Much hinged on the result of the Italian general election last week. Whoever won would not only have to tackle a debt burden that is among the worst in Europe, but must look to restore faith in a political class on which many citizens have all but turned their backs.
In Italy, each day brings fresh economic speculation and public indignation. Signs of the country’s financial woes are everywhere: Turin, once a thriving industrial capital, is losing out to foreign competition and Naples, one of the poorest cities in Europe is plagued by outbursts of violence. For far too many Italians, a secure income is extremely hard to come by. Many are resorting to cash-in-hand jobs on the black market and, in doing so, fuelling an annual tax evasion bill that runs to over 200 billion euros. With the Italian banks unwilling to loan, an increasing number of people are turning to the mafia for money.
However, Italy has other problems besides those economic. During the build-up to this election, the country’s political integrity has dominated headlines, often for all the wrong reasons. One controversy after another has drawn attention away from the key issues that voters want to see addressed.
First there was the removal of a number of politicians from the ballot lists, for reasons relating to fraud and illicit dealings with the mafia. According to La Republica, at least 80 potential candidates were deemed ‘ineligible’. Among them was Nicola Cosentino, a former minister who served for several years under Silvio Berlusconi, and who was sentenced to four years in prison for fiscal fraud.
Then there was the scandal surrounding Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the world’s oldest bank. It was revealed that the institution had concealed a number of loss-making risky trades to which the Italian Government, under Mario Monti, is suspected to have turned a blind eye. As Mr Monti was running for re-election, this did little to boost his popularity.
But he was not the only candidate to have seen his campaign tarnished. Next came the turn of the master of political incorrectness – who, amazingly, has also put his name forward, Silvio Berlusconi. In comedy they say that timing is essential. Mr Berlusconi may have timed this gaff to perfection, but what he said could not have been less funny. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the former Prime Minister claimed that the discriminatory racial laws imposed by Benito Mussolini were a black mark against a leader who “in so many other ways did well”. Mr Berlusconi went on to say that, despite the deportation of thousands of Italian Jews, Italy does not hold the same amount of responsibility as Germany because its role in the Holocaust was “partly unwitting”. The press, both in Italy and elsewhere, reacted accordingly.
And it was not long before they were handed another Berlusconi blunder, not by Silvio but by his brother, Paolo. It is widely suspected that the former had the election in mind when he forked out 20 million euros to bring Mario Balotelli, one of the liveliest personalities in football, to his own team, A.C. Milan. If so, he will not have been best pleased by his brother’s casual referral to the player as the “little black boy”. Then again, far be it from Silvio to criticise.
“Exactly what sort of world is our political class living in?” read a recent headline in La Stampa. One would be inclined to agree. With the main parties struggling to run a clean campaign, this election has offered others the opportunity to give them a run for their money. One such is the Cinque Stelle, or Five Star Movement, led by comedian Beppe Grillo. Having made it his mission to speak in almost every piazza in the country, the charismatic Mr Grillo denounced the dominant parties and called for a greater level of political representation on the part of ordinary citizens. The party did gain a sizeable presence in the new parliament. And if Cinque Stelle delivers on its promise to give Italian citizens a greater say in how their country is governed, that would by no means be a bad thing.
exeposedev 