'Every time D'Alema talks, I win points' says Renzi

(ANSA) - Rome, September 30 - Premier Matteo Renzi on Tuesday took pot shots at opponents of his proposed Jobs Act after dissenters within his Democratic Party (PD) failed to rally consensus against him.
    He chided fellow PD member and former premier Massimo D'Alema, who led the internal dissenters along with former party chief Pier Luigi Bersani.
    "Every time he speaks, I win more points," Renzi said in an interview to be aired on TV talk show Ballarò.
    "If D'Alema didn't exist, we'd have to invent him".
    The premier moved on to unions, who are vocal opponents of provisions in his Jobs Act that would scale back protections against unfair dismissal for new hires.
    "I have a lot of respect for unions, but where they all those years while young people's rights were being trampled?" the feisty young premier told Ballarò political talk show.
    Renzi also commented on his government's plan to stimulate consumption by giving workers an advance on their severance pay.
    "That would create a liquidity problem for businesses," Renzi said. "Big ones would make it, small ones would be in trouble. So now we're thinking of allocating European Central Bank funds to small-and-medium businesses for workers".