Conspiración de silencio. Los paletos eran ellos

Año 2006. Davos. Nouriel Roubini (en la foto y video)
está hablando como invitado del Foro de Davos, sobre lo que piensa de que Italia esté en el euro (aquí).

I was in Davos in a panel on the “Ups and Downs of EMU” (European Monetary Union) where ECB head Trichet, Italian Economy Minister Tremonti, a few other EU officials and myself were supposed to discuss the following questions: Will EMU collapse in the future? Which country will exit first? What will be the consequences of a break-up of EMU? How to avoid that? And what are the prospects for the Growth and Stability Pact?  Unlike the other panelists that ignored the topic and spoke instead about all the good things allegedly associated with EMU, I took the questions seriously by considering some of the problems and risks faced by EMU and the risks of a break-up, especially for the case of Italy. 

My remarks caused a stir with Minister Tremonti who interrupted me in the middle of my remarks, went into a temper tantrum and shouted – to the consternation of all participants – to me: “Go Back to Turkey!!”. I happen to have been born in Istanbul; but more than offensive to myself his pathetic burst of uncivilized anger was an insult to the decent Turks who are currently trying to negotiate an agreement to enter into the EU. Before I give a full account of this incident that altogether embarrassed the irascible minister who made a fool of himself in front of a crowd of Davos participants, let me report almost verbatim my constructive remarks on EMU that triggered the pathetic and embarassing outburst of the minister. “I have been introduced in this panel as presenting the “transatlantic” perspective on EMU. Actually, as I spent twenty years of my life in Italy and as I was born in Istanbul Turkey that will hopefully be one part a member of the EU my perspective is internationalist rather than transatlantic.

Also, I must clarify that, unlike some transatlantic observers that were always skeptical of EMU – perhaps because of their concerns about the rising economic, political and geostrategic power of a united Europe – I was an early and strong supporter of the idea of a European Monetary Union. My current concerns are that, while EMU has lead to a process of convergence of nominal variables (inflation, interest rates, etc.). it has also been associated with a process of increased divergence in economic performance, especially regarding economic growth rates. This economic performance divergence is a serious problem for some EMU countries (Italy, Portugal, Greece) and it may eventually lead to a collapse of EMU. I am not supportive of such a collapse but, unless appropriate macro and structural economic policies are undertaken, the risk of a break-up becomes serious.

 Ese es el estilo -estilo de Isla del Dr. Ma-lô, acuñado por el mismo Dr. Ma-lô-  para silenciar a los disidentes -en realidad a los prudentes- que avisaban de la catástrofe a la que íbamos. Bien, cuanto más virulentos y zafios los silenciadores - Los Ma-lôs, los Iranzós, los Guindós, Los Ratós, Los Caruanás, y Tutti-cuantís, como los Jodeás, y Marianines, que decían a gritos que España era idoneá para el euró, y no lo era- menos razón tenían. Nos espetaban "lo que vas a decir es una chorrada, cállate", que es lo mismo que decirle a Roubini, nacido en Estambul, "vete a Turquía, paleto!", como si fuéramos paletos. Pero los paletos son ellos, coño.  Como Tremontí. Un impresentable.