After years of stultification, there is a new spirit of openness abroad. Yet the chances of an “Italian spring” are small. The opinion polls suggest that, rather than elect the relatively youthful (52-year-old) Mr Veltroni, the voters will return his 71-year-old rival, even though Mr Berlusconi’s two previous governments (in 1994-95 and 2001-06) did Italy little good and much harm. This is a measure of the unpopularity of Romano Prodi’s outgoing centre-left government, and especially of the tax increases it imposed.
Appunti di un anonimo italiano
27/3/2008
