Hands off our pensioni

摘要

THIS week Umberto Bossi, leader of the Northern League, the junior partner in Silvio Berlusconi's coalition, told a reporter who approached him politely that she was "irritating the fuck out of" them and should "piss off". He had a similar message for the euro zone. On October 23rd, in Brussels for a euro-zone summit, Mr Berlusconi received a ticking-off from Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, and Nicolas Sar-kozy, the French president, for not doing enough to guarantee the stability of Italy's public finances (see Charlemagne). In response he hit on the idea of scrapping a prized facet of his country's welfare system. Italians can retire before pensionable age if they have contributed for long enough to the state welfare system: from 55 (if they have contributed for 40 years) or from 60 (for 36 years). But Mr Bossi vetoed the plan, hinting that it could tear the government apart. Mr Berlusconi was left to return to Brussels with a letter that promised much but guaranteed little. It included pledges to raise the normal retirement age to 67 by 2026 (the previous plan was to reach 65 by the same date); sell off assets worth €15 billion ($21 billion); and make it easier for employers to sack workers in a crisis.