Just as Italy's elite is pondering how to celebrate 150 years of statehood, a revolt among Silvio Berlusconi's allies in Sicily has shaken his coalition government while fuelling an enduring debate over Italy's north-south divide and its fragile sense of national identity.
Centre-right allies in Sicily, who famously delivered the prime minister a full sweep of the island's deputies in the 2001 parliamentary elections, have threatened to form a breakaway southern party or faction.
The dispute surfaced after allegations that Giulio Tremonti, finance minister, had used a €63.3bn ($89bn, £54bn) fund for under-developed regions, mainly in the south, as a "bancomat", a cash machine for general government spending.
More fundamentally, the dispute has exposed tensions within Mr Berlusconi's disparate coalition. The rift stems from a sense among southern "rebels" that the government is bowing to northern interests, under the influence of Mr Tremonti and the Northern League - a rightwing party that views the south and the "thieves of Rome" as a corrupt black hole of spending.
Aides also suggest that scandals over Mr Berlusconi's private life have widened a rift between him and Raffaele Lombardo, Sicily's conservative, Catholic governor who leads its Movement for Autonomy party.
"Berlusconi, showgirls or no showgirls, has started on a downward slope. A cycle is over," said Toto Cuffaro, a former Berlusconi loyalist and ex-governor of Sicily.
Mr Lombardo is joined by Gianfranco Micciche, a senior cabinet official. His position on the Cipe committee that approves infrastructure spending led to the revelation that money had been diverted.
Commentators suggest the rebels are backed by Marcello Dell'Utri, a former executive in Mr Berlusconi's business empire. Both Mr Dell'Utri and Mr Cuffaro remain senators while they appeal against jail sentences imposed for alleged Mafia ties.
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http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71db32e2-7ca0-11de-a7bf-00144feabdc0.html
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