I decided to write this book because, even today, eight years later, the truth about what really happened in the country in 2009 has not been revealed in all its dimensions. What did the ND government do to address the consequences of the global economic crisis? Did it take measures when it needed to or not? Did it promote changes, implement reforms? Did it govern or "surrender" and ultimately "escape," as some claim? What was the political climate of the time? What was the opposition's stance? Why did Costas Karamanlis call for elections? Who knew the truth about the economy? What should the Papandreou government have done, and what did it ultimately do? Why was Greece excluded from the markets? Was recourse to the IMF inevitable? I provide answers to these questions through this book.

Not to absolve any political responsibilities of the government I served or my own. I present to the well-intentioned reader my personal testimony. About the work accomplished. And about the decisions or plans that the elections suspended and ultimately thwarted. Decisions and plans that, if implemented immediately after the elections, would have made the country's trajectory completely different.

At the same time, by portraying the political climate of that pivotal period for the evolution of the crisis, I attempt to highlight the urgent need for the future of the country for a continuous and uncompromising conflict between irresponsibility and responsibility, rationalism, and populism. And to emphasize the timeless value of understanding and consensus in the face of the great and critical challenges that concern all Greeks.

This book is owed to many, both famous and anonymous, with whom I shared common visions, struggles, and anxieties. I owe it to myself as well. To definitively close any open issues of the past and focus on the present and, above all, the future. Because I truly believe that our only concern and anxiety should be how we, as Greeks, will create the terms and conditions for a better future together.

Therefore, I present here my own testimony regarding the brief but critical period filled with challenges and dilemmas during which I was responsible for shaping and implementing economic policy. I present the truth of our work.