Opinions on Italian elections
Opinions on Italian elections
(April 15, 2008)
an image by the young activists from the Northern League
Political elections in Italy: some confirmations…but many surprising results
Political elections in Italy: some confirmations…but many surprising results
If somebody asked me what I did yesterday, I would say: “I watched television”. And I think this might have been the answer 90% of Italians would have given. At 3 p.m. the official count of votes started in the polling stations and, no matter what button of your remote control you pressed, all you could watch on television were journalists and commentators expressing their own predictions on the results of the political elections. And, as many Italians did, I listened to what they had to say trying to formulate my own opinion on the issue.
The upgrades provided by the Ministry of the Interiors contradicted some of the most common expectations.
First of all, the voting participation was much higher then most of us would have thought: although a 4% decline in voters was registered compared to the last political elections, the fact that 80.5% of registered voters went and voted shows that the appeals that many showmen have launched in the last few months for boycotting the elections as a sign of mistrust towards Italian politicians have failed. Italians did not forget that voting is both a right and a duty: going to the ballot boxes, they showed great civic responsibility.
Most of the results did not surprise me. I was almost convinced Silvio Berlusconi would have become our new Prime Minister: he conducted an excellent electoral campaign promising a long series of tax reductions and remedies to shaky economy. Most of the votes he has gained come from the South of Italy, where unemployment and economic discomfort afflict a larger portion of the population.
Moreover it did not surprise me that in Campania, the region where I live, Berlusconi’s coalition won the confidence of 50% of the electors: most of the representatives of local government here, linked to the defeated Partito Democratico guided by Veltroni, are considered to be responsible for the huge garbage crisis that has afflicted the whole region throughout the year. Plus, the presence of Alleanza Nazionale in Berlusconi’s coalition seems to reassure people that something will be done to provide greater security to citizens, since the party has always based its campaign on the struggle to fight criminality and illegal immigration.
So, these were some of the results I could predict. On the other hand, some others did surprise me, and not in a positive way.
First of all, the complete defeat of the Sinistra Arcobaleno (the Italian left coalition) – which did not gain a single seat in Parliament - and the loss of the traditional great consensus enjoyed in Liguria by the centre – left, nowadays represented by the Partito Democratico, seems to show a deep loss of support towards the Italian Left parties, by which low-income classes do not feel to be supported and/or protected anymore. The absence of a charismatic leader – even though Veltroni has proven to be more popular than his precursor Prodi – and an electoral campaign lacking great promises for the poorest, has attracted traditional left electors towards Berlusconi’s much more amusing programs. The way the Partito Democratico will perform its new role as “opposition” in the new Parliament and its capacity to promote the reforms needed and asked by its electorate will be of fundamental importance in the optic of rebuilding confidence among Italian left-oriented voters.
Well, the results of these elections didn’t leave me with only these thoughts. Something has really disturbed my feelings as an Italian: the Lega, the secessionist party, member of Berlusconi’s coalition, has gained 10% of the votes.
The first thing that came to my mind is the phrase Massimo D’Azeglio, a former Italian politician, pronounced when Italy got re-unified: Others built the country, we have to create a nation.
It is clear to everybody that the problems troubling the South - criminality, poverty, social disorders and unemployment - are deepening the gap with the much richer and industrialized northern regions. What is not clear is what happened to the sense of nationality evocated by D’Azeglio more than a century ago. Is it true that our sense of fraternity and the traditional Italian vocation of helping each other as in a family is disappearing, frustrated by a new individualism and self-consciousness? It is true that international economic competition is pushing northern citizens to operate a kind of Darwinian selection trying to leave behind everything that might stop or challenge their progress and wealth, as the South might?
As the results of the elections have been diffused only a day ago, we can not of course tell right away to what extent the Lega will be able to influence Berlusconi’s government. The fact that the new President intends to nominate Bossi, the Lega’s leader, as the new Ministry of Institutional Reforms, is not exactly encouraging.
Nothing is left to do other than observe the course of events…and hope that the promises made in the electoral campaign to Southern Italy will be not forgotten in the name of a strong and stable coalition with a northern party.
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"Southern Question"
An addendum to my previous comment on the irrationality of the election: what is your take on the "Southern Question"; it sounds like it still is very much a question. thank you Tom Verso
Hi! First of all thank you
Hi! First of all thank you for your comments on my blog post! They give me a chance to better explain what’s going on here with Berlusconi winning the elections. Well, what I must say is that the “Southern question” is still a big issue here in Italy. In effect I could easily affirm that it is gaining much more political relevance nowadays with unemployment growing in the South as many companies are closing . You could ask me why companies close in the South and not in the North. There would be a number of answers to give you, but maybe I just don’t want to answer…let’s just say there is a great lack of infrastructures, so companies find it more convenient to invest in other territories. I leave the rest to your imagination. Anyway, the Southern question is gaining renovated relevancy, so much that both Berlusconi and Veltroni have made of it one of the most important issues, if the not THE most important, of their electoral campaign. Why people in the South voted for Berlusconi and not for Veltroni, although they knew the Lega party is a member of Berlusconi’s coalition? I can provide three answers to this question. First, Lega has never been a really “popular” party: it had never ever gained such an high percentage of votes. I’m sure that neither Bossi, its leader, neither Berlusconi, expected these great results. People didn’t too and their vote for our new Prime Minister being sure that Lega, would have been – as it has always been – a pretty marginal component of the coalition. Second, Berlusconi has always showed and promoted an image of himself as a “natural leader”: people really do think that his power will allow him to sustain his positions no matter what his allies have to say about them. Substantially, people did not vote for the coalition, they voted for Silvio. Third, Berlusconi is seen as the answer to all southern problems. He promised to solve the garbage crisis in Naples, to put – once again – the Southern question at the top of his political agenda, and he promotes himself as the man who will save the people from the taxes the previous centre – left government has suffocated them with. But what’s happening now? Just yesterday Berlusconi advanced the proposal to institute a new Ministry for the South. Bossi has firmly rejected it. Berlusconi had nothing to say anymore: of course he could not show that in his coalition politicians of the different factions are already in war. Everything shows that once again they’ll turn their backs to the South.
Southern Question etc.
WOW! That is some kind of response. Thank you! I look forward to your Italian/American-Italian (did I miss anything) perspectives on Italy. I very much appreciate your comments on the “Southern Question”. Your point about southern infrastructure is intriguing. I’ve read that one of the first infrastructure projects undertaken by the Piedmont government after the so called unification was a railroad from Rome NORTH to Milan instead of south to Naples, which would have made perfectly good economic sense. More recently, the cancellation of the Messina Bridge comes to mind. The Southern Question has always interested me as an historical phenomenon (my grandparents lived it). Also, given that the vast majority of Italian Americans are of southern decent, I wonder if it is a subliminal Italian American cultural determinant, and if it has currency in Italy today. Even though as recently as the 1990’s (as I understand it) the Lega and Bossi were a significant political forces advocating secession; many on this side of the Atlantic seem to have discounted it as “in the past”. Of course, for Americans 10-15 years is ancient history having little current relevance. 100 years! “Forget about it!” Motivated by your comments, I will be posting an entry on my blog about the Italian elections, Southern Question and Italian American culture soon. Thank you again. Ciao for now. Tom Verso
southern question
I'm so glad my answers have been useful for you! As concerning to the southern question, it is a really complicated issue to talk about! If we wanted to analyze it, as it might be necessary, we would need much more than a blog! As you correctly wrote, anyway, there are and have been great discussions concerning the construction of the Messina Bridge. Although Berlusconi has always promoted its implementation, since he says that it will provide jobs to 13.000 workers involved in its construction, I think that such an expensive project is the last thing Southern Italy needs. First of all, what will happen to those workers after the bridge will be constructed? They'll certainly loose their jobs and the opportunities for getting a new one won't be changed at all because of the bridge. Second, some environmental agencies here in Italy have stated that the realization of the bridge will have a tremendous impact on the local maritime flora and fauna. Since many tourists go to Sicily in the summer time for its beautiful sea, the project will probably terribly damnage the economy of the region, to which tourism provides great entries. Third, and maybe most important of all, why all this money - more or less the bridge will cost 4 billion euro - is not going to be spent to promote further investments in the industrial sector? Won't it be much more useful if the goal is to respond to the problem of unemployment in Sicily? Of course, these are not the points taken into consideration by Berlusconi who has already announced - as I can here from the tv in the other room - that implementing the project will be one of the first things he will do as the new Prime Minister. Good for him.
Continuing a great dialogue
Yes, I agree that a discussion of the Southern Question is very complicated involving an array of academic disciplines: history, social sciences, literature, etc. which goes far beyond a blog. What I find interesting is that it’s largely ignored by so many Italian American scholars. Interestingly, the best English language work done in the field is not done by Italian Americans. See for example, the anthology Italy’s “Southern Question” edited by Jane Schneider. The majority of the essayists do not have Italian names. Italian American culture discussions are largely devoid of references to it. The point of blogs, to my mind generally is dialogue. The reason that I want to get some information on my blog is with a mind to generating some interests. Although I’m not optimistic about it; your response, frankly, is a pleasant shock. I already have some Southern Question lite up with no interest. I use to post a lot to H-ItAm. Anything I sent in, IF the editor put it up, fell on deaf ears or generated non-sequitur responses. A point of clarification: Do I understand you correctly that Berlusconi has already recommitted to the bridge? Regarding the bridge, I speak with little information and no authority; however, it seems to me that the economic implications go far beyond construction work. You mention tourism. If Sicily has a highway link with the rest of Italy and Europe, it may increase tourism. Also, the bridge will make Sicilian ports the southern gateway to Europe. Also, in the early industrial revolution, industry was tied to railroads. Now industry is tied to highways. I think the railroad/ferry link to Italy precludes industrial development in Sicily. A highway link is a necessary precondition for such development. Regarding the cost; I recall that the European Union was going to off-set some of it. And, rightly so, because all of Europe will benefit. Regarding, the neo-romantic back to nature “Greens”, if you will, protest; people of that ideology protest major construction projects literally all over the world. So far as I can tell, they are ideology driven not fact and certainly not economic. Again, these are subjective thoughts and I realize I could be wrong. Have I missed anything? I do have a way of going on – “cracker barrel philosopher” that’s me. Thanks for your responses. This is the best dialogue I’ve had since I joined i-Italy. Tom Verso
Messina Bridge
Hi again. And thanks of course for your nice words: I'm glad to get you so involved with the issue. It does appear strange to me too that Italian Americans never wrote so much about the Southern question. I think that maybe there is one reason for this: people who go away from their home country to go to spend their life thousands of miles away just want to remember the best part of what they have left. I mean, nobody wants to talk about the diseases that affect the country they have always belonged to. I could easily say that they become more nationalists when they are far away. Especially Italians, they really show - wherever they go - their proudness for their history and their culture. They really want to show everybody how good it is to belong to their nationality. And, I must say, I love the way they do it...mostly because you can see they do it spontaneously. For this reason I can hardly see an Italian American writing about the big problems afflicting Italy. They would write on everything, but not on that issue. And it is comprehensible. They do an excellent job promoting their country all around the world: why write something that would obscure its imagine? So I think it is not disinterest in the question, it is unwillingness to write about it.
As concerning to the Bridge, I do think that you might be right. But at the same time I realize that there are too many pros and cons to evaluate before formulating an opinion. Yes, it is right that Sicilian economy will probably have a boost after the building of the bridge. But it is also right that government has spent more than 600 million euro financing several studies on the environmental impact of the new infrastructure. So something must really concern our politicians, don’t you think so? Moreover, the fundamental importance of the bridge, in Berlusconi’s point of view, is linked to the creation of a new commercial region which will increase fluxes of goods and services among European Union and African and Middle East Countries. The implementation of the commercial agreement should formally start in 2010. Nowadays most Mediterranean countries have not yet adapted their internal normative in order to allow their integration in the new free-trade zone. It is improbable they’ll do it any soon, especially with Bulgaria and Romania entering the EU and becoming a great source of low cost manufacted products, challenging southern countries’ role as favourite commercial partners for the EU. Italy does need better infrastructure, and better connections among regions. Governments here keep approving great, humongous projects but after having started the works they are forced to abandon them for lack of funds. The case of the Messina Bridge is a little different because EU has provided a huge amount of funds for it. But all has been done till now is spending part of them in studies, researches and in a huge sanction of more than 300 million euro to the company who had obtained the contract for starting building the bridge before the government decided to block it once again. All together 1 billion euro has been spent till now without putting a stone upon the other. And, being maybe too pragmatic, I keep thinking that that money could have been spent in much more “realistic” projects… in something that would improve Sicilian economic situation in the short term.
Messina Bridge
Hi again. And thanks of course for your nice words: I'm glad to get you so involved with the issue. It does appear strange to me too that Italian Americans never wrote so much about the Southern question. I think that maybe there is one reason for this: people who go away from their home country to go to spend their life thousands of miles away just want to remember the best part of what they have left. I mean, nobody wants to talk about the diseases that affect the country they have always belonged to. I could easily say that they become more nationalists when they are far away. Especially Italians, they really show - wherever they go - their proudness for their history and their culture. They really want to show everybody how good it is to belong to their nationality. And, I must say, I love the way they do it...mostly because you can see they do it spontaneously. For this reason I can hardly see an Italian American writing about the big problems afflicting Italy. They would write on everything, but not on that issue. And it is comprehensible. They do an excellent job promoting their country all around the world: why write something that would obscure its imagine? So I think it is not disinterest in the question, it is unwillingness to write about it.
As concerning to the Bridge, I do think that you might be right. But at the same time I realize that there are too many pros and cons to evaluate before formulating an opinion. Yes, it is right that Sicilian economy will probably have a boost after the building of the bridge. But it is also right that government has spent more than 600 million euro financing several studies on the environmental impact of the new infrastructure. So something must really concern our politicians, don’t you think so? Moreover, the fundamental importance of the bridge, in Berlusconi’s point of view, is linked to the creation of a new commercial region which will increase fluxes of goods and services among European Union and African and Middle East Countries. The implementation of the commercial agreement should formally start in 2010. Nowadays most Mediterranean countries have not yet adapted their internal normative in order to allow their integration in the new free-trade zone. It is improbable they’ll do it any soon, especially with Bulgaria and Romania entering the EU and becoming a great source of low cost manufacted products, challenging southern countries’ role as favourite commercial partners for the EU. Italy does need better infrastructure, and better connections among regions. Governments here keep approving great, humongous projects but after having started the works they are forced to abandon them for lack of funds. The case of the Messina Bridge is a little different because EU has provided a huge amount of funds for it. But all has been done till now is spending part of them in studies, researches and in a huge sanction of more than 300 million euro to the company who had obtained the contract for starting building the bridge before the government decided to block it once again. All together 1 billion euro has been spent till now without putting a stone upon the other. And, being maybe too pragmatic, I keep thinking that that money could have been spent in much more “realistic” projects… in something that would improve Sicilian economic situation in the short term.
Messina Bridge
Hi again. And thanks of course for your nice words: I'm glad to get you so involved with the issue. It does appear strange to me too that Italian Americans never wrote so much about the Southern question. I think that maybe there is one reason for this: people who go away from their home country to go to spend their life thousands of miles away just want to remember the best part of what they have left. I mean, nobody wants to talk about the diseases that affect the country they have always belonged to. I could easily say that they become more nationalists when they are far away. Especially Italians, they really show - wherever they go - their proudness for their history and their culture. They really want to show everybody how good it is to belong to their nationality. And, I must say, I love the way they do it...mostly because you can see they do it spontaneously. For this reason I can hardly see an Italian American writing about the big problems afflicting Italy. They would write on everything, but not on that issue. And it is comprehensible. They do an excellent job promoting their country all around the world: why write something that would obscure its imagine? So I think it is not disinterest in the question, it is unwillingness to write about it.
As concerning to the Bridge, I do think that you might be right. But at the same time I realize that there are too many pros and cons to evaluate before formulating an opinion. Yes, it is right that Sicilian economy will probably have a boost after the building of the bridge. But it is also right that government has spent more than 600 million euro financing several studies on the environmental impact of the new infrastructure. So something must really concern our politicians, don’t you think so? Moreover, the fundamental importance of the bridge, in Berlusconi’s point of view, is linked to the creation of a new commercial region which will increase fluxes of goods and services among European Union and African and Middle East Countries. The implementation of the commercial agreement should formally start in 2010. Nowadays most Mediterranean countries have not yet adapted their internal normative in order to allow their integration in the new free-trade zone. It is improbable they’ll do it any soon, especially with Bulgaria and Romania entering the EU and becoming a great source of low cost manufacted products, challenging southern countries’ role as favourite commercial partners for the EU. Italy does need better infrastructure, and better connections among regions. Governments here keep approving great, humongous projects but after having started the works they are forced to abandon them for lack of funds. The case of the Messina Bridge is a little different because EU has provided a huge amount of funds for it. But all has been done till now is spending part of them in studies, researches and in a huge sanction of more than 300 million euro to the company who had obtained the contract for starting building the bridge before the government decided to block it once again. All together 1 billion euro has been spent till now without putting a stone upon the other. And, being maybe too pragmatic, I keep thinking that that money could have been spent in much more “realistic” projects… in something that would improve Sicilian economic situation in the short term.
Well said
You are a deep thinker. This has been real. I look forward to the next time. Tom
This is irrational at best
Is this not at least incongruous if not a flat out contradiction: “Most of the votes [Berlusconi] has gained come from the South of Italy…” And “the Lega, the secessionist party, member of Berlusconi’s coalition, has gained 10% of the votes… the new President intends to nominate Bossi, the Lega’s leader, as the new Ministry of Institutional Reforms..” --
Is it not reasonable to assume that people in the South are amenable to secession or have no concerns about it, if they vote for a president that is party of a secessionist group? --
I thought American elections were irrational. This makes us look like logicians.