Yesterday was the tenth anniversary of the controversial 2015 referendum. And today marks ten years since its result was overturned by the Council of Political Leaders.
An act of prudence? Most definitely. Following an act of serious self-harm that oh so nearly was.
It would be optimistic and instructive to conclude that we’ve learned from that mistake. But I’m not sure we have.
The three delusions that led to the 2015 disaster remain very much with us and toxic in part.
First, the delusion of a nation that thinks they have earned the democratic right to act on every irresponsible idea they get into their head, in the name of their sovereignty, and without consequences.
Second, the delusion that a nation’s trajectory is subject solely to the will of those who govern and those who vote for them.
“The Greeks voted that they are rich”, an American analyst noted mockingly at the time.
Thirdly, the delusion that a country like Greece, which is integrated into a global and European power system, can (and is entitled to…) impose its wishes on that entire system.
Which is all good, though potential partners willing to foot the bill are getting ever thinner on the ground.
There is certainly no doubt that numerous factors are to blame for the crisis of the last decade. Some individual. Some national. And some European. We’ve allocated them.
But there be no doubt, too, that this awareness should guide our steps moving forward. No one is without sin, but that doesn’t mean we’re all going to Hell.
The shrewdness of a nation—and the maturity of a society—are not for glossing over or erasing responsibility. They are there to inform a thorough examination of what happened and to allocate responsibility accordingly, in an honest, sober and constructive way. So that everyone can move forward wiser.
I wouldn’t say the referendum and flip-flop of 2015 are open to multiple interpretations—not by any means. After all, a decade on, all the facts, actors, choices and actions are known quantities.
Nothing can be changed or added a decade after the face. That’s who they were, and that’s what they chose to do.
What isn’t yet complete is the transformation of that national adventure into national consciousness. That is to say, we still need to understand what happened and why. So that we can take a new collective self-knowledge on board. One that’s free of delusions.
Because only through this mature and diligent process can we—as a society and individually—throw our weight behind a “never again!”.
