Comments on: Ciao, Ceausescu

By: ejh

ejh — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:47:01 +0000

I was thinking, though, re: your final sentence, that maybe for the first time in his entire political career, Berlusconi is not actually the problem.

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 00:06:36 +0000

Well most of the anti EU sentiment in european countries seems to be on the Nationalist racist right and to be irrational. But the left are the ones who should be very hostile or sceptical at least as the EU has embraced neo liberal economics since the late 80s or 1990s and that means cuts cuts and more cuts.

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:58:02 +0000

Is Mr. B not the New Mussolini but the Italian Harold Wilson? The Euro currency is the Gold standard without the Gold and any new ruling figure will have to apply savage cuts without a policy for economic growth. This follows from the size of the Italian debt. Unless Italy is going to break the Euro people will look back on this period nostalgically as a social democratic golden age. Remember when we built council houses by the millions and the left thought Wilson was so right wing? Good old days before the right wing economic putsch.

By: Cian

Cian — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:40:01 +0000

Are the Italians likely to accept the cuts? Because from here the sheer naked contempt being shown by the French and the German leaders at this point is just extraordinary. Is there likely to be a movement to pull out the Euro, or even the EU?

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:18:12 +0000

I think it’s a bit more nuanced than that. I think the author’s saying that not doing anything would be even worse for Italy than for Berlusconi to do what he’s told (“the Greek circle of Hell”) – and so would dicking around trying to buy time (“this utter lack of responsibility”). It’s true that actual resistance to “Europe and the markets” is way off la Repubblica’s radar – but I wouldn’t expect that resistance to involve Berlusconi in any case.

By: ejh

ejh — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:11:37 +0000

Yeah, but unless I’m missing something, the message is that he has to go because unless he does, a package of very drastic cuts may not be passed…