Silvio Berlusconi’s detractors have often compared him to Mussolini but on Thursday Italy’s colourful Premier indirectly made the comparison whilst defending recent spending cuts. Speaking at an OECD meeting, Mr Berlusconi said:
"As prime minister, I have never had the feeling that I was in power. Sometimes as a businessman, with 56,000 employees, I've had the feeling of being able to decide and be in control. But today in a democracy, I am in the service of everyone and anyone can criticize me and perhaps even insult me……. I will dare to quote you a phrase from someone considered a dictator, a great, powerful dictator, Benito Mussolini. In his diary, I recently read this phrase: 'They say I have power. It isn't true. Maybe my party officials do. But I don't know. All I can do is to tell my horse to go right or left. And I have to be happy with that.'"
Berlusconi’s use of this quotation has caused outrage among opposition politicians: Alessandro Pignatiello of the Italian Communist Party said that the comparison of the Premier with Mussolini is a valid one, while Nicola Tranfaglia of the Idv [Italia dei Valori] Party said that Berlusconi’s remark proves that he wants to govern “with dictatorial powers”. Meanwhile Rosi Bindi of the Democratic Party has asked what Mr Berlusconi is doing in the Palazzo Chigi [the Prime Minister’s official residence] if he has no power.
The Italian government recently announced public spending cuts of 24 billion euros: the cuts will primarily affect public services such as health and education and there will be a three-year salary freeze for civil servants. There will also be tough new measures against tax evasion. One hundred of Italy’s mayors have already staged a protest in Florence and on Saturday thousands of female public service workers protested in Rome.
