Algeria ?

(riots in Algeria 1/2011) (riots in Rome 12/2010)

There are riots in Algeria, since a few days. Apparently the youth that cannot find a job and rising prices.

We learned today from the distinguished Italian public radio correspondent that this is due to the fact that 20% of the young people are jobless.

Regrettably she does not seem to have read the statistics issued yesterday by the official Italian Statistical Office, ISTAT. Last November, in Italy, 29% of the young people were jobless. So if the youth is rioting in Algeria, what should it do in Italy ? But does Berlusconi read the official statistics instead of his very secretive polls he quotes about his level of popularity.

Just yesterday the Minister of Finance stated in Paris that the crisis is not over. And Berlusconi had a fit and got mad. Of course, since three years he states that there is no crisis, that crisis is created by left press and recently that the crisis is over.

These same days, FIAT, the largest private Italian conglomerate is imposing new rules to work relations. Workers are giving up what they fought for years to get. Often through violent strikes. They will give their rights up as they have no choice.

But what is the future in Italy with no jobs for the youth, less income and more working hours for workers, an endless crisis? Italy went through very difficult times in the 70ies with the Red Brigades. All conditions are present again to have such violence erupt again. And I would say that it is self defense.

A newspapers' invention: the crisis

Towards the end of 2008, I reported the statements of Berlusconi: “the crisis is over, it was just a newspapers’ invention, we are better than before”.

One year later, Italy has 700,000 more jobless people, the unemployment rate (including those who receive “cassa integrazione”, a sort of compensation for closed companies) is above 10%, the Italian debt is over 120% of the GDP, both the industrialists and the trade unions state that the worse is still to come, all projections show Italy’s growth in 2010 much below the European average.

But all this is invented by newspapers and the ineffable Minister of Economy, Tremonti (the one who was proclaiming that is we had a one € bill instead of coins, inflation would be reduced) will maintain that the economists do not understand anything and should shut up (sic).

If Berlusconi did manage his companies as he does with Italy, he would no longer be the richest man in the country !

CLOSED

According to OECD’s statistics recently issued, at the end of the first quarter of 2009 Italy had 7.4% of unemployed workers. This figure is expected to grow steadily until the end of 2010, according to the OECD itself, the Italian Trade Unions and the industrialists association.

This means many companies closed and many with workers on redundancy payments, not counted as unemployed.

Last week the House of representatives (Camera) was also closed. The reason ? lack of work. Plenty of proposals for new laws are pending the exam of the Commissions but they do not move. All the work of the Government is geared towards laws tailored to protect Berlusconi from legal legitimate judicial prosecutions.

But there is a main difference between workers and MPs: the first lose jobs, and/or get much less money. The second do not work but continue to be paid full salary and benefits, and they are tens of times higher than the normal workers salary.

All animals are equal but pigs are more equal.

Picture: locchiodelbue.it (edited)