February 27, 2006

Thank you Turin!

The Winter Olympics with the fantastic Gold Medal achieved by Giorgio Di Centa in the 50 km cross-country ski event, has been a massive boost to a country that is in the doldrums.

The people of Turin and Piedmont have given a great example to all in terms of organisation and participation.

I hope that Piedmont can come out of the deep crisis that over the last few years with the downsizing of Fiat and the effective disappearance of Olivetti and the many companies that were involved with them.

In Piedmont now there is an excess of professional ability of engineers, ICT specialists, and technicians who cannot see a way forward for their own future. These are people who could be a resource for the country and they should not be made to disperse.

The relaunch of the ICT and vehicle sectors are two great challenges that the next Government must take on to bring results. Italia dei Valori in the next legislature will immediately make precise proposals to favour the development of these two sectors that have seen Italy a world leader.

In Piedmont, as in the rest of the country, Italia dei Valori will encourage investments in the companies that are productive and innovative. The future of the country rests in the development of this type of company.

Tax payers will see their contributions invested in the creation of long-term employment opportunities and not in great (and useless) engineering works like the bridge over the Straits of Messina.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

True information

Area of the Agora in Athens

Before the elections every party and grouping of parties publishes their proposals for the citizens, their potential electors. My party, Italia dei Valori, has expressed its programme in 7 main points.

In meetings and on this Blog where I'm using daily articles I'm trying to discuss the details of the different aspects of the programme, to give them a more concrete form and to explain them.
However facts must follow programmes and citizens need to be able to judge their elected representatives for the coherence that they show in respect to the declarations they make.
Many electoral promises that different party representatives are making currently are transforming their programmes into books of unrealisable dreams and they are changing the politicians into showman at a country fair.
In the period after the elections I’ve thus decided to provide detailed evidence on this Blog about the activity of Italia dei Valori for each point of the programme.
I’ll do this so that each citizen can consider, comment and criticise as well as make helpful suggestions. This activity of providing information and engagement will last for the whole period of the legislature. It’s a way of giving transparency that is a duty to the electorate.
It’s necessary to be accountable to the electorate on the basis of solid information and facts during the life of a legislature and not only at the end. Democracy is based on true information, on true engagement. Today this is almost totally absent from our country.
This initiative is a starting point.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 25, 2006

Work and Dignity

Two words that I'm keen to promote throughout this election campaign are Work and Dignity.

The two words are inseparable because you can’t have work without dignity. It's not possible to work for salaries that are like charity handouts, as often happens in many Call Centres, or with the 3-monthly fear of not having the contract renewed.

The de-regulation of work has brought the younger generations to manage with temporary jobs, often without any professional content, even though they have gained a professional qualification. The only choice for many of these young people is to move abroad.

We are arriving at the point of inflicting wounds on ourselves by asking the Italian State to help educate engineers and researchers and then see them get their experience in foreign organisations.

This Government always mentions jobs as an objective that has been achieved.

The Government is talking about jobs that are imaginary.

During this election campaign I am visiting 2 or 3 different places every day and I’m only seeing factories that are closing down, manual workers being laid off (in Italian they are in “cassa integrazione”), foreign companies that are disinvesting.

This is confirmed in an analysis done by the CISL on the industry sector, from which I’ve extracted 2 items:

There are 251,175 workers who have been laid off (in “cassa integrazione”), this is an increase of 6.2%

There are 103,962 workers who have been fired or in an interim state (referred to as  “in mobilità”), this is an increase of 8.8%.

This is a desolate situation. To start again we need years of investment targeted at production activities, particularly those with a high innovation element.

And in any case the application of the Biagi law must be reconsidered urgently so that security and dignity can be restored to all workers and especially to the young ones.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Work
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 24, 2006

A Parliament without Convicts

photo from microsoft.com

In my electoral programme there is a point that I believe is fundamental for turning round our country: the credibility of the Parliamentarians, the reputation of those who represent us.

This is why I have inserted the following point in my programme:

 “Prevent any person who has been convicted from being a candidate in elections to the Lower or Upper Houses of the Italian Parliament or to the European Parliament.”

Parliament can no longer be what it is today, a place where rules don’t count in the same way that they do for other Italian citizens. A place where you can access the position of parliamentarian by lying, being corrupt, swindling, defrauding the tax authorities and being convicted of these offences. A necessary pre-condition for being appointed to a job in the public service is a clean criminal record, but this is not valid for the role of parliamentarian.

From today I have decided to publish the list of those convicted with their offences as shown on Beppe Grillo’s Blog. You can access this by clicking on the campaign icon “Clean up Parliament!”

If someone has been convicted of an offence, they cannot have a seat in Parliament! “Italy of Values” applies this requirement to itself, even though there is not yet a law to establish this.

It is not possible that laws are written by those who have contravened the law.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Justice
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 23, 2006

An Italian Family

I’ve decided to publish a letter received in response to my “New Poverty” post.

It makes you feel sick to read it.

Dear friends, we need to change Government and then we need to roll up our sleeves to construct a real future together.

“45 years, a family, a mortgage and the car still to be paid for, I’ve been an employee for 12 years, then they decided they could do without me. I work as a sales agent for a mega company. Last month they wiped out 500 Euro of commission and very shortly, they’ll probably send me home for low productivity. I forgot, I’ve got a degree, various specialist courses and a book published. I’ve seriously thought of taking out life insurance and jumping from a viaduct over the motorway., at least I could provide a minimum future for my son. A future that none of the modern slave drivers is willing to offer me in exchange for my work.”

Franco B.

Franco’s words are worth more then an electoral programme.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Work
Commenti (2) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

Chinese Boxes

Milan's Stock Exchange

The system of Chinese boxes is a financial invention that allows for the control of big groups with a minimum investment of capital by using a pyramid structure of companies that are ever smaller as they go up.

It’s a perverse mechanism that has taken hold in Italy and is seeing the disappearance of the industrialists, the ones with the money, as they are being replaced by finance people, who ask for money from third parties and dump big debts on the controlled companies.

The Chinese boxes system can have catastrophic effects on the development of the companies, as it makes it possible for there to be total control by possessing a fraction of the share capital, often for a tiny sum. The principle of control through the ownership of a fraction usually means that there is no capacity to sustain development.

This is a situation that is often called “capitalists without capital”.

The Chinese boxes system makes it possible to remove control from the shareholders of the companies quoted on the Stock Exchange. In fact, in the long chain of Chinese boxes, the company at the pinnacle, the one that makes the final decisions, is often not quoted on the Stock Exchange and is thus completely closed to the participation of third parties.

The system of Chinese boxes tends to take the profits towards the top. This leaves the groups that are controlled without the possibility to face up to the competition for lack of investments and so they lose value over time.

So who pays? The usual tribe of small-scale investors, who if brought together, possess the majority of the shares in the company without having any authority about management choices.

In the next legislature, my party will commit to eliminating the mechanism of Chinese boxes. We will introduce new visibility into the Stock Market with proper payment to small-scale investors and a true flow of capital.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 22, 2006

New Poverty

The most important failure of this Government has been without doubt, the failure to protect consumers and in particular families.

Italians don’t need statistics to understand that they have become poorer in the last 5 years.

However it is useful to note some of the price increases in the period 2001-2005:
- Rents + 66%
- Car insurance +23%
- Petrol +27%
- Milk +25%
- Mineral water + 81%
- Bread + 38%
- Pasta +43%
- Oil +40%


To face up to this collapse of the consumer system, families have found only one solution: to get into debt. In fact according to data from Assofin, consumer credit grew by 24.6% in 2005.

Debts have become a part of family budgets to such an extent that the number of those using the opportunity to have a loan of up to a fifth of their salary has grown by 40% in the last year, with a total of such loans valued at 2,746,000,000 Euro in 2005. In Berlusconi’s 5 golden years, the value of the “fifth of salary” loans increased overall by 264.4% (data: Assofin).

Italians get into debt for food, rents, study and health.

They have become poorer with debts that they often cannot honour.

This Government has failed.

Every Italian knows this when they buy a litre of milk, pay the rent, look at the details of their meagre salary, when they think of their own future and when they think of their children’s future.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Society
Commenti (1) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 21, 2006

Information from "Striscia"

Antonio Ricci

The programme “Striscia la notizia” yesterday ridiculed the symbol of my Party, l’Italia dei Valori. They renamed it “The odorous underpants”, with the comment that “they smell” and then showed the seagull-rainbow dying, probably from avian flu.

Symbols are important and Striscia insulted me and my electors with trivial and unnecessary irony.
Ricci could tell me that he delivered similar treatment to the other the Parties. But a careful examination shows that this master of communication has kept the positive word “Liberty” for the House of Liberty but for “Italy of Values” he substituted the negative word “odori” (odorous) for the positive word Valori (Values).
You could say it’s a detail but it is certainly intentional.

The people of Striscia grovel to the orders of the owner of Canale 5. They should give the "tapiro" to Ricci each evening.
Ricci is strong with the weak and weak with the strong. No mercy with Vanna Marchi and indulgent with Berlusconi, “Any comments on Mr. Mills, dear Ricci?”.

In the next legislature, there will be many emergencies to deal with that have been left as an inheritance from this legislature.
The first to be dealt with is the reform of the radio and TV system and the allocation of frequencies in a way that guarantees true democracy in Italy. Even previous legislatures are to blame for the current system.
If the electors give me their trust, it will be a priority of the next government.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 19, 2006

The Lega’s off the rails

photo of the Italian Consulate in Benghazi

On Friday evening in Benghazi 11 Libyan people of the Islamic faith died. The police killed them to prevent an assault on the Italian Consulate and to protect our compatriots.

The irresponsible attitude of the ex-Minister Calderoli and his derision of Islam are the causes of this attack.

Our Consulates and Embassies are from now on at risk of attack.
The ex-Minister Calderoli is guilty of having knowingly forgotten that his position obliged him to behave in a manner that protected the interests of all Italians and his country.
His indifference to the destiny of our compatriots entitles him to bear the label: irresponsible.
His resignation was only a necessary act that took place well beyond the required time limit.

Calderoli belongs to the Lega and he is its current expression. A representative of a party that is off the rails, brought into existence with valid objectives, with a basis that had a solid network of authentic popular support, and today finished up in the same political area as Berlusconi, Previti, and Dell’Utri.
In the company of those it wanted to stand against and now it is the party that is the first to protect them.
It is a party that has shown it can no longer be trusted by its own electors and a danger to all Italians.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Politics
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 18, 2006

Bankrupt Italy

Image from The Economist

The President of the Council of Ministers is accused of corruption. The News is in all today’s newspapers.
I have asked that he should resign. I’ve done this because I see it as my duty as a representative of the Italian people.

However it’s necessary to underline that this judicial proceeding, like many others that have involved the current President of the Council, has no bearing on elections and should not have in the future.

Whoever believes in the legend of the “red gowns” will have thought that this is yet another in a long line of unjustified attacks. The others will think that this is yet one more event confirming his inadequacy in holding public office.

But all the people on each side of this argument can judge the social, political and economic outcomes of the Government’s actions: even those who are convinced that their highest representative is persecuted.

The judgement about the elections must refer to the economic disaster for which this government is totally responsible.
They should note the sliding back and the impoverishment of the nation. They should note the closing down of companies and establishments.

This Government has not maintained any of its promises.

A few years ago there was a positive balance for foreign trade of 35 thousand million Euros (about 70 million million lire). At the end of 2005 this was in deficit by about 10 thousand million Euros.
Our country has squandered resources to a value of almost 90 million million lire in just a few years.

It’s a bankruptcy situation and we’ll really be bankrupt if we don’t send home these incapable people.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 17, 2006

ENI and the Government are hot, citizens are cold

Yesterday there were two news items regarding energy. One good, one bad. The good one was about the Antitrust body that is starting to work in Italy and is doing something for the people. The bad news is that ENI has received a fine of 290 million Euro from the Antitrust body for abuse of its position.

The abuse was the blocking of the strengthening of the gas pipeline with Tunisia, with the resulting loss of flow of 9,8000,000,000 cubic metres in the years 2007 and 2008.

According to the Antitrust, this decision to block the flow was designed to prevent an excess supply.

Everyone knows that an increase in the supply means a reduction in prices for the consumer, just as everyone knows that Italy is using its strategic reserves of gas because of the reduction in supply from Russia and that families are being invited to reduce their use of heating or to turn off their heaters.

ENI’s decision has caused economic damage to the Italians and is putting the country at risk with an energy crisis looming.

ENI is responsible to the Government and the Government is responsible for this situation.

Thus it is still the Government that is responsible for the prices of gas for heating being among the highest in Europe.

Both ENI and the Government should be at the service of the people, but this seems to be the lowest of their priorities.

The monopolies are damaging the economy of our country and this is yet another episode that confirms this idea.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 16, 2006

BPL and the credibility of the Italian Banking System

photo: Banca Popolare di Lodi

An open letter to:

Mario Draghi Governor of BANCA D'ITALIA
Maurizio Sella President of ABI
Lamberto Cardia President of CONSOB

C.C.: Carlo Azeglio Ciampi President of the Italian Republic



Given that:

- The former head of Banca Popolare di Lodi, Marco Fiorani, is in prison because he is under investigation for serious offences related to his position.

- At the share-holders meeting of 28 January 2006, the new Board of Directors appointed included two people who had been directors on the previous Board under the leadership of Fiorani, namely ex vice president Giorgio Olmo, and Guido Duccio Castellotti.

- The 2004 accounts of Banca Popolare di Lodi were approved with the participation of Giorgio Olmo and Guido Duccio Castellotti on 30 April 2005.

- The members of the Board of Directors must fulfil their obligations as laid down by law and by the constitution of the company with diligence (art. 2392 c.c.). If they don’t fulfil their obligations as laid down by law and by the constitution of the company and in this way cause damage to the company they can be declared responsible for their action which must be decided at a regular shareholders meeting by a majority of shareholders (art. 2393 c.c.). Furthermore, if the administrators act fraudulently or negligently and cause damage to the social creditors, to individual shareholders or to third parties they are responsible to these parties upon action brought by who has been damaged by the activity of the member of the Board of Directors.



”I think that the presence of members of the Board of Directors from the Board led by Fiorani who with him have shared the choices made and the strategies adopted by the Bank are completely inappropriate for the renewed Board and for the protection of the small-scale shareholders and savers of the Bank.

The credibility of the Italian banking system, in particular the Bank of Italy, Consob and ABI, cannot allow for the continued presence of Giorgio Olmo e di Guido Duccio Castellotti on the Board of Directors of the Banca Popolare Italiana

Antonio Di Pietro.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

In response to Maria D'Angelo | 16.02.06 - 11:39
The Union has not officially adopted the ethical code that I’ve suggested, but it hasn’t raised any type of objection in relation to its content.
Obviously Italia dei Valori has applied it. As soon as I can, I will publish on this Blog the list of all our candidates with their CVs.

Best wishes, Antonio Di Pietro.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 15, 2006

Italian Monopolies

As we know, economic competition is global.

Italy is part of this game and up to now, given the results, we could happily say that, using a football expression it has already lost the Championship and is now just fighting to avoid relegation.

Industrial production in our country has fallen by 1.8% in 2005 with respect to 2004. This is the biggest fall since 1993.

A fall in production levels means fewer jobs, fewer exports, less chance for Italians in the future, more poverty.

There are many causes of this decline and it’s not possible to cover them all in a short article like this.

One however is easily understood and can be eliminated straight away. If it’s not eliminated by this government, it could be eliminated in the first 100 days of the next government.

The costs of heating, of energy and of connectivity, the so-called utilities in Italy, are among the highest in Europe.


Chart from The Economist: comparison of gas and electricity prices in Europe.

Here we are not making comparisons with India and China but with Germany and Great Britain, where the primary costs for a company are lower then in Italy. How can we think to compete in a situation like this?

The costs of utilities need to be aligned to those in Europe. The regime of basic monopoly of services must be eliminated. With true competition services will be cheaper and more efficient. What’s true for companies is even more true for families who are seeing, month by month, a reduction in their spending capacity.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 13, 2006

The TAV in Val di Susa

The TAV in Val di Susa has become the main topic of discussion in the Union (the ruling coalition) Thee people of the Val di Susa have already clearly expressed their “no” and this opinion cannot be ignored.

The TAV in Val di Susa should more correctly be called TAC, Treno ad Alta Capacità, (High Capacity Train) as it is concerned with the transport of goods and not of people.

I’m not prejudiced against the TAC, but before it’s put into effect, a few thorny issues need tackling: 

- the safety of the people connected to the presence of asbestos and uranium in the mountains of the Valley,

 - the economic compatibility with other priorities of the country, according to some estimates, the tunnel could cost up to 13 thousand million Euros, almost all to be paid for by the taxpayer, about four times the cost of the bridge across the Straits of Messina.

- the examination of less costly alternatives, like the strengthening of the current rail system in Val di Susa, which is currently used below its capacity. Alternatives which could be put into effect in a time frame much shorter than the 15 years foreseen for the construction of the 53 kilometres of tunnel.

If there is no confirmation in relation to the economic assumptions about the work, the respect for the health of the people and for the environment, then the TAC cannot go ahead. I don’t believe that a political debate is needed to take this decision, nor do I believe that it is useful for anyone to adopt an “a priori” position pro or contra the TAC.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Society
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 12, 2006

Men before programmes

Yesterday the Programme of the Union was presented. It’s an important programme, and can be accessed in its entirety from this site.

The programme is described in a 281-page book and to be honest, I don’t believe many people will read it.

Its contents are important and in the next few weeks I will try to explain its most important points in simple terms.

However programmes are carried out by humans and not by documents and I must say that I feel uncomfortable about people like Ciriaco De Mita being a candidate at the top of the list for the Centre Left in Campania.

The Union and the country need a renewal of politics – not a re-exhumation of the people who were responsible for the failure of the First Republic.

Severino Citaristi, ex-treasurer of the Christian Democrats, was the person with the record number of prosecution notices in the time of “Mani Pulite” and his secretaries were Arnaldo Forlani and of our Ciriaco De Mita. If the Centre Left had followed logic or good sense, they would not have put him forward as a candidate and especially not at the top of the list where he can decide on the candidates in his local area.

I’ve learned the hard way that politics is conducted through compromise.

But this type of politics is mainly compromise and therefore it cannot work.

I repeat: politics must be at the service of the people, develop programmes and after 2 terms of office leave Parliament. The old hats, the professional politicians are by now, part of last century and should be dropped.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Politics
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 11, 2006

Italians Abroad

There are many more Italians living abroad than in Italy.

There are cities like Toronto, New York and Melbourne with hundreds of thousands of Italians and there are countries like Argentina and Brazil with millions of families of Italian origin. In Buenos Aires you can happily talk Italian and everyone understands.

I, myself, have been an Italian abroad. I’ve worked in Germany as a labourer and in a saw-mill.

At that time I learned what it means to find yourself a long way from your homeland, the difficulties and the diffidence that can be encountered.

I often go abroad now in response to the invitation of Italian communities who have always shown me great warmth.

At one time distance was an absolute. Telephone costs were prohibitive. There was no Internet and flights were not low-cost.

Today Italians abroad can get access to information about Italy using the Internet, and with no time delay they can send emails and photos.

The world has become interconnected and the development of Italy is also based on the Italians who are abroad.

It’s a great opportunity.

My proposals for the next legislature are: relaunch and spread our language abroad, strengthen and encourage the modernisation of our Consulates and develop the Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad, create a Bill of Rights for Italians abroad.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Society
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 10, 2006

Government Debts

Treasury Ministry

This Government has increased the public debt.

A debt for all. Every one of us Italians is in debt by about 50 million old lire. The comedian Pippo Franco, in the TV programme “LiberiTutti”, asked the current Presidente del Consiglio {President of the Council – Silvio Berlusconi} for his opinion about Italy’s enormous public debt.

In his reply he attributed the debt to previous Governments and the dwarfs and the ballerinas present in the room applauded.

The truth needs to be spoken: the public debt, made smaller by the Prodi Government has grown under the Berlusconi Government.

To say the contrary is false.

Year	Public Debt (millions of euro)
2001	1.351.360
2002	1.365.007
2003	1.389.223
2004	1.439.755
2005*	1.534.683

* Data referring to October 2005

The debt has increased in these five years because of the lack of structural reforms, because of the increased costs of the Public Administration, because of the absence of investment in innovation, for the mixing of politics and economics which has perpetuated the monopoly situation, and lastly for the so-called “electoral finance”.

The public debt is a burden that we leave as an inheritance to our children, that derives from inefficiency and corruption.

The kickbacks to public administrators in fact contribute to the increase in the public debt. They puff up the prices of supplies, of the “consultancy” fees.

One of my personal objectives in the next legislature will be the reduction of the debt through structural changes to State machinery.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 09, 2006

Laws Promoting Kick-backs

Public employees and negligent public administrators who are distracted or who are knowingly evading taxes will breathe a sigh of relief.

The honest administrators and the citizens however, once more have the proof that In Italy crime pays. And it pays well.

In the finance law at commas 231, 232, and 233 there’s the introduction of a  “public amnesty”: anyone who has been found guilty and has caused damage to the State will be OK if they pay back a maximum of 30% of the damage caused.

In practice if a public administrator is convicted for example for a kick back of 10 million Euros in the Corte dei Conti {Court dealing with Public Administration} he can give back 3 million Euros and continue with his job.

If he’s not convicted he’s got the lot. If he’s found guilty he gets 70%, which is still a good amount.

What a joke.

Private entrepreneurs can be declared bankrupt and after that they are barred from economic or financial activity for 5 years.

A public administrator who commits a crime stays in post.

But the Minister of Justice, Castelli has no doubts about the validity of the law. “It is madness to talk about a white-wash for kick-backs. Kick backs are dealt with by the penal system.”

The pro-kick-back law is only valid for the past. This introduces unequal treatment for the new thieves and the old thieves.

This law is particularly odious for me. It establishes impunity in the illegal use of our taxes, of public money.

But is it possible to continue like this? Let’s use the Di Pietro jargon: “It’s disgusting!”

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Justice
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 08, 2006

Remembering Paolo Borsellino

Last week on 4 February, together with Rita Borsellino I participated in a conference in Palermo called: “Prospects of socio-economic development in the context of shared legality” to give weight to the concept that without the rule of law there can be no economic development.

I had the honour of knowing her brother, Paolo Borsellino, an exceptional man who died for our country.

I would like to remember him through the words he used in commemoration of Giovanni Falcone on 25 May 1992 in the Church of San Domenico:

“Our work was shaking the consciences, breaking the feelings of accepting to live with the mafia, which represent the true strength of the mafia. The fight against the mafia did not have to be only a distant operation of repression, but a cultural and moral movement involving everyone, and above all the young generations, those most adaptable to immediately feeling the beauty of the fresh perfume of freedom that refuses the unpleasant smell of moral compromise.

This season of “having fans” for us seemed to last a very short time, because very soon what came about was almost an annoyance, and a reluctance to put up with the cost of fighting the mafia that had to be paid by all the citizens: not tolerating the body guards, the sirens, the investigations, that reluctance to put up with things that finished up by legitimising a guarantee-ism of return that ended up by giving legitimacy in turn to certain legislation that has been an extreme obstacle to the fight against the mafia, or worse still, that has provided an alibi to those who often with great sadness, and even more frequently to those carrying great guilt, who have not wanted the fight against the mafia and haven’t wanted to be engaged in it in the future… “

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Justice
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 07, 2006

Politicians at the Service of the Citizens

Last Friday a group of young men and women representing the 1000-strong Friends of Beppe Grillo in Milan, came to talk to me.

They came to get to know me and to ask me to sign a document in which I declare myself to be an employee of Italian citizens.

I agreed to do this readily because I have always considered myself to be a servant of the State and therefore of the citizens.

We also spoke of the disgraceful life histories of some of our Parliamentarians of both the Lower and the Upper house. We discussed the situation that I feel is absurd by which we have people representing us in Parliament and yet they have been convicted of offences.

In the next legislature, if I have your agreement, I will introduce a draft law into Parliament that will prevent anyone who has not got a clean Criminal Record, from having access to a position in either the Italian or the European Parliament.

It’s not possible to ask Italian citizens to respect the laws if those representing them have violated these same laws.

It is not possible that those who have already committed offences should be writing laws for our country.

I feel, and I think it’s the feeling of many of you, like I’m living inside a film in which the values are turned upside down. In which what is just becomes unjust, in which the criminal becomes “prescribed” {not convicted because the time limit ran out}, in which crimes are abolished by law.

This is the moment to change and to bring back the real values to the centre of public life.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I’m replying to Marco Montanari date and time: 09.02.06 - 09:19

Dear Marco,

Scicchitano is not currently and will not be a candidate in the list of Italia dei Valori.


Best wishes, Antonio Di Pietro.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Politics
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 06, 2006

Italian Pravda

The Honourable Casini, the person with the third highest position in the State, on Saturday declared on the TV News that I am a disgrace to the magistrature and to Parliament.

The following day no national newspaper batted an eyelid.

It’s possible that they too consider me to be a disgrace. It’s possible that their main shareholders, the economic groups backing them, consider me to be a disgrace.

La Repubblica hasn’t even mentioned the incident.

Il Corriere della Sera has instead devoted an entire page to an interview with the Honourable Casini designed like election propaganda. 

And in a page devoted to the candidature of D’Ambrosio of the Ds and to Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) and they managed not to even mention my name, not even once.

And they published a photo of the Mani Pulite team in which everyone except myself appears.

La Pravda, the soviet newspaper whose name means “the truth”, would not have been able to do better.

Anyway I’m saying to the Honourable Casini, to the pupil of Forlani, that I am proud of the work I’ve done and of what I am now doing. And I’m proud of the Italians following and supporting me.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 04, 2006

Let's not abandon the honest Italians!

A few years ago a young lawyer from Arzano in the province of Naples, got in touch with me and offered to help with my Party: Italia dei Valori.

We had a number of discussions and he joined the Party and became a candidate at the local elections in Arzano.

People voted for him because he is honest and capable. He became President of the local Council.
His name is Elpidio Capasso.

On 31 January, the day following his request to send Arzano’s Regulation Plan to the Procura of Naples, he received a parcel bomb at his home.

The parcel was delivered by a young girl who ran away straight away, probably so that she wouldn’t feel the effect of the explosion.
His wife, Francesca Vitagliano, on removing a bottle from the parcel that seemed to be a basket of gifts, was seriously injured.

The parcel was put together by professional criminals who wanted to kill not just intimidate, and who used a frightened young girl for their deeds.
I feel it is my duty  to say to Elpidio and Francesca, that I will not abandon them, that Italia dei Valori will not abandon them, as it will not abandon the honest Italians who are still the majority in our country, in their battle for the affirmation of legality.

That’s a promise.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Justice
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa

February 03, 2006

Name: Fabrizio – surname:: Cicchitto – registration number in P2: 945

“Craxi was not ashamed and he went into exile and died at Hammamet. After all that he had done, he made Violante and D’Alema have a commemoration for him in the Lower House.
These words bring to mind, in their celebratory emphasis, the poem “Il Cinque Maggio” by Manzoni and dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte.

They were written by Fabrizio Cicchitto of Forza Italia. I’m going to be fronting up to him this evening on the TV programme called “Confronti” on RAI 2.
Napoleon died in exile. Craxi however was a fugitive from justice to avoid being in prison after being convicted of corruption and illegal financing of political parties.
But this difference must not be clear to Cicchitto and to Forza Italia, as it cannot be clear to them what they are saying when they talk of “political use of the judiciary”.

They should talk rather of “use of politics against the justice system”, a topic in which they have shown themselves to be true experts with the laws passed by this Government.
Legality is the basis of every democracy. Those who violate this principle cannot represent democracy.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
Commenti (0) | Scrivi | Iscriviti | Invia ad un amico | Stampa