Nevertheless the divide is real and deep malaise

As trivial as it may seem, the "war of the Tod's" will remain as one of the highlights of the election campaign. Since the Minister of development and territorial cohesion, Gianfranco Miccichè, said throwing nettles his moccasins standoffs, symbol and icon of the "made in Italy", the call for a boycott spread like wildfire on mobile activists of Forza Italia, the Party of Silvio Berlusconi. In contrast, the centre-left supporters who can afford are ostensibly famous moccasins. Direct this curious guerrilla originally: the dispute between the President of the Council and the number one shoe manufacturer Diego Della Valle, the Congress of Confindustria, the Italian Medef, Vicenza public March 18. Altercation who signed the divorce between the "Cavaliere" and a part of the employers.

"Della Valle as the rebel leader and champion of the left, frankly, this is amazing." (...) "I laughed when I hear some contractors say that Prodi is more liberal than Berlusconi," said the Chairman of Mediaset, Fedele Confalonieri, in an interview with "La Repubblica" on 23 March. The faithful right arm of Silvio Berlusconi at the head of his audiovisual empire, is one of the rare heavy weight of the Confindustria have taken publicly the Party of the "Cavaliere" to critics of Diego Della Valle. For him, the divorce between Silvio Berlusconi and contractors is a myth, fruit of the imagination of a small oligarchy of leaders which is not "the vast majority of Italian industrialists. Nevertheless: the divide is real and deep malaise.

A review found well lean

To calm the spirits, the Executive Board of the Confindustria, seat including Fedele Confalonieri, agreed on 22 March, the "spontaneous" resignation of the pattern of Tod's. According to Silvio Berlusconi, Diego Della Valle reportedly was asked to resign by his peers. But, at the headquarters of the employers, it ensures that he acted on his own to avoid any "instrumentalization" of its dispute with the head of the Government. Embarrassed, the President of the Confindustria, Luca di Montezemolo, elected in May 2004 by an overwhelming majority of 98.5, rushed to reaffirm the total "autonomy" of the employers ' organisation to calm and avoid any tear. After having reserved a rather favorable economic programme of the centre-left (down 5 points of payroll taxes, and maintenance of a "corrected" flexibility), Luca di Montezemolo retreated on strict neutrality. But Vicenza episode, in which Silvio Berlusconi strongly attacked the employers, "Il Sole 24 Ore" newspaper, and his radio, for "anti-Government" positions, while advising industry spend "less time in the Congress", left traces. Originally in which rage interview with Luca di Montezemolo to "Sole 24 Ore"

The General view, the highly symbolic dispute between Berlusconi and Della Valle , the latter having been one of the first financial sponsors of Forza Italia a few years is only the tip of the iceberg of a diffuse malaise. Of course, Silvio Berlusconi still refuses to believe divorce consumed with employers. But he feels betrayed. Yet, large employers are never really brought him in his heart. Apart from small entrepreneurs in the Northeast, stronghold of the League of the North, and Lombardy, historic cradle of Forza Italia, a large part of the business leaders believes more in the "miracle berlusconien". Not make a blind faith in the coalition of Romano Prodi, to which belongs including the unpredictable leader of Rifondazione comunista, Fausto Bertinotti. But it is clear that, apart from the law Biagi of 2003 on the flexibility of the labour market, structural reforms of "cavaliere" balance remains lean. Not only the public debt (106.4 of GDP in 2005) is bullish, for the first time since 1994, but business leaders have the sense of have not benefited from the lesser coup de pouce on taxation or assistance to innovation.

Cut with the SME risk

"The stagnation of the Italy is too long to be explained only by cyclical factors." It is largely structural problems. "For the first time since the last war, the country risk away from the Group of industrialized countries", has launched, in Vicenza, the Vice President of the Confindustria, Andrea Pininfarina. The small sentence not rained in the ranks of the center-right, where it is deemed this highly inappropriate alarmism. At the age of forty-eight, the son of the famous Turin automobile stylist, who took the reins of the family business in 2001, yet is one of the main "thinkers heads" of the employers ' organisation with Pasquale Pistorio, STMicroelectronics ex-PDG. It is also one of the harshest critics of the economic balance of Berlusconi. Less political than the President of the Confindustria, it it is never embarrassed oratorical precautions to expose the weaknesses of the Government policy in terms of competitiveness and innovation. At the risk of drawing the ire of the "Cavaliere", which has publicly ideas it at a symposium of the Canadian movement.

"It is true that there is a general climate of disillusion in the industrial world." The impression is that Silvio Berlusconi is more occupied its own interests as those of the companies. "But a large part of entrepreneurs is still very defiant against the centre-left," nuance the Advisor of an important textile industry. In fact, it would be futile to believe that there is total rupture between the "Cavaliere" and the business world. In the province of Vicenza, where the unemployment rate is particularly low (3.3), and the promise of the center-left to restore the tax on estates (for the great heritage) serves as a scarecrow, Forza Italia leader still keeps many advocates. And the founder of Tod's "aggressive" has been highly criticized. "Today, a real malaise through employers." The difficulties of small business to globalization have created tensions in the representative system of the Confindustria. But one cannot yet speak of split. Luca di Montezemolo was elected with the support of small business. "There is a risk of split if the representation of the industrial system does not better take into account the differences between large and small companies", said Claudio Cattaneo, Member of the Executive Committee of Assolombarda, Lombardy industrial union close to the centre-right.

Other observers are more categorical. "The disappointment is very strong in the industry, including patterns of SMEs who do not vote for the centre-left," said Renato Mannheimer, the Director of the Institute of survey Ispo. "The promise of Romano Prodi to lower by 5 points payroll made fly in some small entrepreneurs, even if they vote not for him due to the presence of Fausto Bertinottidans his coalition," said political scientist. For Economist Marco Vitale, Vice President of Banca Popolare di Milano, the reasons for the divorce, real and profound, primarily based on broken promises and a certain loss of credibility in the international. "The largest industrial and large banks in the country (Banca Intesa and UniCredit and Sanpaolo IMI) have a very negative opinion on the action of the Government." "The world of business had hoped for relief from the weight of the State and an acceleration of deregulation, or current public expenditure increased by 2.5," he says.

"Super luca" in White Knight

All Italian patterns are not, so far, affected by decline syndrome. Of Prada, Patrizio Bertelli, estimated as well as "the fundamental element of"made in Italy"is creativity in all its meanings: design capability and creation of products with strong content innovation and quality, invention of brands with a high potential such as Prada, Ferrari, Campari, Pirelli, or Barilla...". . The priority of the industrial is to preserve these assets. This is why the idea of the use of a White Knight, who would rely on a "large transverse centre" (including the Daisy and the Pier Ferdinando Casini UDC) began to circulate in employer settings. According to the magazine "L'Espresso", in the event of a Prodi government at the end of a year or two, "Super luca" could be the "man of action", with the support of his followers industrial friends Diego Della Valle, Vittorio Merloni, Marco Tronchetti Provera, Luigi Abete... Provided to maintain the cohesion of the Party of the company.