Berlusconi To Move Italy Forward

[Attero Dominatus]

Europe: The return of conservative Silvio Berlusconi to power in Italy, along with rightward tilts in Germany and France, signals a continental shift to smaller government and lower taxes. No coincidence, it's also pro-U.S.
It wasn't just Berlusconi's win that surprised jaded pundits. The margin of victory was unlike anything Italy has seen since World War II. His People of Liberty party won a massive 37-seat majority in parliament, giving the lively billionaire a government that can get things done.

It's been a long time coming. Two previous Berlusconi governments struggled without such an advantage. So this amounts to a green light for badly needed free-market reform.

His victory also follows moves to the right in Germany and France and could signal a trend toward conservative governments elsewhere in Europe. Italy has always been a harbinger of such trends. For both Europe and the U.S., that's good news.

It means Italian voters realize that smaller government, lower taxes, lawful immigration — and optimism, which Italy's ebullient leader exemplifies — will make for a more dynamic economy.

Odds for success in Italy's case are high. For one thing, the left-leaning parties formed a unified opposition called the Democratic Party. Berlusconi can more strongly present his ideas against theirs in the parliament than if parties were small and fragmented.

More important, the dual division of parties means fringe parties are now mostly gone. In the past, Italian governments of all stripes have been held hostage by small parties' ability to gum up the works.

Little got done. Now only six fringe players remain. And for the first time since World War II, the communists have no place in parliament, joining their comrades on the ash heap of history.

Continued: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=293151779683346