July 15, 2004
ITALY BACK TO NORMAL?:
Berlusconi battles for survival (Roland Flamini, 7/14/2004, UPI)
On Monday the marriage of convenience between [Silvio Berlusconi's] own Forza Italia Party and his partners seemed dangerously close to unraveling because of differences over the government's spending priorities in the 2005 budget.A media and real estate tycoon turned politician, and the richest man in Italy, Berlusconi has promised voters a tax cut, which he believes will give a boost to the economy. But Gianfranco Fini, the deputy prime minister and leader of the neo-fascist National Alliance, favors more public spending. Another partner, the Northern League, which is seeking more autonomy for Italy's industrial north, is pressing for institutional reforms (a part of the coalition's program) that would introduce more decentralization and regional independence.
The first casualty of a weekend of inter-party wrangling was Finance Minister Giulio Tramonti. He was forced to resign Sunday, when Fini threatened to pull his party out of the coalition in a "him-or-us" standoff. The departure of Tramonti, a senior member of Forza Italia and the Berlusconi cabinet and the architect of the tax-cut proposal, was seen as an indication that the prime minister was losing control over the government. "Berlusconi must really have felt cornered to have sacrificed Tramonti, who personifies Berlusconism more than the prime minister himself," said one Italian political source in Rome.
The revealing thing isn't that Europe is in decline but that anyone--Left, Right, or Center--who so much as proposes making reforms that might arrest the decline is punished by voters. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 15, 2004 8:34 AM
Well, it might be too much to generalize from Italy's example. Berlusconi's government has been unusual in its longevity. Prior to him, Italian governments constantly unraveled come budget time, reforms or no. It could just be Italy's old institutional weaknesses rearing their head again, after a popular leader held them off for longer than usual.
Posted by: kevin whited at July 15, 2004 9:43 AMAlthough I could not link to the whole article, it does not sound like Berlusconi was punished by voters, just stuck in arguing with the legislature. Under a parliamentary system, there is less power available in going 'over the heads' of Congress, as it were, since the PM's position depends on the parliament.
Posted by: jim hamlen at July 15, 2004 10:12 AM