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Tsipras and the opposition are bickering over Plan B while Varoufakis is watching them in a colourful shirt

31 July 2015 / 18:07:13  GRReporter
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On the orders of the PM, the Greek finance ministry elaborated an emergency plan to set in motion in case a process was set off to muscle Greece out of the Eurozone from the outside. This does not mean that the government had any intention of precipitating a Grexit on its own.

This is what Alexis Tsipras said today in parliament, standing squarely behind his former finance minister and shielding him from all-around attacks against his actions over the last few days. The PM caustically trashed Varoufakis' detractors and emphasised that leaving the Eurozone was neither his nor his government's choice.

According to Tsipras, there has been "a deliberate misrepresentation of actions and statements," which he described as dangerous as it "criminalizes the government's natural attempt to ward off an incident provoked by extreme circles, which used to design and are still designing Greece's chaotic bankruptcy".

"We never conceived plans to leave the Eurozone. We needed an emergency action plan and we had one. You could have lambasted us if we didn't." After citing statements by European officials mentioning Eurozone's preparations for a possible Grexit, Tsipras said: "I don't understand what you are reproaching us for. We had a country which was under military threat and its invasion by enemy troops was pretty likely. And this is what you blame us for? It is only natural and obvious that I personally instructed the minister of finance to draw up a plan for urgent action. Otherwise I would have been politically naive and irresponsible. It is hilarious of you to see a political controversy in the government's obvious choice to shield itself against an increasingly aggressive behaviour coming from the opposite side," he said.

photo: kathimerini.gr

Tsipras made his pronouncements in the 'PM's hour' and in response to forays by PASOK's leader Fofi Gennimata who qualified Varoufakis' plan B as a "political scandal, in which the main role was played by the former finance minister''.

He maintained he was acting on your orders. He made confessions over the creation of a parastatal maze and you are obliged to shed light on its dark corridors. You brought Grexit to the country's backyard," she said.

A little later, New Democracy slammed the PM in its turn. "Exactly what kind of order did Mr. Tsipras give?" asked 'the blues' in a press release, and went on to say:

"Earlier he said he had given an order to clarify the implications of a possible Grexit. Now he claims something else: to have commissioned a plan B in case of emergency. If there is danger of being expelled from the Eurozone, you should strive to eliminate this rather than edging even closer to it. "

New Democracy also posed a number of questions to Alexis Tsipras:

"What did plan B – which Mr Tsipras has commissioned and was kind enough to have just advised us about – ultimately involve?

Did the plan involve a robbery of the mint?

Did it involve the issuance of IOUs?

Did it envisage any parallel system for payments?

To what extent was the whole thing in line with the country's institutions? Who did the PM discuss these actions with? With the Bank of Greece, with the political parties or with non-institutional individuals, e.g. James Galbraith?

How were these individuals entitled to obtain knowledge of sensitive national issues such as the economy of the country?

How is it possible that people, who have proven links with hedge funds, be in the know of secret data and be working on these kind of plans?".

The press release ends up by pointing out: "After the prime minister's confession, we are even more concerned."

It is worth noting that in his defence of Yannis Varoufakis, the PM said that the opposition could criticize him for plenty of things, even for "his tasteless shirts," but not for being a double dealer.

It was not clear whether he was making hints about Varoufakis choice to appear in parliament today in a multi-colour shirt matched by blue jeans. The shirt however inspired many in the social networks to make cheeky comments:

"If you look carefully, you'll see Plan B stencilled on Varoufakis' shirt."

"If I were in Yannis' shoes, I would have taken it personally and presented Tsipras with a coloured shirt. With a stiff collar and tie."

"I put on a white shirt, then sneaked into the Vienna gallery at night and rolled in a Klimt painting."

"I poured coffee over my white shirt ... That's plan B."

"Varoufakis' shirt is the epitome of creative ambiguity printed on a piece of fabric."

Tags: politics Plan B Alexis Tsipras Yannis Varoufakis shirt
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