How Long Will Coalition Last?
Inquiring minds are wondering how long this rocky coalition can last. There is no definitive answer but there are a some general rules.
Posted on 05/19/2013 8:35:21 AM PDT by Kaslin
By a wide margin, but not quite a majority (yet), Let's quit EU say 46 per cent of voters in poll.
Asked the exact question Conservatives want to put the public in the 2017 referendum – “Do you think that the UK should remain a member of the EU” – 46 per cent opt to come out, a higher figure than in other recent surveys.
Just 30 per cent say they want to remain.
In a further boost for the eurosceptic cause, 44 per cent want an “in/out” referendum immediately, although 29 per cent are prepared to wait until 2017, David Cameron's preferred option.
The headline figure using ICM’s “Wisdom Index” method – which asks voters to predict the result of the next general election rather than which party they support – puts Labour just three points ahead of the Tories, the party’s narrowest lead since the index was launched last year.
Cameron is hurting himself by not agreeing to a referendum now. For further discussion, please see Cameron Faces Cabinet Crisis of His Own Making; Purposely Self-Inflicted Wounds
The new coalition government in Italy is off to such a rocky start, it's hard to say there ever was a honeymoon.
People want more jobs. Instead, the price for a coalition by former Prime Minister Mario Silvio Berlusconi was a rollback in property taxes.
Here is the result: Thousands rally in Rome against cuts.
Thousands of protesters, led by trade unionists, have rallied in the Italian capital Rome against the policies of the new coalition government. Wielding red flags and placards, they urged the centre-left Prime Minister, Enrico Letta, to scrap austerity measures and focus on job creation.
Public trust in his fragile coalition with the centre-right is dropping, opinion polls suggest. The country is experiencing its longest recession in more than 40 years. National debt is now about 127% of annual economic output, second only to Greece in the eurozone.
National debt is now about 127% of annual economic output, second only to Greece in the eurozone. Unemployment is at a record high of 11.5% - 38% for the under-25s.
Before taking office, Mr Letta vowed to make job creation his priority, but critics are unhappy that he has focused on property tax reform.
Soon after being appointed, Mr Letta met other eurozone leaders to convey growing public unrest over austerity measures in Italy. But the new prime minister has to maintain a delicate balance between the policies of his own supporters and those of the centre-right, led by Mr Berlusconi.
Protest Pictures From Reuters, BBC
How Long Will Coalition Last?
Inquiring minds are wondering how long this rocky coalition can last. There is no definitive answer but there are a some general rules.
1. Berlusconi got a suspension of property taxes but not the complete rollback he was seeking. Prime Minister Enrico Letta has not said how he will pay for property tax reform so expect some heat from Brussels.
If Berlusconi does not get a complete property tax rollback, the coalition will likely end right then and there. If he does get the rollback, he will have gotten one of the things he wanted.
2. Support for coalition may be costing Berlusconi votes right now.
3. Support for Beppe Grillo waned after the election so Berlusconi could be closing in on the number now.
In all respects, it appears the coalition will splinter sooner rather than later.
Margaret Thatcher was prescient and right once again. Unfortunately, this was one of the issues that led to an in party rebellion that caused her to step down.
translation:46% do not want to commit suicide on the alter of the EU
It doesn’t matter what the peons want - - the elite ruling class knows what is best for them.
Congratulations to the Brits on their socialist voting habits.
The UK will have to stay in the EU—Obama has said so.
In other news, 30% of UK residents are there from other parts of the EU, to bleed the UK dry.
Hey Mr. PM: UKIP!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.