Italy stands up to the EU

Italy is defying the EU over public spending. But this time, the markets won’t come to Brussels’ aid. That’s going to be a big problem for the EU.

922_MW_P18_City-View

Wing and a prayer: Italy's debts run to €2.1trn
(Image credit: Credit: insidefoto srl / Alamy Stock Photo)

Bond yields would soar. The banks would be in trouble. Businesses would be starved of cash, and money would start to flee the country. Pretty soon, the "doom loop" would kick in. With the financial system facing a meltdown, Italy's "populist" government would back down on its extravagant election promises, tone down its rhetoric, and do what the EU tells it to.

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Matthew Lynn

Matthew Lynn is a columnist for Bloomberg, and writes weekly commentary syndicated in papers such as the Daily Telegraph, Die Welt, the Sydney Morning Herald, the South China Morning Post and the Miami Herald. He is also an associate editor of Spectator Business, and a regular contributor to The Spectator. Before that, he worked for the business section of the Sunday Times for ten years. 

He has written books on finance and financial topics, including Bust: Greece, The Euro and The Sovereign Debt Crisis and The Long Depression: The Slump of 2008 to 2031. Matthew is also the author of the Death Force series of military thrillers and the founder of Lume Books, an independent publisher.