Posted on 06/28/2012 6:23:06 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
By commenting that Germany should perhaps leave the euro and exerting significant pressure on Prime Minister Mario Monti, former Italian premier Berlusconi is back in the headlines. Are his political escapades those of a senile billionaire or is he seriously thinking of returning to power?
On Tuesday afternoon in Rome, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and his predecessor Silvio Berlusconi were sitting at a table with a few close associates. Monti, alarmed by Berlusconi's recent statements, which were sometimes threatening and sometimes confused, was seeking clarity.
Monti said that in such a sensitive and decisive moment, Italy's parliament must stand behind the government.
Sure, Berlusconi reassured his counterpart. He says that it would be a "catastrophe" if the government now lost the confidence of the parliament, even though almost 80 percent of voters are against supporting Monti. But, he said, he and his party will stand by Monti out of a "sense of responsibility."
Afterwards, Berlusconi headed to parliament straight away. "We have eaten well," he said to reporters as he made his exit from the government building, the Palazzo Chigi. But he struck a different tone with the parliamentarians. Monti's plans appeared "unclear" to him, he said. In the meantime, he said, one must, however, continue to stand by Monti. Berlusconi claims that he "spoke with Brussels," adding that people there had said if Monti were to fall it would be a "catastrophe."
Addressing discontents in his party's ranks, he proposed a cheeky counter model for European politics: a euro-zone minus Germany, the country that blocks everything. Then, the European Central Bank could provide Italy and other countries in need with enough liquidity to lead them out of the crisis. Berlusconi issued Monti a thinly veiled threat, saying that if Monti does not succeed in persuading
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
He must be feeling pretty gutsy after Italy beat Germany at Euro 2012 today.
Either Germany continues to play daddy and the rampant teens eat him out of house and home, or the EU splits, which Merkel et al don’t want either.
IOW, it doesn’t look bad for Merkel — better to rule in Hell than...
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