Long Reads: The Legacy of Greece’s Oxi Referendum w/ Yanis Varoufakis

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🗓️ 10 July 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

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Summary

It’s now ten years since the people of Greece voted in a referendum on the austerity program of the European Union. The referendum was called by the government of Alexis Tsipras and his left-wing Syriza party after months of negotiations with the EU. It brought the attention of the world media to what was happening in Greece after years of economic crisis.

To the surprise of many, there was a decisive 61 percent majority for the “no” side. But then, with bewildering speed, Tsipras signed up to a new austerity program that was more punitive than the one voters had rejected a few days earlier. The U-turn triggered the resignation of the Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis.

Yanis joins Long Reads for a discussion about the legacy of the 2015 referendum.

You can find a loosely edited transcript of the interview here: https://jacobin.com/2025/07/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-legacy-of-greeces-oxi-referendum

Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Longreeds is sponsored by Social Research, an international quarterly.
0:07.0	American universities were already facing multiple crises before the Trump administration declared war on higher education.
0:15.1	The latest issue of social research looks in depth at many of these challenges.
0:23.0	It includes articles by Judith Butler on Academic Freedom, Lisa Anderson on the therapeutic turn in American universities, and David
0:29.9	Hollinger on the Republican Party's hostile attitude to education. The journal is published by the
0:36.6	New School for Social Research in New York. You can find
0:40.5	social research at Sochres.org. That's sOC r-es.org. Hello, you're very welcome to Long
0:51.4	Reads. It's a Jacobin podcast where we look in depth of political
0:54.5	topics and thinkers. My name is Daniel Finn and the features editor here at Jaccombein and I'll
1:00.5	be presenting the show. It's now 10 years since the people of Greece voted in a referendum on
1:06.9	the austerity program of the European Union. The referendum was called by the government of Alexis Sipras and his Sariza party after months
1:15.7	of negotiations with the EU.
1:18.8	It brought the attention of the world media to what was happening in Greece after years
1:23.3	of economic crisis.
1:27.3	Speaking to Channel 4 News on the eve of the vote, this man explained why he was in the
1:31.8	no-camp.
1:32.8	They cannot say that our side is against Europe.
1:37.2	No.
1:38.2	We are in favour of Europe, but we want to have a Europe of equality, a Europe of justice and a Europe of liberty.
1:49.0	Most observers thought the outcome of the referendum was too close to call.
1:53.0	Euro News carried this report on the day of the vote.
1:57.0	Polling stations opened at 6am Central European time, with an 80% turnout expected,
	...

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