Tremonti: when it comes to the banking crisis, we need to consider the national interest

“France or Germany, as long as we get our share – this is the phrase attributed to Guicciardini following the Treaty of Toledo in the early 16th century.” So says Giulio Tremonti. “Turning,” he adds, “to the banking game of Risk currently being played out, the impression is that the game is becoming a risk, and that the risk for Italia as a whole is no longer ‘as long as we eat’ but ‘we simply don’t eat’.” The risk is that of losing everything, to the benefit of both France and Germany. For a country that still has a huge amount of savings and faces the not-so-distant prospect of an impending financial crisis, perhaps it is time to reflect on the national interest.”