crying wolf

[NickZ]

Originally Posted by adriatica

.instead of cutting capital projects and investment in infrastructure... cut the government costs and get the country running properly...maybe the right will try this... the left certainly not... as the are in possession of the major part of these jobs for life...

A bridge to no where costs many millions. Which costs would you cut to equal those millions? It doesn't take many capital projects of any size to hit billions. How many police officers do you need to lay off to cover those billions?

Sure they should stop wasting money in Afganstan and other expensive adventures. Those millions could be used at home. But lets remember who wants to waste all that money.

[Gala Placidia]

All this reminds me more and more of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's book "Il Gattopardo"

Se vogliamo che tutto rimanga come e, bisogna che tutto cambi (sorry, accent missing, my keyboard is for English)

Or, basicaly, it is a matter of changing something so that nothing changes.

[Italiargh]

Originally Posted by Gala Placidia

Se vogliamo che tutto rimanga come e, bisogna che tutto cambi (sorry, accent missing, my keyboard is for English)

Slightly off topic i know and apologise, but if you have Windows XP (probably other versions have it, i guess?), there is a handy little tool called 'character map', that by typing in a little code, you can get your accents.

Click on Start> All Programs> accessories> System tools> Character Map, you will find your accents, as well as other useful characters like ©, etc

As an example, to type è, press and hold down 'Alt' and type in 0232 (on the keypad on the right of your keyboard, not on top of the letters)

Sorry for butting in, on the joke that is Italian politics, i thought you and some others might find this useful.

[giovanni]

with the highest wages and the highest number of politicians Italy has a huge amount of tax burden that they cannot meet...instead of cutting capital projects and investment in infrastructure... cut the government costs and get the country running properly...maybe the right will try this... the left certainly not... as the are in possession of the major part of these jobs for life...

I do agree with this sentiment john.

But remember berlo had a decade to do this,and did not,so whats diferent now?
I believe he had a good run,did some good and some not so good.

Just wish prodi could have been given half that time too,and had the backing so he could have tried to make a diference.

What we end up with is this nasty circle where very little gets done of worth.

Just wish it was diferent...and if the events below could be sorted out... welll.......


http://www.italymag.co.uk/2008/news-...worth-549-bln/

[Nardini]

On the morning of Berlusconi's visit to see the President to plead his case for early elections, we read that last night he was threatening to put "millions of people on the streets of Rome". Strangely reminiscent of the exact same threat that Mussolini made in order to cause the elections that brought him to power. In fact, Mussolini then proceeded to organise exactly that, millions of people on the streets of Rome, so forcing his way to initial premiership.

An interesting (and absolutely accurate) comment in The Independent this morning states: "He was the first Italian Prime Minister since Mussolini to rule for five years straight. Tax evaders and people who constructed buildings without permits enjoyed amnesties, crooked accountants saw their crimes de-criminalised, construction firms linked to the Sicilian Mafia awaited the mother of all bonanzas from his pledge to build the world's longest single-span bridge across the Straits of Messina."

The article, written by Peter Popham, from which I have quoted above can be read here. Mi raccomando!

[Nardini]

A point that I missed in my previous post, worth commenting on separately is to elaborate on what the meaning of Berlusconi's claim to be wanting to serve as "Tony Blair" for only 3 of the 5 year term his government would be elected for, leaving the remaining 2 years to his "George Brown".

In 4 years time, the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, will have completed his own term as president. This would leave an opening which, purely coincidentally of course, could be filled by Berlusconi himself. Of course, he would need the support of his old party in order to be elected, wouldn't he. Not a problem for old (75 then) Berlusconi and his unfeasably large wallet!

Imagine Italy with a Berlusconi controlled parliament and with Berlusconi himself as the President - guardian of the Italian constitution. The only thing left to ask would be if his wife likes to collect shoes...