Newsgroup: it.politica
Titolo: Ecco il prestigio internazionale!

 
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/93fd05f6-c265-11da-ac03-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=4686f3c2-a39d-11da-83cc-0000779e2340.html
Berlusconi on defence over growth
By Tony Barber in Rome
Published: April 3 2006 03:00 | Last updated: April 3 2006 03:00
Italy's centre-right government enters the final week of the national 
election campaign today on the defensive after cutting its 2006 economic 
growth forecast and acknowledging the budget deficit will be higher than 
planned.
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The centre-left opposition, scenting a return to power after five years 
of rule by Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister, said the new economic 
forecasts showed the government had failed to deliver on its promises of 
prosperity.
"The centre-left will win and revive the fortunes of an Italy thrust to 
its knees by the complete failure of the 'miracle' announced by 
Berlusconi five years ago," said Piero Fassino, leader of the Democrats 
of the Left, the largest opposition party.
Romano Prodi, the centre-left leader, and his allies are favourites to 
win the April 9-10 ballot, but Mr Berlusconi insists that his private 
opinion polls show his centre-right coalition ahead.
He also rejects opposition claims that Italy's economy under his 
leadership has fallen into a crisis marked by stagnant growth, low 
productivity, an uncompetitive business climate and a government too 
divided to tackle the problems.
"When businesses make record profits in 2005, when families' assets 
increase because their properties are going up in value, isn't this 
enough to show there's no decline and that, on the contrary, we're in 
vigorous economic health?" Mr Berlusconi asked.
Giulio Tremonti, finance minister, on Saturday cut the government's 2006 
growth forecast to 1.3 from 1.5 per cent and raised its deficit forecast 
to 3.8 from 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
The economy grew by 0.1 per cent last year, the second time in three 
years that it experienced virtually no growth. Over the Berlusconi 
government's five years, it has grown on average by 0.8 per cent a year.
The deficit is set this year to exceed the European Union's 3 per cent 
of GDP limit for the fourth successive year. It rose to 4.1 per cent 
last year, its highest level since 1996.
The latest forecast cast doubt over the next Italian government's 
ability to meet the Berlusconi administration's commitment to the EU to 
cut its 2007 deficit to less than 3 per cent.
The two rival coalitions have both included generous spending promises 
in their election programmes, but have been evasive about how they 
intend to finance them.
The Berlusconi camp has assailed Mr Prodi's tax plans, saying a 
centre-left government would not only raise some forms of capital gains 
tax - as Mr Prodi admits - but would increase taxes on shopkeepers and 
the self-employed. Millions of voters fall into these two categories. Mr 
Prodi denounced the centre-right's allegations as a "political crime".
In a dig at Mr Berlusconi's frequent attacks on him as a front man for 
ultra-leftists, he also said the latest economic forecasts showed how 
everything was "turning red" in Italy.
"Berlusconi has done nothing but paint Italy red - the judges and 
prosecutors, the journalists, the Confindustria employers' association. 
Now something else is red, too - the public finances," Mr Prodi said.
Observer: Berlusconi's stellar performance
By Tony Barber
Published: April 3 2006 03:00 | Last updated: April 3 2006 03:00
In Italy's 2001 election, Silvio Berlusconi sent every household a copy 
of "An Italian Story", a glossy, self-promoting magazine that described 
his life's adventures and achievements in gushing prose.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now bidding for a second five-year term as prime minister in the April 
9-10 election, Berlusconi has just treated millions of Italians to a 
similar free publication, this time called "The True Italian Story".
Running to an impressive 162 pages, the new magazine dwells mostly on 
the record of Berlusconi's centre-right government, rather than on the 
billionaire media magnate himself.
On page 156, however, it notes that, as premier, Berlusconi has 
travelled 550,000km, "equivalent to 12 times the circumference of the 
earth and 1.3 times the distance between the earth and the moon".
No wonder Romano Prodi, Berlusconi's challenger, commented recently that 
his opponent talked "as if he comes from another planet".
-- 
Aps, terrestre
http://zelohim.it
     update: 27.02.06
Quando Berlusconi va in hotel, pretende che dentro al minibar ci sia 
sempre un minibarista.