres on the evening of the referendum.
Moreover, in recalling what he claimed was another discussion with Tsipras, he expressed bewilderment when told by the latter that he had agreed to creditors’ demand for an annual 3.5 percent budget surplus, as a percentage of GDP, which the Greek state would have to achieve.
“I told him, ‘are you utterly stupid?’ And he answered: ‘Oh, did I do something stupid? We’ll take it back…” was the way Varoufakis remembered the discussion, adding that the term he used to describe Tsipras was harsher than “stupid”.
Turning to his successor, the previously UK-based academic Tsakalotos, Varoufakis called him a “yes man” in the wake of the contentious and ultimately futile referendum.
“I no longer recognize him … Euclid became a ‘yes man’ after July 6, until then he wasn’t. In Euclid’s case it pains me, because I saw this transformation. I will never support what Euclid said after July 6,” Varoufakis said in comments on the radio station “Parapolitika” – via naftemporiki.
PS and the point of keep lashing out at former comrades is…? One and a half year after he was forced to resign form the government, the former FinMin keeps repeating the same ‘old men’ stories, Meanwhile, every man, every woman, every child, dog and cat in Greece knows that Varoufakis had “the better ideas” and “it was a grave mistake that SYRIZA did not follow his advice.” So, now what? Time to for him to pick a new communication strategy on his upcoming political party, otherwise it is getting utterly …
Varoufakis answers questions that are put to him, journalists choose questions. And then other journalists choose which five sentences to quote out of a two hours long interview. When he himself decides what to talk about he speaks about current situation and what should be done about it, using the past only in contrast-with-the-future and lessons-learned context. It’s hardly his fault if mainstream media decide not to report about it. It’s a shame that you follow mainstram media in that, as my understanding of what he says in Greek is limited.