[p_monk]

Brilliant.

I believe his exit was planned before the referendum, regardless of the outcome. He had already openly stated that he would step down if the result of the vote was YES, but the media never asked him what would happen in the event of a NO victory.

His exit, especially in the early AM before EU markets open, will give some confidence to the bankers and most likely prevent the markets from sinking. Furthermore, it will signal to the creditors that SYRIZA is serious about reaching a deal.

I've been following the evolution of Mr. Varoufakis's thinking for the last 5 years, through his many appearances on Doug Henwood's Behind the News podcast. Listening to him speak on the Euro-crisis, it's clear that there's no one in the media who has a better grasp of how we got into this mess and how we ought to get out of it.

http://lbo-news.com/2015/01/28/yanis-varoufakis-on-btn-16-ti...

[danieltillett]

Yes I would say this is right. There needs to be an ability for all sides to save face here so someone had to go. I suspect that he has been extra obnoxious of late so that he could be removed at the appropriate time. Classic ploy.