Adults In The Room: My Battle With Europe’s Deep Establishment

Adults In The Room: My Battle With Europe’s Deep Establishment

by YanisVaroufakis (Author)

Synopsis

'One of the greatest political memoirs of all time' (Guardian) -- The Sunday Times Number 1 Bestseller What happens when you take on the establishment? In this blistering, personal account, world-famous economist Yanis Varoufakis blows the lid on Europe's hidden agenda and exposes what actually goes on in its corridors of power. Varoufakis sparked one of the most spectacular and controversial battles in recent political history when, as finance minister of Greece, he attempted to re-negotiate his country's relationship with the EU. Despite the mass support of the Greek people and the simple logic of his arguments, he succeeded only in provoking the fury of Europe's political, financial and media elite. But the true story of what happened is almost entirely unknown - not least because so much of the EU's real business takes place behind closed doors. In this fearless account, Varoufakis reveals all: an extraordinary tale of brinkmanship, hypocrisy, collusion and betrayal that will shake the deep establishment to its foundations. As is now clear, the same policies that required the tragic and brutal suppression of Greece's democratic uprising have led directly to authoritarianism, populist revolt and instability throughout the Western world. Adults In The Room is an urgent wake-up call to renew European democracy before it is too late.

$11.84

Save:$13.27 (53%)

Quantity

2 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 560
Publisher: Bodley Head
Published: 04 May 2017

ISBN 10: 184792445X
ISBN 13: 9781847924452
Book Overview: An explosive, headline-making account from the world-famous economist of what happens when you take on the EU establishment

Media Reviews
Varoufakis has written one of the greatest political memoirs of all time [and] one of the most accurate and detailed descriptions of modern power ever written * Guardian *
An important, terrifying must-read. In particular, it anatomises the way in which EU leaders operate with a brutal clarity ... shocking and ultimately tragic ... He gets to the heart of their failure more acutely than anyone ... Varoufakis has the greatest political virtues of all - courage and honesty * The Times *
A tremendously indiscreet account ... drawing upon his own audio recordings and diaries of top-level meetings. It is deeply personal and very well written * Financial Times *
The most jaw-dropping segments are the accounts of phone calls and closed-door meetings - often verbatim, courtesy of his secret recordings - between ministers and technocrats ... We see duplicity and cynicism ruling supreme .. A convincing critique ... Our own government should take note * Daily Telegraph *
This is a superbly written account of the struggle to alleviate the austerity imposed upon the Greek people by the eurozone. Greece, argues Varoufakis, has been put in a debtors' prison and robbed of autonomy and dignity for the indefinite future. Critics would argue that he failed as finance minister in 2015 because he was insufficiently politic. More plausibly, he could never have succeeded, such were the vested interests arrayed against him. This outcome was - and is - a tragedy, because he was - and is - right. The bulk of Greek debt should indeed be cancelled outright. Read and weep -- Martin Wolf, Financial Times Summer Reads
Astonishing ... not simply a political biography but a reflection on the nature and meaning of power in our times ... This really is an important book ... you should read it ... This book could be a game changer if it shakes we the people from our compliant slumber as passengers within the sinking ship of contemporary high power * Open Democracy *
Riveting ... an extraordinary account of low cunning at the heart of Greece's 2015 financial bailout ... Admirably, he eschews denunciations, finding the human in his adversaries, even in his darkest moments * Observer *
A blistering account ... should be required reading for David Davis and the government's Brexit negotiating team * Scotsman *
A fascinating reveal on the hidden world of what he calls the deep establishment ... Varoufakis is a master of clarity and, as Theresa May prepares to steer the good ship GB through the dangerous shoals of Brexit, this is an invaluable account of how the political establishment really works * City AM *
One of my few heroes. As long as people like Varoufakis are around, there still is hope -- Slavoj Zizek
Together with Bernie Sanders, Varoufakis is the only other honest politician around -- Noam Chomsky
The most interesting man in the world * Business Insider *
The Thucydides of our time -- Jeffrey Sachs
A brilliant economist * Bloomberg *
Few finance ministers have such a talent for economics as Yanis Varoufakis -- Joseph Stiglitz
It is important to take note of the ideas that Varoufakis continues to espouse ... the essence of [his] agenda was - and remains - largely correct -- Mohamed El-Erian
A global celebrity * Economist *
His words about the European crisis speak universal truths about democracy, capitalism and social policy * Guardian *
Timely and important * Big Issue *
Timely and important * Big Issue *
A whistle-blowing memoir that doubles as a penetrating analysis of the eurozone crisis, one caused in Varoufakis's view by the stubbornness and ideological dogmatism of what he calls Europe's deep establishment. As Britain prepares to enter exit negotiations with the EU, many will turn to this book for insights... Adults in the Room has a fly-on-the-wall quality that makes it a captivating read -- Chris Bickerton * Prospect *
Passionate, indiscreet and forceful revenge on the smug elite of the European Union -- Colm Toibin * Irish Times *
Varoufakis' book... should be required reading for anyone who believes that a Brexit outcome satisfactory to the UK is likely -- Richard Joyner * Times Higher Education *
Outstanding -- William Hague * Daily Telegraph *
Author Bio
Yanis Varoufakis is the former finance minister of Greece and the author of several international bestsellers. And the Weak Suffer What They Must?: Europe, Austerity and the Threat to Global Stability reveals the underlying problems that led to the Eurozone crisis and its ongoing catastrophic mishandling. Adults In the Room: My Battle with Europe's Deep Establishment is his explosive memoir of his time in goverment, which reveals what goes on behind the scenes in Europe's corridors of power. Talking To My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism explains through vivid stories and easily graspable concepts what economics actually is and why it is so dangerous in the form of a letter to his teenage daughter. Born in Athens in 1961, Yanis Varoufakis was for many years a professor of economics in Britain, Australia and the USA before he entered government and is currently Professor of Economics at the University of Athens. Since resigning from Greece's finance ministry he has co-founded an international grassroots movement, DiEM25, campaigning for the revival of democracy in Europe and speaks to audiences of thousands worldwide. yanisvaroufakis.eu / @yanisvaroufakis