First Tunisia, then Greece, now Italy (the same Italy where the economy is “picking up” where yields are “stable”, and where much “progress” is being made).
FromReuters: “A 54-year-old man died on Sunday after setting himself on fire outside the Italian parliament last week to highlight his struggle with unemployment, police said. Angelo di Carlo suffered 85 percent burns after the incident in front of the lower house of parliament – the Chamber of Deputies – in central Rome during the early hours of August 11, Italian media reported. Police on duty nearby put out the flames with fire extinguishers and took him to hospital. The widower was facing economic difficulties after losing his job and had struggled for years before that with temporary work contracts that offered little protection or benefits, according to media reports…Di Carlo’s death is the latest in a wave of highly publicized suicides linked to financial woes in recent months which have highlighted the human cost of the country’s economic crisis.”
It won’t be the last. But for as long as the myth that the welfare state is “sustainable” exists, do not expect the Arab Spring domino effect that took the MENA region by storm following the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in late 2010 to be replicated in Europe any time soon. After all, “developed world” people are still convinced they have far too much to lose if they even consider a revolution: thank you Bismarck.
