Revolting Europe
monti
Italy: the problem with Renzi
By Giorgio Cremaschi* A few months ago all the Italian media reported with great sympathy the struggle of the Greek state television journalists against the cuts decided by the government in the name of austerity. Now they point the finger at the strike at Italy’s state broadcaster Rai, characterising it as a revolt of bureaucracy … Continue reading
Italy: Business as usual (actually it’s even worse)
By Francesco Piobbichi Business as usual. European Central Bank Mario Draghi was the real election victor and his victory will allow him to run the country for another six months, on autopilot . The autopilot Draghi was talking about is nothing other than the set of rules laid down by the treaties (Fiscal Compact) recently … Continue reading
Decision time for Italian voters
Italians are voting again after 14 months under “technocrat” Mario Monti. The outcome of the election in terms of delivering a stable government is uncertain. Pier Luigi Bersani’s centre-left Democrats have been leading in the polls, but billionaire media magnate Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing alliance is expected to put in a strong showing as is newcomer … Continue reading
Berlusconi’s proto-fascism
By Dino Greco Having again, shamelessly opened his black heart to absolve Mussolini, and his deeds, Silvio Berlusconi sparked outrage, shame rejection, dismay – and so on and so forth – among almost all major players and commentators in national politics. Worse, he vomited his own indecent words on “Memorial Day”, in front of the notorious Platform … Continue reading
Monti forever
For 17 odd years Italy was promised a ‘liberal revolution’, but the man making the promises, three times prime minister and billionaire businessman Silvio Berlusconi did not deliver it. Then came Mario Monti – in November 2011 – and that more accurately labelled ‘neo-liberal’ programme commenced with haste. Twelve months of spending cuts, tax rises … Continue reading
The populists of the spread have already won Italy’s election
By Giorgio Cremaschi The role of the spread in the upcoming elections, as with all that is left of our democracy, has powerfully resurfaced. Giorgio Napolitano already announced this in saying that we must await the verdict of the markets. This was echoed in the mass media and actors Fiorello and Luciana Littizzetto. So on Monday … Continue reading
The Return of Il Cavaliere and the Conflict of Interest
By Giuseppe Giulietti ‘Forced to stand again, so many have asked me.’ These were the last words of Silvio Berlusconi, or maybe the penultimate, as is his wont to change his mind in a matter of hours, if not minutes. Yet this time he told the truth, expressing what is always rumbling deep inside him. … Continue reading
Italy’s new productivity deal: a critique
Wednesday two of Italy’s three trade union confederations signed a ‘productivity’ deal that sees employers gaining greater ‘flexibility’ to alter contracts and working conditions, with negotiations over labour contracts dealt with at a local level and not through sector-wide collective labour agreements. The largest union confederation CGIL rejected the deal. In return for this the … Continue reading
Europe protests against social massacre
By Giorgio Cremaschi And so between the tear gas and cherry bombs, the Greek parliament has approved a new raft of social cuts, imposed by the usurers of the European Troika in return for a bit of credit. This new installment of spending cuts imposed by all, I repeat all, governments in the European Union … Continue reading
Monti attacks the weak
By Michele Azzu Cuts to the disabled and other dependents are the most striking case. But all the actions of the Italian government in social policy resemble the wrath of God. They are policies that make us a country that is not only more unjust, but poorer. For a week 70 severely disabled members of … Continue reading
Italy: teachers and students protest over cuts in 90 cities
Italian students staged demonstrations Friday in 90 cities to protest against ‘the sale of public schools and destruction of universities’ in action that coincided with a national teachers’ strike. ‘We are demonstrating to state our total opposition to the draft law 953 which would scrap students’ representatives in school boards and would enable private companies … Continue reading
Italy: Time to take a radically new political and moral turn
By Dino Greco The carousel of cuts – under the guise of the spending review – has begun to spin. The axe is again lowered on health (a 1.5 billion-euro amputation to spending that had already been reduced to a minimum), help for disabled people, the civil service (with a further three-year block on contracts!) … Continue reading
For Italy’s One-Percent, La Dolce Vita Rolls On…
The rich don’t pay taxes. Everybody knows that. Especially in Italy, where governments have stayed firmly on the side of the 1%. In the Republic of Yachts (Counterpunch)
Italy’s heritage for sale
Italy’s government has unveiled a fire sale of some real gems of the country’s heritage. Some 350 historic buildings in the capital and historic towns across the country are to flogged off, including Castello Orsini di Soriano in Cimiano, Palazzo Bolis Gualdo in Milan and Palazzo Diedo in Venice. Euros 42 billion worth of property … Continue reading
Italy passes hire and fire labour ‘reforms’ but no hope of jobs or growth
The government of Mario Monti has passed labour ‘reforms’ that will make it easier for employers to fire workers. The vote, after months of haggling in parliament, came as workers and their unions protested against the measures that seek to dump the costs of an escalating crisis of the global banking sector and the Euro … Continue reading
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