Italy inspires confidence

Date: 23/05/1996

Italy's new prime minister has a job-and-a-half on his hands and no one is making any long-term predictions. After all, a week is a longer time in Italian politics than in any other member state. But even if things do not work out as planned for the Olive Tree Alliance, its leader may have other job options in the event of failure. One letter-writing humorist to the Irish Times suggested he could make an ideal mediator in the Northern Ireland conflict. And with a name like Romano Prodi, he does seem better equipped than most...

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl appears to have confidence in the new government. At a recent press conference after his one-day visit to Brussels, Kohl heaped praise on the new Italian team, describing it as “a group of men and women who know their business”. But Kohl is a realist. He revealed a clear understanding of the nature of Italian politics when asked about his main expectation of the new team. His reply? “That they stay in office.”

Kohl had a ready quip, too, when challenged about his government's excessive budget deficit - edging over 3&percent; of GDP and moving towards 4&percent;. Acknowledging the Schadenfreude Germany's economic plight is bound to generate, the Chancellor recalled his school days. “I was an average pupil,” he informed journalists, “and I remember that when the top of the class got bad results, everybody else was really happy.”