Italian checks and balances
Despite almost half the population looking down on Italy, undoubtedly influenced by the pro-British football support alliance after the defeat of WWII, this co-founder of the Treaty of Rome bloc of nations experienced a 20th century risorgimento –...
Despite almost half the population looking down on Italy, undoubtedly influenced by the pro-British football support alliance after the defeat of WWII, this co-founder of the Treaty of Rome bloc of nations experienced a 20th century risorgimento – political, economic, social – the envy of many countries then and now.
I am sure a good part of this progress came about because the Italian administrations were not able to bully the different sectors into submission as stateswith Anglo-Saxon parliamentary democracy sometimes are prone to do. Italy had no weak-kneed Chamberlain or a too strong-willed Iron Lady.
I admire the Italians’ sense of democracy, for even though they have submitted to a Brussels- mandated change of government after a dishonest sustained campaign against a legally-elected Prime Minister and coalition, and despite all the Jeremiah’s woeful prophecies of living on borrowed time, the Italians are not taking EU or IMF dictates lying down.
The early online January 2 Financial Times ran a heading Italian Lobbies Apply Brakes To Monti’s Reforms.
Hopefully, if discussions are entered into for constitutional reforms these would make our democracy more participative with a two-term limit of elected officials and strong anti-corruption agencies and legislation.
It would only then follow that the nice speeches uttered by both sides recently and televised on the occasion of some anniversary or other of Malta’s first “limited” Parliament ring true.