Italian Prime Minister required to Undertake Self-Criticism by Democratic Party Coalition Leader

The ever-Green hard left Leader of the Democratic Party's main coalition partner, Nichi Vendola, erstwhile militant of Rifondazione Comunista and now of Sinistra Ecologia e Libertà (SEL) has  agreed to accept discussions on structural reform with Prime Minister Mario Monti provided Monti

 "undertakes acts of self-criticism." 

Turning to our guide and mentor on self-criticism we find that Mao explains

'.... we must have in mind two purposes: first, "learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones", and second, "cure the sickness to save the patient". The mistakes of the past must be exposed without sparing anyone's sensibilities; it is necessary to analyse and criticize what was bad in the past with a scientific attitude so that work in the future will be done more carefully and done better. This is what is meant by "learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones". But our aim in exposing errors and criticizing shortcomings, like that of a doctor curing a sickness, is solely to save the patient .... So long as a person who has made mistakes does not hide his sickness for fear of treatment or persist in his mistakes until he is beyond cure, so long as he honestly and sincerely wishes to be cured and to mend his ways, we should welcome him and cure his sickness so that he can become a good comrade.  .... '

Angels doesn't think Vendola was joking, though the Prime Minister did -  at least he asked if he was.