Taxi drivers, pharmacists—who is next?
MARIO MONTI, Italy’s prime minister, is set fair to become his country’s Margaret Thatcher. But who will play the role of the miners, whose strike represented the most serious challenge to the Iron Lady’s free-market reforms?Angry victims of Mr Monti’s legislation have queued up for the honour ever since his government approved a wide-ranging package of liberalisation measures on January 20th. Taxi drivers held a one-day national strike to protest at a scheme to increase the number of licences. Chemists, who have a similar objection to a rise in the number of pharmacies, are to down pillboxes on February 1st. Lawyers, who oppose the abolition of minimum and maximum charges, plan a two-day strike later. There is a threat of industrial action by railway workers, upset by proposals to increase competition on commuter lines.So far the most effective and damaging action has been taken by self-employed lorry drivers, whose real gripe is over the soaring cost of diesel. Fuel prices were pushed higher by an increase in excise duty in the Monti government’…
