We’re into full pre-election campaigning in Italy now.
On the radio this morning, the Welfare Minister Roberto Maroni of the Lega Nord was doing a phone-in. A caller asked a question about job security and the increasing use of casual and fixed-term contracts in Italy. Maroni did the typical politician thing and replied that you had think what would happen if the opposition (i.e. Prodi and co) were in charge. Look at the situation in England, he said, where the centre-left is in government: there you can have two people doing exactly the same job, sitting at adjacent desks, but for the first six months the one on the fixed-term contract can be paid less. At least that can’t happen in Italy, he said.
So, there you have it: Berlusconi’s allies attacking Blair from the left on employment rights. Great.