His back to the wall, desperately thrusting and parrying, the hero leaps for the chandelier. His assailants look on as he swings out of reach. Silvio Berlusconi may hope that he has pulled off a similar stunt with a pledge to slash taxes as a way of reviving both Italy's economy and his political fortunes. But his enemies, and even some allies, must wonder if he is more likely to come crashing to the ground. On March 26th Italy's prime minister was firmly on the defensive. Several hundred thousand Italians took to the streets to ask what happened to the economic "miracle" he promised when he was elected three years ago. Trade unions said more than a million people marched in 50 demonstrations on a day of nationwide stoppages billed as a "general strike".
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