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Adults in the Room

My Battle with Europe's Deep Establishment

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Adults in the Room

By: Yanis Varoufakis
Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
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About this listen

In Adults in the Room, Yanis Varoufakis exposes the shocking reality of how power is wielded behind the scenes at the EU - and argues that only radical reform can save it from collapse.

Yanis Varoufakis became globally famous when was elected finance minister of Greece with a specific mandate to say no to the EU: to reject the forced loans and crushing austerity forced upon his country by the Eurozone.

The negotiations that ensued became one of the most spectacular and controversial battles in economic history. But no one actually knows what went on because Eurogroup discussions are held in secret. In this no-holds-barred account, Varoufakis reveals all: an extraordinary tale of brinkmanship and backstabbing that will shake the economic establishment to its foundations.

The future of the EU now hangs in the balance. As Varoufakis argues, the only way it can survive is if the truth is known, ushering in a new era of radical transparency and accountability in Brussels. Adults in the Room is an urgent wake-up call to renew European democracy before it is too late.

©2017 Yanis Varoufakis (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks Europe International Political Science Politics & Government World Thought-Provoking Capitalism Imperialism Banking Socialism Stock Taxation

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Most relevant
Forget about what you think you know about Grexit. Read the book and inform yourself first. How the European establishment deceived all of us. This is a very detailed book with precise descriptions of private meetings and political games. How the Greek spring turned into the biggest betrayal against the Greeks people and democratic values. How Troika got what they wanted at the expense of all European tax payers.

All Europeans should read this book

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Would you consider the audio edition of Adults in the Room to be better than the print version?

Totally obsorbed by this audiobook. Amazing but scary account of how distructive the Troica have been to Greece, Europe and democracy

Amazing recount

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This really goes into every detail of what Varoufakis went through trying to renegotiate the Greek debt with the institutions of the EU.

Anyone who has high hopes of the EU will come away from this book very depressed with how the Greeks were treated and in particular the terrible way Varoufakis himself was maligned and mistreated.

Over and over again Varoufakis hears positive words in private from politicians only to have them say the opposite in public. Over and over he tries to come to a reasonable and humaine settlement with the EU institutions over the Greek dept, yet every time his ideas are rejected while the press are briefed that it is the EU who are trying to find a settlement and Varoufakis who is being the obstruction.

The EU forced the Greek state into an unnecessary and counter-productive programme of ultra-austerity which made it even harder for Greece to repay the debt while at the same time forcing terrible hardships on all the Greek people - from the young to the pensioners. It is a very difficult read, but if you want to know the truth about how the EU works it is a necessary read.

So Depressing for the European Project

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Illuminating, even if it does jump around in time a lot. This sheds a huge amount of light on the inner workings of otherwise dark establishments.

The economics in it is relatively clearly presented but I would advise the reader to spend 10-15 minutes researching the concepts of government bonds, haircutting, and credit default swaps if they are not already familiar - though much can be gained from context a proper introduction enriches the book.

Excellent

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I expected more explanation about what happened to Alexis. Some how I thought that Varoufakis was smarter than a believer...

Expected more

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