Greece economic reforms will fail, says Yanis Varoufakis
Alexis Tsipras decided ‘our government, was at gunpoint’, says former finance minister
Economic reforms imposed on Greece by creditors are going to fail, according to the country’s outspoken former finance minister.
Yanis Varoufakis told the BBC on Saturday that Greece was subject to a programme that will “go down in history as the greatest disaster of macroeconomic management ever”.
His warning came as Greece’s prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, reshuffled his cabinet barely 48 hours after dissidents broke ranks over the bailout deal for the country.
Mr Varoufakis, who has warned austerity measures for Greece will strengthen support for the far right, told the broadcaster: “This programme is going to fail whoever undertakes its implementation.”
He insisted Mr Tsipras did not fire him from his role as finance minister. “He didn’t get rid of me,” he said.
“Alexis Tsipras at some point decided that his government, our government, was at gunpoint. We were given a choice between being executed and capitulating and he decided that capitulation was the optimal strategy.
“I may disagree with him and I declared that by resigning my post but I understand precisely the very difficult position in which he finds himself.
“We’re completely united in lambasting the highly undemocratic and economically irrational policies of the European Union towards the government.”
irish times