Silvio Berlusconi's counter-offensive to try to save his government from the consequences of last Sunday's vote has begun. After a family summit with his children, it is not known how much was dedicated to politics and how much to Mondadori, the prime minister chose the stage of the Quirinale gardens, where the reception of the head of state was underway for Republic Day, to relaunch his strategy. Which will focus first and foremost on tax reform. Which means: tax cuts.
And so that there were no doubts about his determination to go ahead, he did not hesitate to question the role of the economy minister, stating: “Tremonti doesn't decide on taxes. He proposes". Words that weigh like stones. So much so that, immediately afterwards, the prime minister himself had to reaffirm his confidence in the minister with a note. In short, the watchword of the head of the PDL is: "The government goes on quietly." Yes, but precisely on that "quietly" the leader of the Lega Umberto Bossi, pivot of the government alliance, has more than one doubt. And he specifies: "For now we are going ahead, but we are not calm".
And so also the subsequent note from Palazzo Chigi to confirm trust in Tremonti can be read as an attempt to reassure the Carroccio. Meanwhile, Berlusconi is preparing to put his hand on party arrangements. Alfano should become sole coordinator and leave the Ministry of Justice to which Cicchitto could land. And of course the premier also insists on the fact that he has no responsibility for the defeats in Naples and Milan. The candidates were weak and in the Campania capital it would have been better to nominate Mara Carfagna. If she didn't do it, it was so as not to "hand her over to the Camorra".
Meanwhile, the oppositions (Pd in the lead) insist on asking for the resignation of the Government before the parliamentary verification of the post-reshuffle, requested by Napolitano, and now postponed to the end of June. But above all Bersani and the others are stepping up the pace of the campaign for the June 12 referendum, convinced that, if a quorum is reached, they could be the decisive weapon to break down the resistance against Berlusconi's resignation.
