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quinta-feira, dezembro 16, 2010

No excelente blog "The Portuguese Economy" o Prof. Pedro Pita Barros escreveu isto:


WEDNESDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2010

what if?

Looking at the news this afternoon:
- Government wants to set a ceiling of firing compensation paid by companies
- Government wants to make easier to get out the tenants that do not pay rents
- Minister of Finance denies role of IMF in Government decisions
- Prime Minister meets "social partners" to present the changes in labor law
....

I wonder whether it would be more credible if for a month only one announcement would be made - how well the Government finances went that month.

In the end, doing many things at the same time may just mean dispersion, while we really need to focus.

Just an idea for this afternoon, stop announcing more and more policy measures, just show and make sure the ones recently adopted work. Please???

...e eu respondi assim:



Vladimiro Jorge Silva said...

I totally agree with you, Prof. Pedro. However, I think this counterproductive way of doing things has many explanations:
- The Portuguese, for some unknown reason (given the country's historical background) have a chronic inferiority complex that makes every government desperate to gain the European peers' (specially those from central and northern Europe) approval. If it pleases the sweds, the danes and other blondes, we'll do it;
- Though we like being liked, we're still Portuguese - and Portugal is the only country where buying time and repeatedly announcing (endless times!) the same measures actually works. We get the feeling that politicians are really doing something, since the day after tomorrow nobody will remember any of the announcements;
- As Portuguese, and despite our lack of self-confidence, we do believe we could postpone IMF for at least a few months. And by then, if we get lucky, the crisis will be over and we'd have survived it escaping smoothly between the rain drops. And we do believe we won't be caught!
- The last reason is also quite typical in our country: we call it "last minute work that fixes everything" or, in our language, "desenrascanço". We feel our economy as a basketball game in which we can come back from 2 points down with a last second 3-pt shoot from the other side of the court... and for some reason, we're not even nervous about that. Shooting from 25 meters while jumping over a 2,10 m bloke? No problem, we'll just do it!

So, bottom line, I don't think these are signs of desperation. We sincerelly don't feel desperate - do you see anybody turning cars into fire or breaking stores? Of course not. Specially if there's football on TV!
It's just our smooth way of life...

// posted by Vladimiro Jorge Silva @ 5:05 da tarde
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