Today Italy goes to the polls to vote for a new government to replace Gentiloni’s caretaker administration put into place after man-in-a-hurry Renzi lost his bid for constitutional reform in 2016.
The main issue should be jobs, particularly when one in three young Italians are unemployed. However, increasingly, the elections seems to be about immigration. The simple fact is that Italy is having to go it alone with handling the Mediterranean people trafficking racket while EU edicts continue to have little effect on so many of its members, especially those of the east who, after years of Soviet domination, now rightfully wish to reaffirm and defend their cultural and religious roots.
Italy, too, has tended to be a culturally homogeneous country built on a Roman Catholic faith which, although more observed now in the breach that ever before, still permeates the nation with a robust cultural force which affects every aspect of its social life.
Whereas the UK has known cultural diversity ever since the years of the slave trade and the post-war invitation of Caribbean people to provide man power for the reconstruction of British industry, Italy, on the other hand, has only experienced wide-scale cultural diversity since the 1980’s with the first boat landings of migrants from Africa.
In this respect the Italian elections will bear an uncanny resemblance to the UK’s 2016 referendum, otherwise known as Brexit.
Is immigration regulation a bigger issue than job creation? Is taking back control of one’s borders more important than establishing a stronger economic basis? Is it better to suffer in splendid isolation that to manage the world’s inevitable population flows?
Italy is just as divided as the UK in these issues. And the worse thing is that the political parties in each of these countries have not adjourned themselves to facing fast changing world situations and have not debated these facts with the seriousness they merit.
One thing is certain, however. With over 30% youth unemployment in Italy, any party, whether left, centre or right wing that has no workable policy to address the desperate situation where young people are unable to buy or even rent their own house, where zero-hour contracts proliferate and where the prospects of starting a family in an acceptable environment are ever diminishing, is not worth the slogans it stands for. The results of the 2018 Italian General election will have repercussions that may well extend beyond the borders of this brave, unfairly treated, proud and quintessentially beautiful nation. That’s why even non-voters should take heed.
Interesting Francis. This non-voter takes a keen interest in Italy’s political and economic situation. None of the big three- Berlusconi’s party and affiliated right wing groups, The 5 star movement, or Renzi’s centralist party seems to mention youth unemployment.
Italians, beneath the surface of it’s civilised facade, have always struck me as fairly racist and very insular society. I’ve always admired the way that desperate refugees have been able to land in Italy and were shown compassion, though not much was shown about what happened to these folk after leaving the various arrival spots. In a country where youth unemployment is 30%, higher in the south, and 11% overall, it’s an easy thing for people to join the dots and connect unemployment to immigration. All countries tend to use high immigration as a scapegoat and so, in a way, these parties are playing on that fear.
In the previous two visits to Italy, I noticed who was doing the cooking in the kitchens, wheeling around the elderly, doing domestic work in hotels and in the homes of older people- newer migrants. The young wouldn’t touch these jobs if you paid them, or is that being unfair?
One of the Italian issues that concerns me, and one that doesn’t ever seem to crack much mention, is corruption generally and the eco – mafia in particular. The buried toxic waste and moving about of hazardous materials by those who gain contracts in local government, in health and garbage disposal poses a bigger threat to Italy’s beautiful environment. Lombardy has been plagues by small warehouse fires at night, full of toxic waste- the ground wells are polluted in the Po Valley as locals resort to drinking bottled water, metal laced mud or compost is delivered to unwitting farmers in the rice growing belts ( and probably elsewhere), a mustard coloured cloud hangs over Milano and spreads as far as Pavia in one direction and Como in the other. It never seems to move.
So many issues that are buried under the carpet, just like nuclear waste is buried under new roads. I will be following the election, but I can predict the result- further chaos as no clear winner or party will emerge in its own right.
Sorry for the longish rave Francis, but I have spent the morning dwelling on the woes of dear Italy.
I very much appreciate your comments on the Italian election, Francesca. Indeed, I despair of the majority of decent minded Italians ever getting a government they have every right to deserve and expect.