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

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Yanis joins <em>Long Reads</em> for a discussion about the legacy of the 2015 referendum.</p>

<p>You can find a loosely edited transcript of the interview here: <a href="https://jacobin.com/2025/07/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-legacy-of-greeces-oxi-referendum" rel="nofollow">https://jacobin.com/2025/07/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-legacy-of-greeces-oxi-referendum</a></p>

<p><em>Long Reads</em> is a <em>Jacobin</em> 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.</p>