'Davos' Schwab is given to presenting personally the most important speakers at the WEF in Switzerland. Introducing one , if not the, of the most powerful bankers on the planet he went on and on:
"Italy is known for its cuisine, its fashion, " he maundered (in a week of all-round maundering that has bored everyone half to death with this failed 'meeting of the world's elite') "but not for its central bankers."
"Thank you, Klaus, for your kind words," said our hero crisply, with his usual impassivity of expression: and went on to deal with the financial crisis without further comment on the almost interminable drivel that was supposed to cover the discourtesy of such stereotyping of Italian history and culture.
Italy does bankers really rather well, not to mention accountants, financial institutions, and money-lenders and manipulators various.
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Off topic - apologies, HG, but do you know anything about this? It is being totally ignored by the MSM here
http://joannenova.com.au/2012/01/is-this-the-beginning-of-the-euro-spring-the-invisible-revolution/
Only what's on the News, Elby. The lorry drivers are blocking the access to some of the autostrade in the south of Italy which is causing shortages of goods in supermarkets in the cities, mostly in the south.
The aims listed in the post you refer to are similar to those of the Monti administration - reduction in numbers of politicians, particularly at provincial and regional level, and the curtailment of their perks and entitlements.
There seems to be a law and order battle going on between criminal organisations and the central and regional governments too. Upsurge in Clan and Mafia arrests, lots of enforcement of tax evasion sanctions (don't come out of a shop or bar or restaurant without a proper fiscal receipt or the fines hurt and the financial police are out and about checking.
Attempts to disrupt supply chains are very threatening to people who live in urban areas and dependent on food from central clearing markets and from supermarkets. As you know, it's much discussed on blogs. It doesn't seem to be having much effect here. I don't know much about Italian lorry drivers - presumably they're the same sort of people as English ones and American ones, and similarly organised. The EU is cross in principle, about international routes being blocked, but mostly they're in the South. If the Alpine passes were blockaded they'd be cleared in a jiffy.
Lots of entrenched defence of trade privileges that are left-overs from Fascist times going on; but the corporatist state is going to be dismantled - it's time-consuming and detailed, on the ground work, though.
The Davos borefest is something I studiously avoid.
On the topic of speeches, I believe I may have already mentioned the difference between a long and short after dinner speech given by guests of honour, but just to refresh:
The short speech is "Thank you".
The long speech is "Thank you very much".
PS: 'Wanderings of a Nomad' would make a splendid title for a book - which I have no intention of ever writing! I prefer suitable and occasionally relevant snippets as and when the opportunities arise.
(I won't take your bandwidth by mentioning that I missed the Boxing Day 2004 Indonesian tsunami by 24 hours! My angel at work again...)
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