Technocrat - autocrat what's in a word?

In a move designed to bolster 'confidence' the new premier of Italy, Mario Monti, has named his cabinet which is completely devoid of publicly elected officials, or as he likes to say, politicians.

Mr Monti took on the economy and finance portfolio himself. 

Corrado Passera, CEO of the Intesa Sanpaolo banking group, was named to head the new ministry of development, infrastructure and transport. 

Another key appointment was that of Antonio Catricala, head of the anti-trust authority, who was made under-secretary to the prime minister's office. 

Despite reports that Mr Monti had sought to include politicians in his cabinet, there are none.

So nobody that the people of Italy had elected to represent them in government is part of ruling authority that will lead said government. Instead they get a group of people who are tied to banks, including Mr. Monti himself who has ties with Goldman Sachs (as do the appointees to lead Greece and the European Central Bank). All this was done to restore confidence in the markets, not the people, but the bankers who have raped and pillaged the people for the past decade and more.

I can't help but draw some parallels with China of the early 1990s. After the massacre in Tienanmen Square on June 4, 1989, China's ruling elite were split between continuing economic reform which had helped to bring about the economic disparities that had helped to fuel the movement leading to Tienanmen and a conservative return to more traditional Marxist and Maoist economic and foreign policy. Deng Xio Ping, supreme leader of China at the time wagered that people would basically keep their mouth shut concerning politics and the Communist Party so long as they brought them a better standard of living. It would seem that he was correct. Economic reform continued throughout the nineties and the Communist Party was able to secure its power base, something that was very precarious in the few months following June 1989.

Its not surprising to see the Socialist leaning European Union basically make the same wager, that they can violate the democratic principles that they claim to stand by just so long as the economy improves. I guess its just ironic that it is happening in the birth place of democracy, Athens, as well as that great killer of Republican style government, Rome.