Populism in Italy
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The Party of European Socialists, European Greens and European Left Party Respond to the Crisis1
All anti-neo-liberal now? The Party of European Socialists, European Greens and European Left Party respond to the crisis1 Luke March University of Edinburgh [email protected] Paper for PSA 2013 Draft version 1.0. Work very much in progress. Please do not quote without author’s permission. Why has the left failed to benefit from the post-2008 economic crisis? This is a common, but perhaps slightly unfair question. It is difficult to see any one political family as a unique beneficiary, and indeed the right’s apparent earlier ideological hegemony has become unstuck with the ‘austerity medicine’ having consistently failed to revive the European patient. Nevertheless, there is still something remarkable about socio-economic conditions that should be a ‘perfect storm’ for left-wing politics regularly failing to produce anything like a clear boon for the left. The February 2013 Italian elections are just the latest that may mark a ‘no- confidence’ vote in the Centre-Left (McDonnell and Bobba 2013). The social democratic Democratic Party (PD) and its more leftist ally, the post-communist Left Ecology Freedom threw away an apparently unassailable lead to squeak ahead of the right and Beppe Grillo’s Five-Star Movement. This paper aims to contribute to answering this overarching question by comparing the policy and ideological response to the crisis undertaken by the three ‘left’ transnational party federations (TNPs) at European level, the Party of European Socialists (PES), European Green Party (EGP) and European Left Party (EL).2 Comparing the three TNPs is an apposite approach. Although TNPs are ‘timidly rising actors’, relatively weak formations that fall far short of being fully integrated parties, they at the very least aspire to a minimal level of ideological and policy co-ordination (Bardi 2004; cf. -
Face Attack in Italian Politics: Beppe Grillo's Insulting Epithets
1 Face attack in Italian politics: Beppe Grillo’s insulting epithets for other politicians1 ABSTRACT The second largest party in the Italian Parliament, the “5-Star Movement” is led by comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo. Grillo is well-known for a distinctive and often inflammatory rhetoric, which includes the regular use of humorous but insulting epithets for other politicians, such as Psiconano (“Psychodwarf”) for Silvio Berlusconi. This paper discusses a selection of epithets used by Grillo on his blog between 2008 and 2015 to refer to Berlusconi and three successive centre-left leaders. We account for the functions of the epithets in terms of Spencer-Oatey’s (2002, 2008) multi- level model of “face” and of Culpeper’s (2011) “entertaining” and “coercive” functions of impoliteness. We suggest that our study has implications for existing models of face and impoliteness and for an understanding of the evolving role of verbal aggression in Italian politics. 1. Introduction In the 2013 Italian general election, just under a quarter of the votes went to Il Movimento Cinque Stelle (The 5-Star Movement, or M5S) – a new political entity which had been founded four years before by comedian- turned-politician Beppe Grillo. One of the distinctive characteristics of Grillo’s language as leader of M5S is the coinage of humorous but insulting epithets for other politicians. Below is an extract from an online ‘political communiqué’ written by Grillo shortly after the 2008 general election: I partiti erano uno e bino, psiconano e Topo Gigio. PDL e PD-meno- elle […].(Grillo, n.d., Communiqué number 13) “The parties were one and two-in-one, psychodwarf and Gigio Mouse. -
Remaking Italy? Place Configurations and Italian Electoral Politics Under the ‘Second Republic’
Modern Italy Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2007, pp. 17–38 Remaking Italy? Place Configurations and Italian Electoral Politics under the ‘Second Republic’ John Agnew The Italian Second Republic was meant to have led to a bipolar polity with alternation in national government between conservative and progressive blocs. Such a system it has been claimed would undermine the geographical structure of electoral politics that contributed to party system immobilism in the past. However, in this article I argue that dynamic place configurations are central to how the ‘new’ Italian politics is being constructed. The dominant emphasis on either television or the emergence of ‘politics without territory’ has obscured the importance of this geographical restructuring. New dynamic place configurations are apparent particularly in the South which has emerged as a zone of competition between the main party coalitions and a nationally more fragmented geographical pattern of electoral outcomes. These patterns in turn reflect differential trends in support for party positions on governmental centralization and devolution, geographical patterns of local economic development, and the re-emergence of the North–South divide as a focus for ideological and policy differences between parties and social groups across Italy. Introduction One of the high hopes of the early 1990s in Italy was that following the cleansing of the corruption associated with the party regime of the Cold War period, Italy could become a ‘normal country’ in which bipolar politics of electoral competition between clearly defined coalitions formed before elections, rather than perpetual domination by the political centre, would lead to potential alternation of progressive and conservative forces in national political office and would check the systematic corruption of partitocrazia based on the jockeying for government offices (and associated powers) after elections (Gundle & Parker 1996). -
Lega Nord and Anti-Immigrationism: the Importance of Hegemony Critique for Social Media Analysis and Protest
International Journal of Communication 12(2018), 3553–3579 1932–8036/20180005 Lega Nord and Anti-Immigrationism: The Importance of Hegemony Critique for Social Media Analysis and Protest CINZIA PADOVANI1 Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA In this study, I implement Antonio Gramsci’s hegemony critique to analyze the anti- immigration rhetoric promoted by the Italian ultraright party Lega Nord [Northern League]. Specifically, this case study focuses on the discourse that developed on the microblogging site Twitter during the Stop Invasione [Stop Invasion] rally, organized by Matteo Salvini’s party on October 18, 2014, in Milan. I argue that hegemony critique is helpful to investigate political discourse on social media and to theorize the struggle surrounding contentious topics such as immigration. The method, which is multilayered and includes content analysis and interpretative analysis, allows for the exploration of a considerable data corpus but also an in-depth reading of each tweet. The result is a nuanced understanding of the anti-immigration discourse and of the discourse that developed in favor of immigration and in support of a countermarch, which progressive movements organized in response to Lega’s mobilization on the same day in Milan. Keywords: Lega Nord, ultraright media, far-right media, anti-immigrationism, Twitter, critical social media analysis, mobilization, Gramsci, hegemony critique The rise of ultraright movements in Western Europe and the United States is an indication of the continuous crisis of capitalism and neoliberal ideologies. The financial and economic downturn that plagued Europe and North America beginning in late 2008 and the consequent Brussels-imposed austerity in the European Union have exacerbated the rift between the haves and the have-nots. -
Italy and Possible Implications for Eurozone Stability
ITALY IMPLICATIONS Italy and possible implications for eurozone stability After Italy’s unsuccessful push for reform at the EU Summit last month, many of its European partners may be tempted to write-off the country’s concerns. However, this somewhat complacent stance may be dangerous in that it underestimates the recent shift in Italian political dynamics that culminated in the formation of an unexpected coalition government and the extent to which this may impact financial markets and potentially EU stability. Erik Jones Abstract: Italy’s recent election surprised many are not natural political allies. While there are observers who expected a hung parliament areas of policy overlap, the diverse nature of and who were subsequently caught off guard the M5S’s political movement, its relatively by the success of the right-wing Lega and the more expensive policy agenda, and Lega’s populist Five Star Movement (M5S). This growing strength all suggest maintaining a outcome can be attributed to an increasingly united front may prove difficult. Nevertheless, volatile Italian electorate and a shift in political this unexpected political partnership ought dynamics brought about by the economic and not to be written-off by European partners. financial crisis. As the protracted coalition Finding ways to interact with Italy’s new negotiations demonstrated, the Lega and M5S government poses a considerable challenge 81 to EU leaders and, subsequently, the outlook Conte’s success with this complex agenda for EU macroeconomic governance reforms was not obvious. Moreover, there is nothing and financial markets’ stability. However, surprising in this lack of accomplishment. such efforts will be necessary to stabilize the Few heads of state or government achieve all eurozone and contain anti-EU sentiment. -
REVIEW ESSAY to Silvio Berlusconi, with Irony
RMIS100349 (NT) Journal of Modern Italian Studies 9(4) 2004: 480 – 486 REVIEW ESSAY To Silvio Berlusconi, with irony: Giuseppe Rosato narrates Italy’s Normal Anomalies in the era of the Cavaliere Dagmar Reichardt University of Bremen Giuseppe Rosato (2003) Normali anomalie, Romanzo. Biblioteca di Ciminiera. Collana di narrativa diretta da Giovanni Cara (Civitanova Marche, Macerata: Gruppo Editore Domina), pp. 1 – 60, e9.00. The Berlusconi phenomenon, from a literary point of view, is a collection of Normal Anomalies. With this oxymoron the Abruzzese author Giuseppe Rosato synthesizes in his new novel’s title the double meanings of the story he tells us. After an avalanche of wildly varied journalistic documentation, political essays in scientific reviews and a series of popular books on the subject,1 Rosato offers us a further occasion for amusement in a literary fantasy whose style is eloquent, meaningful, and dynamic. As in other literary texts with clear allusions to Berlusconism,2 the plot, of which we will present a brief synopsis before analyzing the text in greater depth, makes use of stinging and significant critical equipment. A ‘usurer’ (p. 9), the accountant Gelindo Tazi, employee of a trucking firm, wakes up one morning – almost as Gregor Samsa does in Kafka’s famous ‘Metamorphosis’ – not in the form of a cockroach but with a ‘big lump’ (p. 10) under his chin. The swelling is alarming, and the ‘hard mass’ (p. 9) on his neck keeps growing. He summons the doctor who can suggest no remedy, but who tells him that strangely enough, that very morning, he has seen a similar case. -
The Post-Modern Crisis of Humanities
1 THE POST-MODERN CRISIS OF HUMANITIES AND GOALS OF THEIR RECOVERY Democritus Association London - Berlin – Prague 2005 2 Published as a methodical material by Democritus Association for inner purposes of academic institutions. The book edition of this methodical material is protected by copyright, but its text may be copied and reproduced for inner needs of academic institutions. © Democritus Association 2005 ISBN 80-86580-11-3 3 C O N T E N T S A List of Tables .................................................................................................4 THESES TO THE POSTMODERN CRISIS OF HUMANITIES.....................5 I The Post-Modern Situation of Humanities......................................................5 II The Dysfunctional State of the System of Education in Humanities .............8 III The Fundamentalist Destruction of Modern Humanities...........................11 IV Academic Clientelism, Lawlessness, Corruption and Criminality .............14 CURRENT TRENDS IN POSTMODERN HUMANITIES ...........................16 1 The Post-Modern Situation of Sciences........................................................16 2 Remedial Steps in Cultural Politics .............................................................20 THE HISTORICAL PERIODICITY OF IRRATIONALIST REVIVALS.....26 1 The Periodicity of Crises of Science in Past History ....................................26 2 Science vs. ‘Black Science’ in History........................................................30 THE LAYOUT OF MODERN SCIENCES ....................................................60 -
Rassegna Stampa 25 Giugno 2019
RASSEGNA STAMPA di martedì 25 giugno 2019 SOMMARIO Nel tardo pomeriggio di domenica 23 giugno Papa Francesco ha presieduto la Messa e poi la processione eucaristica nella solennità del Corpus Domini nel territorio della parrocchia romana di Santa Maria Consolatrice a Casal Bertone. Ecco la sua omelia: “La Parola di Dio ci aiuta oggi a riscoprire due verbi semplici, due verbi essenziali per la vita di ogni giorno: dire e dare. Dire. Melchisedek, nella prima Lettura, dice: «Sia benedetto Abram dal Dio altissimo, e benedetto sia il Dio altissimo». Il dire di Melchisedek è benedire. Benedice Abramo, nel quale saranno benedette tutte le famiglie della terra. Tutto parte dalla benedizione: le parole di bene generano una storia di bene. Lo stesso accade nel Vangelo: prima di moltiplicare i pani, Gesù li benedice: «Prese i cinque pani, alzò gli occhi al cielo, recitò su di essi la benedizione, li spezzò e li dava ai discepoli». La benedizione fa di cinque pani il cibo per una moltitudine: fa sgorgare una cascata di bene. Perché benedire fa bene? Perché è trasformare la parola in dono. Quando si benedice, non si fa qualcosa per sé, ma per gli altri. Benedire non è dire belle parole, non è usare parole di circostanza: no; è dire bene, dire con amore. Così ha fatto Melchisedek, dicendo spontaneamente bene di Abramo, senza che questi avesse detto o fatto qualcosa per lui. Così ha fatto Gesù, mostrando il significato della benedizione con la distribuzione gratuita dei pani. Quante volte anche noi siamo stati benedetti, in chiesa o nelle nostre case, quante volte abbiamo ricevuto parole che ci hanno fatto bene, o un segno di croce sulla fronte… Siamo diventati benedetti il giorno del Battesimo, e alla fine di ogni Messa veniamo benedetti. -
Senza Titolo 2
Open Letter to Beppe Grillo from Professor Paul Connett and Rossano Ercolini, dated Nov 4, 2016 Dear Beppe, I hope this finds you well in health and spirits. Rossano Ercolini and I are writing to you today because we have been very concerned about the disturbing information emanating from Rome and Turin where newly elected Five Star Movement mayors are making statements - and worse - making appointments, which appear to suggest that they are turning their backs on a genuine zero waste strategy and instead indicate they favor the discredited use of landfills and incinerators. The purpose of this letter is the hope that you will use your good offices to get one of the key planks of many 5 star activists back on track. As you know Paul has been to Italy many times working pro bono with Rossano and others fighting against incineration and also promoting a Zero Waste strategy. This has involved working many times with members of both Amici di Beppe Grillo and the Movimento Cinque Stelle. One story Paul loves re-telling in public is how a few years ago a delegation from the Amici di Beppe Grillo (there were about 600 groups at that time) went to you and said that “they loved what you were saying but what did you want them to do?” Your reply “Go home to your communities and improve them.” In our opinion this advice changed Italian politics from a lot of “talking” at the top to “doing” at the grass roots level. One result was that many pushed for Zero Waste in their communities. -
ESS9 Appendix A3 Political Parties Ed
APPENDIX A3 POLITICAL PARTIES, ESS9 - 2018 ed. 3.0 Austria 2 Belgium 4 Bulgaria 7 Croatia 8 Cyprus 10 Czechia 12 Denmark 14 Estonia 15 Finland 17 France 19 Germany 20 Hungary 21 Iceland 23 Ireland 25 Italy 26 Latvia 28 Lithuania 31 Montenegro 34 Netherlands 36 Norway 38 Poland 40 Portugal 44 Serbia 47 Slovakia 52 Slovenia 53 Spain 54 Sweden 57 Switzerland 58 United Kingdom 61 Version Notes, ESS9 Appendix A3 POLITICAL PARTIES ESS9 edition 3.0 (published 10.12.20): Changes from previous edition: Additional countries: Denmark, Iceland. ESS9 edition 2.0 (published 15.06.20): Changes from previous edition: Additional countries: Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden. Austria 1. Political parties Language used in data file: German Year of last election: 2017 Official party names, English 1. Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ) - Social Democratic Party of Austria - 26.9 % names/translation, and size in last 2. Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP) - Austrian People's Party - 31.5 % election: 3. Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ) - Freedom Party of Austria - 26.0 % 4. Liste Peter Pilz (PILZ) - PILZ - 4.4 % 5. Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Grüne) - The Greens – The Green Alternative - 3.8 % 6. Kommunistische Partei Österreichs (KPÖ) - Communist Party of Austria - 0.8 % 7. NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum (NEOS) - NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum - 5.3 % 8. G!LT - Verein zur Förderung der Offenen Demokratie (GILT) - My Vote Counts! - 1.0 % Description of political parties listed 1. The Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, or SPÖ) is a social above democratic/center-left political party that was founded in 1888 as the Social Democratic Worker's Party (Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei, or SDAP), when Victor Adler managed to unite the various opposing factions. -
U20 Rome-Milan 2021 – Urban 20 Calls on G20 To
TRADUZIONE ITALIANA DI CORTESIA Guidati dalle città co-presidenti di Roma e Milano, noi, i sindaci e governatori delle città sottoscritte, riuniti come Urban 20 (U20), invitiamo i Leader del G20 a collaborare con le città per realizzare società incentrate sull’uomo, eque, a emissioni zero, a prova di cambiamenti climatici, inclusive e prospere. La natura trasformativa dell'Agenda 2030 offre alle città un'opportunità chiave per promuovere un nuovo paradigma di sviluppo sostenibile e avviarsi verso una ripresa resiliente dalla crisi umanitaria causata dal COVID-19. Sindaci e governatori sono in prima linea nella risposta alla pandemia da COVID-19 e all'emergenza climatica. Il modo in cui i leader indirizzeranno i finanziamenti per la ripresa da COVID-19 rappresenta la sfida più significativa per qualsiasi governo impegnato nella risposta a pandemia ed emergenza climatica. La pandemia da COVID-19 ha messo in luce la solidarietà tra città e ha sottolineato l'importanza di lavorare insieme a soluzioni locali che garantiscano che nessuno e nessun luogo vengano dimenticati. Ha sottolineato che istituzioni pubbliche forti e la fornitura di servizi sono vitali per la coesione delle nostre comunità e per garantire l'accesso universale all'assistenza sanitaria in maniera equa per tutti. Per garantire che la fornitura di servizi pubblici a livello locale venga mantenuta, che le persone siano protette e che si realizzi una ripresa verde, giusta e sostenibile dalla pandemia da COVID- 19, le città devono avere accesso diretto a forniture e finanziamenti da fonti internazionali e nazionali, per esempio dai recovery plan nazionali. L'accesso equo ai vaccini deve essere garantito a tutti, in particolare alle città dei paesi in via di sviluppo. -
Final Agenda #Eefcities
Wifi login: see Annex II Final agenda #EEFcities WG Water WG GAB WG AQCCEE WG Waste all day (green areas and (air quality, climate change, biodiversity) energy efficiency) Wednesday 3rd April late afternoon Steering committee evening Covenant of Mayors Signing Ceremony and Official Dinner Session 1: The concept of resilience morning Session 2: Political debate – climate resilient cities Session 3: City resilience strategies Thursday 4th April afternoon Session 4: Deep-dive sessions: risk assessment, stakeholder partnerships, community resilience Site visits: see below for more information evening Informal dinner (at own costs) Session 5: Cultural/natural heritage and resilience Friday morning Session 6: Network update 5th April Session 7: City networking session noon (optional) Light lunch CONTACTS: Chair Daniel Freitas [email protected] EUROCITIES Joana Cruz [email protected] Heather Brooks [email protected] Genoa Alessandra Risso [email protected] Comune di Genova Map, also available online: http://bit.ly/2W8iHmz Keynote speakers: Giuseppe Zampini, Chief Executive Officer, Ansaldo Energia Giuseppe Zampini has been CEO of Ansaldo Energia since 2001. He reshaped the Company’s business as it is today, growing internationally and developing independent technology platforms in Gas Turbines, Electric Generators and Steam Turbines. In the aftermath of the Morandi bridge disaster, Ansaldo Energia has been actively involved in collaborating with local and national authorities and civil protection agencies to share their experience and skills however they can. As CEO of the company, Giuseppe Zampini has taken the lead in coordinating these efforts and develop strategic partnerships with various stakeholders in order to ensure effective recovery in the face of increasing shocks.