Mamma's boy

摘要

Italy's prime minister, Matteo Renzi, suffers from a condition so rare it has yet to feature in any medical journal: proclamitis, the compulsive announcement of new policies. On October 19th he declared on a chat show that he was giving mothers a tax break of €80 ($101) a month in the first three years of their children's lives. Coming soon after the unveiling of an already expansionary 2015 budget, his pledge alarmed commentators almost as much as it delighted Italy's prospective mamme.