Portugal is doing well

Ms. Merkel is supposedly impressed by Portugal and the fact we this year will reach our goal of deficit.

There is no reason to be impressed.   Our debt is increasing by around 5.8% this year alone.  It will also increase next year.  Perhaps we should ask Mr. Socrates to come back from his hideout studies in Paris and advice on payment of the debt.  According to him there is actually a possibility to pay it in its entirety - even though it would be foolish.

Fools aside, we would probably not reach the goal this year without the absorption and spending of the banker's pension fund.

Meanwhile, the country continues to fall apart.  The number of families, small businesses and companies going broke is preposterous.  A large number of dynamic persons, including a lot of well educated young people are emigrating.  Next year it will be worse.  Who will in 2013 be left to produce and create growth?

Update:  At the least the prime minister does not try to hide all the sordid facts.  "Without the extraordinary income from the banker's pension fund the public deficit would have been close to 8% this year".
Exactly.  With all kinds of tricks and quite a few austerity measures we have managed to lower the deficit 1% since last year.  Next year we have to reach 4.5%.  That is nearly 4% less with the economy retracting a lot more...