Newsgroup: it.fan.culo
Titolo: Per farvi incazzare [so che vi piace, visto che e' domenica]

Prima che ve lo traduca la Repubblica, ve lo riporto io dal finanscial
taims.
E' molto bello vedere come la conoscenza vada a giornalisti: ci sono
quelli che sanno e scrivono, e ci sono quelli che non sanno e
scrivono, il nostro eroe piu' sotto appartiene a quest'ultima
categoria. Enjoy!
"
Berlusconi starts to keep his promises 
By Tony Barber 
Published: February 7 2003 21:38 | Last Updated: February 7 2003 21:38
 
 
About 2,500 years ago, Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War: "If, in the
midst of difficulties, we are always ready to seize an advantage, we
may extricate ourselves from misfortune."
 
Has Silvio Berlusconi been mugging up on ancient Chinese philosophy?
The waters of Italian politics are notoriously treacherous but the
media magnate turned prime minister has shown in the past seven days
why his skill as a helmsman should never be underestimated.
In two crucial areas of economic and foreign policy, Mr Berlusconi has
outwitted his domestic opponents and given a fresh sense of direction
to the centre-right government that he has led since his decisive
election victory in May 2001.
In foreign policy, the burning issues of the day in Italy are the Iraq
crisis and its impact on Europe's relations with the US. Here the
potential pitfalls for Mr Berlusconi are numerous. According to the
latest opinion polls, about two-thirds of Italians oppose a US-led war
against Iraq even if the United Nations Security Council gives the
go-ahead. There is strong opposition in parliament, too. Even within
Mr Berlusconi's four-party coalition there are doubts about whether
Italy should support such a war and fears that, if the country aligns
itself too squarely with the US, it may damage its relations with "old
Europe" - France and Germany.
Yet Mr Berlusconi this week forged a distinctive position on these
issues that defends Italy's national interests much better than, say,
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder seems to have done for Germany.
Addressing parliament on Thursday, Mr Berlusconi was confronted with a
typical piece of Italian political theatre when two pacifist members
of the centre-left opposition unfurled a banner proclaiming: "We are
burying Berlusconi with the flag of peace." The prime minister hit
back: "A Europe that is decoupled from or opposed to the US cannot
exist."
Earlier, he had signed the open letter in which eight European leaders
affirmed their support for the US in the Iraq crisis. He has promised
that US forces can use Italian military bases for operations in the
Gulf and has also committed 1,000 Italian mountain troops to the
anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan. The centre-left opposition is
split between those who support and oppose these moves.
At the same time, Mr Berlusconi has carefully measured out a certain
distance from the stance taken by Tony Blair, the UK prime minister.
Unlike Britain, Italy will not commit soldiers to a war against Iraq.
Mr Berlusconi has also been more explicit than Mr Blair in stating
that a second Security Council resolution is necessary to give
legitimacy to military action.
In this way, he has done everything that the Bush administration has
asked of Italy, while preserving Italy's influence with each side of
the debate in the European Union.
As far as economic policy is concerned, Mr Berlusconi is at last
answering the critics who have complained for months that his
government is failing to keep its promises of change. One sign is a
law on labour-market reform passed last Wednesday. It broadens the
scope for employers to offer part-time and temporary work and
increases the role of private job placement agencies.
A second measure, which should become law by June, will tighten
Italy's unemployment benefit system by reducing or stopping payments
to jobless people who turn down offers of work or paid training.
In the context of Italy's highly inefficient labour markets, such
initiatives are quite promising. From a political point of view, they
suggest that the government is finding a way out of the impasse that
was threatening until recently to block serious reform.
The government wasted much energy last year in a failed attempt to
change an article of Italy's labour law that can force companies with
more than 15 employees to rehire workers who claim unfair dismissal.
But Mr Berlusconi's opponents, having apparently gained the upper
hand, lost the initiative when an alliance of hardline communists and
leftwing trade unionists gathered enough signatures to force a
referendum on whether to expand this article to cover all workers,
even in the smallest companies. The proposal has virtually no chance
of success and, because it is too extreme for many, has divided the
opposition.
Moreover, moderate centre-leftists were caught in two minds about the
labour market reform passed this week. Privately, many recognised the
need for such a law; but few wanted to say so in public. The result
was that the law sailed through the Senate, or upper house of
parliament, by 143 votes to two and the centre-left did not even
bother to vote.
At the end of last year, Mr Berlusconi declared that 2003 would be "a
year of reform". It is early days but the first stirrings of change
are certainly visible.
 

taims.
ma sti qua non erano marxisti l'altra settimana ?
---
New Magic Flash
Senior Guerilla Marketing Coordinator
I love this fucking job. This job loves fucking me.
                -- Paul Tomblin in a.s.r.

ma sti qua non erano marxisti l'altra settimana ?
Come ti spiegavo, dipende dalla penna.