17 July 2006

Respecting the rules

I’m publishing the text of the interview given today to il Corriere della Sera on the topics of liberalisation and the pardon for financial crimes.

ADP: By intervening in the field of liberalisation, the government is doing what it has been asked to do: allow for the growth of competition, eliminate a whole heap of privileges. All the categories that understand and want to contribute to improving this approach will be listened to. But if the search for consensus is only useful for drawing things out, then we must continue on our path, because, it’s on this point that the credibility of the government and the ruling majority balances.
CdS: However in the face of the protests of the taxi drivers, isn’t the doctrine of “governing by consensus“ put in crisis? Isn’t this a doctrine that the Centre Left has adopted as a general principle?
ADP: Let’s avoid misunderstanding: consensus is a useful tool if it helps to take decisions that are useful to the general interest and everyone is in agreement. If the ones in front of us want to defend themselves and not the higher interest, then dialogue is not possible. The government is doing all that is possible for the taxi drivers.
CdS: After the white cars {taxis} it’ll be the turn of the pharmacists, the lawyers and the other categories involved. Isn’t there a risk to go from consensus to general disagreement?
ADP: If you ask the taxi drivers they will say that it is right to take action in relation to the lawyers, if you ask the notaries, they are keen to do something about the banks. Liberalisation is good only for the others. This is a signal that we have chosen the right path.
Then it’s possible to have discussions. I’ve encountered many pharmacists and they have expressed their fear that the new measures will mean that pharmacies will disappear from small villages and make the surveillance of the use of pharmaceuticals less widespread. These fears are just and can be faced up to if the objective is not simply to leave things unchanged.
CdS: However, many critics of the Bersani package say that it does not go far enough to affect the real economic powers and in the case of pharmaceuticals in the supermarkets, that it actually favours them.
ADP: We are carrying out liberalisation as we have been asked to do and we will continue to do. Other actions will follow. I can assure you that we will not be influenced by anyone just because of their large or small privileges.
CdS: The government’s message is clear: but already at the first pass in the Productive Activities Committee the initial difficulties are being seen. Do you think you will manage to get it to go all the way?
ADP: That is why I’m saying that it’s not just for the government but the whole of the majority coalition is playing for its credibility. The measures were part of the political manifesto, our political programme, and no one can now pull back. In fact I’ve been annoyed by seeing in a few cases that the search for particular visibility has been happening to the detriment of the coalition.
CdS: In relation to the compactness of the Unione {governing coalition}: the presence of financial crimes as beneficiaries of the pardon has created a reaction from yourself and from Italia dei Valori.
ADP: It is depressing how the first parliamentary action of the Centre Left is turned upside down. It is necessary and it has a precise objective to reduce the prison population. However someone wants to throw in among the other crimes those when a public official misuses the money or property of others, crimes against the public administration and tax crimes.
I’m talking of turning things upside down because while there are three thousand people in prison because they had no “permission to stay” document, I have no information about prisoners who are there for tax crimes. This is something that not even the Berlusconi government has done. Italia dei Valori was created precisely to get the rules respected. If it were to become reality we could never accept it.
CdS: Are you saying that you would leave the coalition?
ADP: We don’t do blackmail. We would support the coalition. But I certainly couldn’t be in government with them.
CdS: So you would resign?
ADP: Definitely, I would resign.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Information