Top Ten Reasons Why Today’s Greek Referendum is Bullshit:

Today, the Greek public will vote on — well, nobody is really sure what. While some (read: European Council, sensationalist media) claim it is a choice between remaining in the Euro and going it alone, others (Tsipras) claim Greece will not leave the Euro, but a No vote will increase Greece’s standing in negotiations. So what’s the deal? Is it even allowed? Here are my top ten reasons that the referendum is total crap.

1. It breaks the number one rule of public referenda — have a clearly formulated question.
2. It is unconstitutional — the Greek constitution forbids public referenda on economic policy.
3. It gives the Greek people ten days to decide on an issue that could affect the country for generations (by contrast, Scotland had 18 months to decide whether it wanted independence).
4. It asks whether Greeks support an outdated deal that was replaced with a more favorable one, pushing Greeks towards a no.
5. There is currently no deal on the table at all, as both versions have now expired.
6. The majority of Greeks have not read the deal about which the referendum is asking.
7. There is no consensus about whether the referendum is a question of Greece leaving the Euro or not.
8. Greeks must vote where they are registered, meaning many will not vote at all because they cannot travel home in time.
9. Even with absentee ballots, one would have had to act almost immediately, giving one even less time to decide.
10. As is often the case with such referenda, it has become a question of emotion rather than logic, asking Greeks to decide on their fate while avoiding the substantive issue, and becoming prey to scare tactics and dramatization.