I have lately been struck by several comments of diverse political observers, from law professors to economists, who considered the holding of the Greek referendum, seeking whether Greek citizens accepted or not further austerity measures put forward by the European Institutions, to have been a political mistake. If such a view might seem justified at first glance, it is however in reality simplistic and therefore incorrect, discrediting inadequately the Greek government on this precise point. The aim of this very short and modest blog post is to rectify an incorrect affirmation in the context of the Greek referendum which was held on July 12th. Some readers might ask themselves about the accuracy or relevance of such a comment right now, but I consider it to be important, no matter how one might evaluate the overall work of the Greek government over the last nearly 8 months, not to fall into an oversimplified view of what has to be considered as a very difficult and complex situation.
Continue reading
Why the holding of the Greek referendum was not a political mistake
Reply