Italy

Reading the crisis
di Stefano d’Errico

Reflections on the Istat annual report of 2009.

 

Italian medley

To shed light on the phenomenon of two-faced regime Berlusconi-Lega/Partito Democratico one need to focus on the defects atavistic politics of Italy, and a speech to be done particularly on centrality and state. Statism is the forerunner of the single thought arises for the creation of a national entity to guide the Savoy that a copy of Napoleon and France in nostalgia permeates the entire history of the country. Destroyed any ambition from the Risorgimento federalist, forgotten Carlo Cattaneo, vertical state permeates the dominant political culture, finding after the Lateran natural synergy with the centuries-old Catholic area. Until the late 80s of last century dominates, as more central, unchallenged not only right but also to the left, where breaks in the late nineteenth century for a direct subsidiary of Marxism.
What is unknown. Both the social democratic Second International Marxism that the "revolutionary", aimed to conquer and dominate the state, although there is nothing more utopian (in the sense of the term most ridiculous and negative) thinking, as did Marx's politics, which the state with its apparatus would then be "extinguished" by himself. The history of socialism "real" evidence that the excess of the state is impossible, given the state: the more the state is strengthened, it becomes far more difficult and its decline. For more state you want, after the "revolution", managed by a single party dictatorship. The consciously pursuing of a goal contrary to that advocated the use (even "unconscious") by such means as the dictatorship and vertical planning, inevitably leads to a spiral in which dictatorship and (new) exploitation reproduce indefinitely.
The Italian socialism, born libertarian with the appearance of the party by Andrea Costa (ex-anarchist) first, and then Communists, becomes - especially after the Second World War -, almost complete prerogative of the Marxist for a long time under Soviet leadership. Who prevented the spiral was broken, deceiving the masses through the management of the state - an instrument of production, conservation and not just the domain - and / or 'elimination of freedom, he would come to the end of exploitation, is the real revisionist in the socialist camp.

 

From nationalization to privatization

Strong elements of state capitalism were detected with the Nazi or fascist right. Nationalization (intervention pushed, head to the economy, elephantiasis of the official), total employment of civil society and its institutions is inherent in every form of totalitarianism.
The capital seems to have very often a tendency to rely on the state which created it, to dress up and guided to become "invisible." More or less obvious forms of state capitalism were (and are) a good "front", both West and East, to maintain an unequal society. Similar phenomena in variable directions. Contextual phenomena but apparently opposite directions.
Thanks to state capitalism it was created a new class in power in the so-called socialist countries, which made it possible, after 1989, the "recourse", or simply the transition to capitalism 'autonomous', allegedly saprophyte and retain his rank as leader the old boyars of state.
In the West, the fear of socialism had been promoted structural reforms that have allowed the appearance of another of the same type boyars, however, already created by fascism and social democracy. But with the fall of the wall and the end of "communist threat", the march was reversed, it was made on the total free route and it became public business openly. Just like in the East, where today the economic structures and service of those who were "socialist states" have become obvious property (privatization) of the "chameleons" who already directed and exploited "in the name and on behalf of all."
The business, which has become multinational, needs an intensification of the ties of the capital, a capital multi-owner due to people, mafias, cartels and stakes deregulated openly playing to get hold of all that exists. Individuals who no longer have to hide because the "theology" of money, become the dominant ideology, legitimizes any transaction, everything is goods and sales potential. From school transport, health, water, more or less clear drinking, in the fourth, third, second and even first world.
In our country, veterans of the leadership of the Communist Party (or the part arrived at the PD), suffer from a genetic mutation: from the time they want to achieve free trade. But they continue to use the methods acquired in their education policy, those of the Italian variant of Stalinism. Emblematic in this sense, the law passed by the Prodi government in late 1997 (even with the affirmative vote of the PRC and the Greens) on the so-called "union representation," which delivers the traditional confederations the monopoly of any right, preventing the totalitarian claim any "other" trade union.
Here is a more or less approximate, the situation that led to revenge liberal.
This, of course, has launched in Italy the most varied appetites.
It's so who has been able to dispose of the Alfa Romeo to Fiat, which was not paid and although a large offer from Ford. This is evidence of how little sincere and constant reminder of the "bipartisan" to large and regular "market rules" means the company was public, ergo could be donated. Although the newspapers of what remains of the Agnelli (La Stampa and Corriere della Sera) often do not remember.

Ma intanto, come siamo diventati?

The national social security system became inadequate and insufficient to guarantee a dignified retirement, in fact transforming the retirement allowance in nothing but a grant of poverty. Hath been so artfully induced the "necessity" of private security hinged on pension funds, which speculate on the unions that administer them (one of quid pro quo of the meeting). The changes in law, Dini on (when he went to preside over a government of "center-left" after he was minister of the first executive Berlusconi and have counter-proposed the same pension, first opposed and then hailed by CGIL, CISL and UIL ), speak for themselves: with the contribution system, the value of the pension is now between 40 and 60% of final salary. Despite a period of intermittent work, the coverage will be even lower. Before the "reforms", the board shall be the average salary brackets instead of the last five years of work. The rest is nobody's land. So it was with the share of public highways. Then been thought to Telecom, and finally (and with the results that we know) to social housing that was welfare, to railways and Alitalia (via ENI, AGIP, and a myriad of business starting with Finmeccanica and Fincantieri Finmare , which are very productive). Now is the time of drinking water. Just like in the USSR, where the composer of the Soviet Union hymn, acquiring one of the "privatization" of the nursing home veterans of World War II (adapted to large hotel), left maimed and disabled persons on the pavement in the street

ISTAT data in summary

It is true that the world is for two years in a crisis "is not comparable in intensity" with the previous ones of 1975 and 1982-83 (oil crisis) or 1992-93 (which led to the lira out of the European Monetary Institute system) and 2002-03 (after the WTC attacks). But the performance of Italy "was the worst among the 27 EU countries as well as compared to the United States and Japan", with 36 quarterly retreat, against 13 for France and 16 in the UK (and all others are between these two parameters). The savings level has dropped dangerously to the '90s: in twenty-four months of crisis have drained as set aside in twenty years (and this is the index of the indisputable heaviest path in the social recession)..