The convulsions in Italian governance, both political and of the State itself, continue growing and are now interacting to increase its fragility. After the regional elections and the abandonment of the ruling Democratic Party by the electorate, the governors of northern Italy have told the government in Rome where to put its attempts to distribute and settle African refugees landed in the South. In Lombardy, Liguria, the Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia regional governors, and more local mayors, want no more 'refugees' from Africa, not when the frontiers to France, Austria and Germany are closing. Passing through on their way to greener pastures is one thing: stopping in northern Italy is not allowed. The Italians have pulled them out of the waters upon which they so unwisely cast themselves but there are limits to saving other people from adversity. Adversity has been visiting Italy and Italians for years and its import has to be confronted for them first.
Unfortunately the Italian Home Office, faced with northern intransigence, ordered the northern Prefects to impose the Africans on the North. The Prefects are now in conflict with the elected governors and mayors - elected to prevent just what the Prefects have been ordered to do. The Northern politicians have cut off all funds to any northern community accepting Africans; after all, it was Roman corruption via the oh so socially just Democratic Party government that had realised most of the profit on the funding of the trafficked Africans anyway. Little could make the trafficked more unattractive, but no funding even has succeeded. Northern, newly-elected leaders are urging their electors to protest the attempts of the Prefects to impose their authority and place the Africans; the Prefects are protesting to Rome that their authority and hence their capacity to meet their (extensive) civil duties is being rapidly undermined by this single issue.
Renzi's Executive, already badly damaged by the tide of filth brought upon it by the Roman Democratic party and Mafia corruption (even though it was the Left faction, prior to Renzi's clear-out of what is known as the Ditta, the Firm, that is mafia-involved) is now facing the break-down of the civil power across the whole of northern Italy and, perhaps worse in the longer term, a major conflict between the political and State powers within a profoundly authoritarian state.
What has never been settled in Italy, constitutionally, is Who Rules? Given that the 1946 Constitution was written by old Fascists and old Communists in an unholy authoritarian alliance (indeed often embodied in the same persons - consider the former president Giorgio Napolitano in both Fascist and Communist hats) now is a really, really bad time to choose to find out.
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3 comments:
Ah but you know what the answer will be, give 'em MORE panem et circenses - "round up the Christians".
You can teach an Italian about many things, but on corruption - they wrote the book.
Democracy in Italy? Power, it's all about money and power which begets: corruption.
The Italians understand about family very well, but not about Patria, they go to church or used to but the last thing they really comprehend is - for the greater good.
Italy is doomed, England not so far behind now - in both countries Brussels killed off what remained of La dolce vita and outsourced it and increased the divide. In England, now local and municipal authorities are nigh nearly as bent as are Italy's - that's EUrope's cankered legacy - it brings everybody down to the level of the gutter.
And Islam marches in.
I know Kärnten quite well, and the way in which Austria is closing the border gradually is quite intelligent;
First, the border generally runs on the top of a mountain range - restricting crossings to historic passes or tunnels.
Some passes will be closed by lack of any road maintenance - the Plockenpass is now just one grade away from being closed on safety grounds because of the poor road condition. Many other local roads will now only be maintained to single track standard to save 50% on costs - i.e. a 3.5m wide strip. Given winter attrition on alpine roads, this means roads (including the Wurzenpass, the one I use) are likely to degrade substantially over 2/3 winters.
Having made the alpine passes unpassable by anything other than 4x4s, the police can concentrate at the alpine tunnels, used now by most coaches and freighters. They use 'construction and use' grounds to stop and examine older, less well maintained vehicles likely to used for people smuggling.
So Shengen is pretty much going in reverse.
There are more physical barriers being encouraged now then R? I noted that comfortable travelling within Schengen had been circumvented by passing border controls from passport officers to 'security' controls; that has been present for years - gone are the days of strolling into airport or station (the checks of 'financial' officers are a blight on the train to Switzerland) and getting on board to arrive uninterrupted at wherever the ticket went to within Schengen. This is not a change that would strike a UK-centred traveller as there has always been a ' let them learn' attitude to UK-based planes and boats and trains.
The physical barriers are going up again for individual travellers as well, then. Friends with pretty gardens in southern France had remarked that the border posts are manned and barred once more (and that the numbers of from-outside-the-EU migrants walking along the railway tracks between Ventimiglia and Menton were ruining the gravel and wild plantings.)
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