The budgetary policy outlined in the Five Star Movement’s document bears the hallmarks of the populist approach so dear to the Movement: laudable objectives that bring clear benefits, whilst the sacrifices required to fund them are far less clear.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), “it was a delicate moment, but not everyone realised it”. The story of a country that gets hung up on the length of skirts yet remains in breach of the rules by a decimal point