Yanis Varoufakis tours Australia: A pseudo-left representative of European capitalism in search of political allies
==========

Yanis Varoufakis, former finance minister of Greece, concluded his tour of Australia with a call for the Australian and European ruling elites to adopt a more "independent" foreign policy. Varoufakis, who toured as the secretary-general of the "Democracy in Europe Movement 2025" (Diem25), is seen as a pseudo-left representative of European capitalism. He was responsible for the betrayal of the working class during his tenure as finance minister, implementing austerity measures and imposing deep cuts. Varoufakis's tour was organized by the Australia Institute, a liberal think tank, and he received a warm reception from the upper-middle class. His remarks at the National Press Club focused on the need for Europe and Australia to invest in "cloud capital" and compete with the US and China. However, his analysis ignores the deeper crisis of global capitalism and the intractable contradictions between capitalist nation-states. Varoufakis's call for European "power" is seen as a militarist one, aligning with the military build-up in Europe. His tour and promotion by bourgeois organizations like the Australia Institute are seen as attempts to give a pseudo-left facelift to reactionary policies. Varoufakis's role in the betrayal of the Greek working class during his time in government is highlighted, and his current rhetoric is seen as hypocritical. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for the working class to reject the pseudo-left and fight for a socialist and internationalist perspective.

#YanisVaroufakis #EuropeanCapitalism #AustralianPolitics #AusterityMeasures #Pseudoleft

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/03/30/xbdn-m30.html