Rival plans
Both main parties have similar plans?but neither is bold enough
THE most striking claim in Italy’s election comes in the programme of Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right alliance, People of Freedom. ?We don’t do, or promise, miracles,? it says. Yet Mr Berlusconi has made a fortune (and a political career) from hawking dreams. The threat of world recession, plus Italy’s economic fragility, has brought even him down to earth. His centre-left rival, Walter Veltroni, leader of the Democratic Party, is equally downbeat. The scale of Italy’s economic problems has encouraged both men to come up with proposals that sound strikingly similar.
Romano Prodi’s centre-left government fell in part because it tried to meet the European Commission’s demands for smaller budget deficits by raising taxes and cracking down on evasion. His would-be successors appear to accept that they too must attack spending. Mr Veltroni pledges to trim current spending by 0.5% of GDP in the first year and 1% in each of the next two. Mr Berlusconi is less specific, if more convincing on the means: a ?digitalisation? of the administration. What neither admits is that serious cuts must lead to job losses that will create a direct conflict with Italy’s powerful trade unions. …
- Rival plans
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
- Politicians blame each other for Italy’s gloom
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