alexrpt
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The loved and hated ex-finance minister of Greece (speaking with Australian ABC National Radio show, Late Night Live ) said he is ready to push for a Pan-Εuropean network to fight austerity.
Instead of running in Greece’s upcoming, snap elections, Varoufakis will focus on changing the European system.
Yanis Varoufakis said he will not run for parliament again, describing the current elections as “sad and fruitless”.
The real stinger from Varoufakis was his admission that he no longer has faith in what SYRIZA and Alexis Tsipras are doing.
‘The party that I served and the leader that I served has decided to change course completely and to espouse an economic policy that makes absolutely no sense, which was imposed upon us.
I don’t believe that we should have signed up to it, simply because within a few months the ship is going to hit the rocks again. And we don’t have the right to stand in front of our courageous people who voted no against this program, and propose to them that we implement it, given that we know that it cannot be implemented.”
Via Keep Talking Greece…
Varoufakis indirectly described Alexis Tsipras as a ‘fool’ saying that Tsipras was like mythical Sisyphus “carrying on pushing the same rock of austerity up the hill, against the laws of economics and against very profound ethical principles.” He added “as a child I considered Sisyphus a fool. I would have simply stopped pushing the rock.”
He expressed sympathy for the SYRIZA rebels of Panagiotis Lafazanis and the Popular Unity, but he added that he fundamentally disagrees with their ‘isolationist’ stance of desiring a return to the drachma.
‘Instead of becoming engaged in an election campaign which in my mind is quite sad and fruitless, I’m going to be remain politically active—maybe more active than I have been so far—at the European level, trying to establish a European network.”
He criticized the bloc formations of national parties within the European Parliament and stressed that “this model doesn’t work anymore.”
“I think we should try to aim for a European network that at some point evolves into a pan-European party.”
Full interview text & audio here
PS Wise decision, Yanis, to initiate a European spring. As for Varoufakis’ fans they now know who will vote for in the next European Parliament elections.
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.