THE VAROUFAKIS-TSIPRAS LINE WAS DOOMED TO FAIL FROM THE WORD ‘GO’

This article on Varoufakis’s book, Adults in The Room: My Battle with Europe’s Deep Establishment (2017) and about what happened in Greece in 2015 is a guide for left-leaning readers who are not happy with the dominant narrative meted out by the mainstream media and the Troika-controlled governments. These readers are also dissatisfied with the former Greek Finance Minister’s version. As a counterpoint to Varoufakis’s story, I have highlighted events that he is silent about, and I have expressed different views on what he should have done and what he did instead. My story runs parallel, and not opposite, to his. It is crucial to thoroughly analyse the policy implemented by the Varoufakis-Tsipras government because, for the first time in the 21st century, a radical left-wing government was elected in Europe. If we want to avoid another disaster, it is absolutely vital to identify the flaws and understand what went wrong. This critique of the Greek government’s policy in 2015 is not primarily meant to point out the respective responsibilities of Tsipras or Varoufakis as individuals. It is imperative to analyse the politico-economic orientation that was followed, so that we can ascertain the causes of failure, understand what could have been tried instead, and learn what a radical left-wing government can do in a country in the periphery of the Eurozone.