Obviously, convincing people of hari-kiri type economic policies simply to maintain the SGP (I say ‘simply’, but I imagine you understand what I mean) was never going to be easy for a growth strapped Portugal. Well, the finance minister has just resigned citing ?personal and family reasons? as well as fatigue.
“A new Portuguese finance minister was hurriedly sworn in yesterday as the Socialist government sought to reassure financial markets that the surprise resignation of his predecessor would not weaken efforts to cut the biggest budget deficit in the European Union.
Lu?s Campos e Cunha, the architect of a programme of tough measures to cut public spending, quit unexpectedly late Wednesday only four months after the centre-left government took office…..
But his decision to quit came amid a clash within the government and the Socialist Party over a plan to invest billion of euros in a new Lisbon airport, high-speed rail services and other infrastructures.