NÓS VISTOS POR ELES: Chronic underachievement and accidental bunga-bunga parties

«That Portugal has managed to stay out of sight for most of the time since it was bailed out in 2011 is an achievement in itself. Its sins were perhaps the least distasteful to creditors. Portugal broke fiscal rules like many others. But it was not mendacious and profligate like Greece; it did not recklessly run a low-tax economic model off the rails like Ireland; it has not lived off dodgy Russian money like Cyprus; and it did not permit a runaway property boom like Spain. Instead Portugal was a chronic underachiever, suffering from years of low growth. It was a bit like Italy, minus the self-indulgent public debt and bunga-bunga parties.»

«Euro wobbles - Portugal’s constitutional court creates new problems for the euro», Economist, April 13th

Rectificação: Diferentemente do que a Economist escreve, não existe assim tanta diferença entre Portugal e Itália no que respeita ao bunga-bunga. Segundo Joaquim Vieira afirmou em entrevista ao ionline, durante a segunda intervenção do FMI em 1983-4 com o governo do Bloco Central, o Dr. Soares, nos intervalos das suas exaltadas justificações da mesma austeridade que hoje condena, e o Dr. Mota Pinto praticavam em conjunto uma espécie de bunga-bunga avant la lettre.