Against the predictions of many opinion polls, the Greek referendum, or so-called “Greferendum,” scored a surprisingly resounding victory for the Oxi—or “No”—campaign.
Some 60 percent of Greek voters chose “no” on one of the most incomprehensible referendum questions in history. The vote has been heralded and mourned across Europe, with both sides agreeing that it is a “historic” occasion in European (they mean European Union) history.
It is not.
How could it be? The Greferendum was designed to be vague and inconsequential. It was on an extremely narrow question, that is—whether Greeks supported a highly specific proposal from the country’s creditors.
The referendum was always much more about the survival of the Greek government than about Greece or Europe.
