Rory Stewart

Today's guest, Yanis Varoufakis, is someone with a very different politics, a very different view of the economy and how it should work.

He's had a lifetime studying, teaching and writing about economics.

But he became a prominent political figure well beyond Greece when he was their finance minister during the financial crisis, which pitted him against the giants of France, Germany, the global banks, the IMF and more.

He resigned after winning an anti-austerity referendum.

He's returned to writing and since established a party in Greece and the pan-European movement and is a regular contributor to political debate around the world.

So it's a pleasure meeting

to have him here.

So we normally start by asking our guests about their childhood, but you yesterday celebrated your 65th birthday.

And you were telling me before we started recording, you did it with an amazing event, which sounds like with some very interesting guests.

And I'm going to spring a bit of surprise on you, including the owner of your favorite ears on the planet.

Oh, no.

I'll tell you what that means in a minute.

Just to give you the context, Zach Polanski, who Rory had a really interesting spiky spat in this very studio when Zach Polanski was sitting here.

And Jeremy Corbyn, who Rory described in his book on politics as a man with beautiful ears.

You want to address your daughter.

Were they coming more... I get the sense they were coming more from your mother's side than your father's side.

And that was because he wouldn't condemn communism, though he wasn't a communist.

You've described for both of your parents quite extraordinary punishment for existing and punishment for their views at various stages.

So at one point, Greece was kind of such a mess, they decided you should come to England to be educated.

Your dad decided that.