The Greek Proposal on the Heels of the Referendum on Austerity: A Case of

Avoidable Betrayal
Only days after appealing to the will of the people, Greeces prime minister put
forward a proposal to the states creditors that contradicts the peoples rejection of
further austerity. To be sure, the referendum was nonbinding, and the need for
compromise was well justified by the seizing up of the states banking system and
economy after the No vote. Furthermore, one of the virtues of representative as
distinct from direct democracy is that officeholders can pursue policies contrary to
the immediate will of the people but in line with their best interest. Alexis Tsipras
faced immanent economic catastrophe, and so he can reasonably be credited with
acting in his constituents best interest. Nevertheless, the sting of betrayal (and the
larger theoretical point of governmental sovereignty being subordinate to popular
sovereignty) warrants attention in this case.
The full essay is at The Greek Proposal.