Matteo renzi's Italy is a bewildering place. Slogans change; priorities shift; established orthodoxy can be overturned in an instant. The latest change came on September 16th, when the prime minister set out a programme for his government until May 2017. The centrepiece is reform to relax restrictive hiring-and-firing rules in the labour market. This was so urgent, he declared, that the government would introduce it by decree if parliament raised objections: "We cannot lose another second." Yet just two weeks ago, presenting his agenda to the media on September 2nd, there had been no stress on employment reform. And a new website detailing the programme did not even mention it.
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