September 30, 2006

The law is not equal for everyone

Giorgio Simeoni, a Forza Italia Member of Parliament and the former vice president of the regional cabinet and a member of the Storace cabinet, turns out to be involved in Lazio's health service scandal. The magistrates have called for his arrest. If he were a 'common citizen' he would already be behind bars.
Because he is a Member of Parliament, it was necessary to ask for the assent of the Committee of the Lower House that deals with proceedings against Members of Parliament. At first the Ulivo parliamentarians Pierluigi Mantini and Oriano Giovannelli considered the request valid given the seriousness of the accusations. Then according to ANSA, they changed their minds, after meeting with Dario Franceschini.
The only ones in favour of the authorisation to proceed were Italia dei Valori, the Pdci and Marilena Samperi of the Ulivo. Now I am asking my Unione colleagues if we have to behave exactly like the CDL to perpetuate behaviours that cause an ever greater division between the citizens (and especially those who voted for us) and politics?
The Members of Parliament must be accountable like any other Italian citizens. They are not a caste that owe a duty only to themselves. The Unione must set in motion a serious reflection on this topic. Cases like Simeoni's must never be repeated.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Politics
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September 28, 2006

Telecom Italia and the intercepts

Today the President of the Council, Romano Prodi, will update Parliament about Telecom Italia. It is good that Prodi is talking publicly about the biggest company in the country and how the Government values it.
Telecom is at the centre of the investigation into intercepts. There have been numerous arrests including the arrest of Giuliano Tavaroli, a man trusted by Marco Tronchetti Provera and the former head of security at Telecom.
It seems that the illegal intercepts have been carried out for years in the worlds of economics, industry, politics and the media. If this is true, then they are, right now, an absolute risk for democracy. The media talked extensively about this in the early days but now it seems that, for them, it has become a topic of less importance.
Obviously it is important and the journalists should know this.
Tavaroli has told the magistrates that he was reporting to Telecom's CEO, Carlo Buora. I don't want to express any judgement about complicity or guilt, but I believe that it would be appreciated if Carlo Buora were to step back from his responsibilities in Telecom for the time needed to establish any responsibility that he may have had.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Justice
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September 26, 2006

The Biagi Law

In the Italia dei Valori meeting at Vasto, we talked about work and about the Biagi law.
A controversial law that starts from principles connected to liberalisation of work and facilitating the entrance of young people into companies, has then often been transformed into an abuse by the companies and indirectly (and at times directly) by the public administration.

The so-called project work (co.co.pro.) has been used to justify continuing activity that has nothing to do with the concept of a project, for example as in the call centres.

The Biagi law has in fact institutionalised precarious working with the consequences that can be imagined: new poverty and social instability, especially among those who are least protected and among the young people.

The Biagi law needs correcting if it is to work:
- it cannot be applied in an indiscriminate way in the companies and must therefore be limited to a percentage of the work force, for example 10%;
- it cannot be applied in the absence of a real project with clear objectives and a defined timeframe;
- the co.co.pro workers must benefit from tax allowances that are generous when compared to those of a regular worker because of the precariousness of their situation.

The reform of the Biagi law is in Italia dei Valori’s action programme.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Work
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September 24, 2006

Politics on the Internet

At the Italia dei Valori meeting in Vasto I have talked about this blog as a tool for direct communication and participation for people in the political life.
As well as the journalists, I invited a group of bloggers to Vasto. They are following the event and are describing it in their blogs in real time. They are on the Internet backed up with audio and video.
I believe that this is a first for such a group to be officially present at a political meeting. The Internet, thanks to the possibility of giving direct knowledge about the facts whether they are political or related to the actions of the government, is a new and important democratic tool. A tool for `direct democracy’.

In its DNA, Italia dei Valori has transparency, and the wish to engage with the citizens.
The meeting at Vasto and some of its most important happenings that are the most important for the future of the country were reported on the Internet before the TV news and the main daily newspapers. Such happenings include the debate about energy, Prodi’s contribution about intercepts, and the creation of the “Partito Democratico” {Democratic Party}.
And in certain cases, things have only been described on the Internet, as they have been ignored, deleted from the TV news and from the newspapers. Among these the main publishing groups stand out as, evidently, they respond to the interests of their owners and only after that to the interests of their readers.
The Internet is freedom of information. Thanks to the numerous bloggers for taking part.

I'm attaching interviews with three of the bloggers that came to the "Incontro dei Valori" meeting:
- Marco Canestrari
- Luca Conti
- Stefano Vitta

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
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September 23, 2006

The new P2

Today, the President, Romano Prodi, gave a speech at the Italia dei Valori meeting at Vasto.
His is an important presence. It is his first public meeting after his return from visiting China and New York.
In an interview with Massimo Giannini, deputy director of la Repubblica, Romano Prodi discussed numerous topics of domestic and foreign policies as well as those currently in the news like the telephone intercepts, Telecom and the conflict of interests.
This afternoon there has been a meeting of the Council of Ministers that took urgent measures in relation to telephone intercepts involving Telecom and State entities.

The phenomenon is so vast that it was compared to the P2. A new technological P2. A structure that refers to itself. That is beyond the control of politicians . Beyond the control of the magistracy.
The seriousness of the situation requires rapid action without conditions on the part of the magistrates.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Politics
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September 22, 2006

Italia dei Valori at Vasto

Italia dei Valori’s first national conference has started at Vasto. I thank all of those who have made this event possible.

In my opening address I tackled the topics that are most important for our country, and are often discussed in this blog, like the development of the economy, of energy, like foreign policy and the future of democratic parties. However the most important is the future of our ideas and how to put them into effect.

Italia dei Valori is alive, made up of honest people, of people who believe of the values of justice and of work. Italy has come out of a disastrous period, of a 5-year period in which values of solidarity and social justice have almost been emptied of significance.
Italia dei Valori will have sense and it will have meaning, not by increasing the number of electors by a few percentage points nor by having more members elected to the Lower House or to town councils, but only if it can bring innovation to Italy.

If we can mobilise the capable and honest people of our country. How long has Italy been stationary? Now is the time to start moving and Vasto is the starting point.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Politics
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September 20, 2006

Safety in the workplace. The silence of the media.

I’m publishing this letter received from a representative of workers for safety in the work place.

“I have decided to write to you to present an issue that is common to most media: there’s very little discussion about safety in the work place.
I just can’t understand why the newspapers give information about deaths in the work place such tiny amounts of space so that if you are not paying attention you miss them, or even worse they don’t report them at all.
This is the reality of most Italian newspapers when discussing these accidents that are very rarely fatalities, but mostly inobservances of the minimum levels of safety rules. . “L’Osservatore Romano” has defined this «slaughter in indifference».

Never were words truer. If we then go and watch the TV. It’s even worse. The only one to talk about this is “Primo Piano”.

According to those directing the TV it’s better to do transmissions (if that’s how they can be defined) like “L’isola dei famosi” {I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here}, “Grande Fratello” (Big Brother), “la talpa”, “la fattoria”, etc. But real life is different: it is made up of labourers, brick layers, office workers, farm workers etc who go to work in the morning (to earn an honest wage) and they don’t know if they’ll come home in the evening.

This must not happen any more. Before doing the Unified Text for safety at work, the Health Minister Livia Turco should have taken on more personnel in the Work Inspectorate and in the ASLs to do more checks, to sort out and give sanctions to habits of entrepreneurs that lead to the avoidance of the regulations.

We have good laws about safety at work, but it’s useless if there’s no one to check up, because most business people are loathe to put them into practice, as they are considered to be costs. This is why the media should do their part, by starting to put safety at work and black market working (or grey work whatever it is) on the front pages of the newspapers (with big articles).

The media have the moral duty to raise awareness of public opinion on these topics, so as to increase the level of the culture of safety at work among workers and among business people.”
Marco Bazzoni

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Work
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September 18, 2006

Letter to il Sole 24 Ore

I’m publishing a letter that I’ve sent to il Sole 24 Ore in reply to an article that defined me ‘interventionist without limits’ and that considers the possibility of occult powers guiding my actions.

“Dear director,
In your newspaper I’ve read an article signed by Tamburini that defines me ‘interventionist without limits’ and puts forward the idea that there might be people and powers of the occult that guide my actions.
The definition ‘interventionist without limits’ I take as a compliment. A Minister that unceasingly acts to affirm the centrality of the laws of the State and the rights of citizens, these are the objectives of my government actions. Just a Minister doing his duty.
The hypothesis of sinister powers guiding my actions now and at the time of Mani Pulite {“Clean Hands”}, I reject categorically. I have nothing giving me inspiration unless it is the sense of justice and the wish to improve this country. In recent years, even thanks to the news coverage, we have witnessed a continual economic and industrial decline of Italy.
One of the causes, certainly not the only one, is the privatisation of natural monopolies. These are privatisations done using debts and without rules that really protect the interests of the State. From the State monopolies, we have gone to private monopolies, whose objectives can be none other than profit, without giving advantages to the citizens, with heavy job losses and a reduced ability to compete on international grounds.
Briefly I would like to discuss the merits of Autostrade-Abertis and Telecom Italia mentioned in the article. In the former case, the Government was mandated by the Council of State to simply apply the law.
A construction company, as in the case of Abertis, cannot have a license to hold motorway concessions. On the other hand, Telecom Italia is victim of about 41,000,000,000 Euro of debts. It is the victim of Chinese boxes, that must now be disentangled if we want a transparent Stock Exchange, if we want investments that have been missing because of the original handover through debts, because of a strategy of backwards and forwards of the integration of the landline and the mobile phones and then to the separation of landline and mobile, of a high value of Telecom shares as seen in Olimpia (the controlling company), that is double the value on the Stock Exchange.
I have no doubt that your newspaper will give generous coverage to these themes in the future.” Antonio Di Pietro

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
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September 17, 2006

Reforming the Stock Exchange

The resignation of Tronchetti Provera obliges a serious reflection on the mechanisms that regulate the Italian Stock Exchange.

The difficulties in which the Telecom group now finds itself in fact have their origin in the lack of rules, rather than in the market.
Among these, the mechanism of the Chinese boxes which make it possible to gain control of companies with a ridiculously tiny percentage. The absence of true representation for those shareholders owning small quantities who have no voice in the shareholders meetings and who are rarely represented on the Board of Directors.

The presence of directors and statutory auditors on more than one Board of Directors with the potential for a conflict of interests that is at times very evident. The possibility in a balance sheet to attribute share values that do not correspond to the market value as has happened for Olimpia (the company controlling Telecom), that values Telecom shares at twice their value on the Stock Exchange. The possibility, at the time of acquisition to put companies into debt at such levels that their management cannot support.

Without new rules offering guarantees for investors, the Italian Stock Exchange cannot develop and will become still more crippled, controlled by a small number of powerful groups and it will definitively ward off foreign investments.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
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September 14, 2006

The new Concentration Camps

119 men and women who are Polish citizens have vanished into nothingness in Puglia. Their photos are shown on the official website of the Polish Police.
These are photos of men and women who have come to our country to look for work and who very probably have been killed by organised crime. The bodies of 14 Polish people have been found within the tomato harvest area, some strangled, others burned.

We are rightly worried about peace in the Middle East and we are not able to control Italian territory. A part of Puglia is not under the control of the Italian State.

Foreign citizens are exploited, tortured, killed and the best that the Italian news media can do is to give this information on the inside pages. The issue is national and political and cannot be treated like a simple episode of delinquency.

Today the concentration camps still exist and they are situated in Puglia. This is an intolerable situation that requires extreme measures, even sending in the army.
I ask anyone who recognises any of the Polish citizens shown in the photos to inform the police.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Justice
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September 13, 2006

Selling Tim

In 2005 Telecom Italia announced a merger with TIM. The operation was justified by the creation of value that could be attributed to the integration of landline with mobile. The merger increased Telecom’s debts and they now are over 41,000,000,000 Euro. But it allowed Telecom to access the cash flow generated by Tim. A year later Telecom Italia announces the release of Tim in the name of an imaginary readjustment. The directors that approved the merger, even the so-called independent ones are approving the operation.

This is an incomprehensible U turn from a strategic or industrial view point. Telecom Italia from the moment that it was handed over debt-laden to the so-called “captains courageous” in 1999, has known only, sell-offs, release of sections, and reduction of personnel. Today it risks imploding. Olimpia, that has the controlling package for Telecom, has the Telecom shares marked up with a value that is double that of the market. But there is complete indifference on the part of the controlling bodies. This is a value that is by now no longer recoverable, even according to the most benevolent analysts. The splitting off of Tim and the subsequent sale are an extreme attempt to reduce the heavy indebtedness of the group.

I maintain that the Government must intervene. In particular as regards the backbone, to safeguard national interests. Telecom is the umpteenth demonstration that the sale with debts of natural monopolies on the part of the State to private interests without a real financial capacity, does not produce positive results for the State nor for the citizens.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
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September 11, 2006

The EU and Autostrade-Abertis

I’m giving here the text of the interview I had with la Repubblica on the topic of Autostrade/Abertis.

ADP: For me, the issue of the Autostrade-Abertis agreement was an investigation and a process that was closed with the decision taken in August. If someone wants to reopen the “case” and examine other proposals we’ll have a look and we will decide. But for now I don’t see what else is new.

R: You’re not worried that there’ll be a possible decision from the EU?ADP: The investigation being carried out by the EU relates to competition and the internal market. It has nothing to do with the decisions that have been taken in August by my Ministry and that of the Economy.

R: And what’s the decision about then?ADP: As we have explained many times, the decision relates to the request for the passage of the concession. On the basis of the norms fixed for the privatisation, it cannot be given to a company in which constructors are present. It’s a norm that was agreed at that time with Europe to avoid the conflict of interests and it is in force now and we have the duty to make sure it is respected.

R: So you haven’t blocked the merger between Autostrade and Abertis?
ADP: Not at all. The merger in itself is not relevant. We have simply acted taking into account the law on the issue of the concession and its passing to a third party on the basis of the norms fixed at the time of privatisation. If someone wants to change that they can open another investigation and decide on the basis of new regulations. But at the moment that’s the law and it’s the duty of a Minister to apply it.

R: Blocking the passage of the concession in fact makes it impossible to make the agreement. Is it not possible to change the law?ADP: Perhaps, but it is a question that needs to be examined on the basis of another investigation. And then there’s always on the agenda, the question of fixing new norms that govern the system of motorway concessions and the mechanisms for controls and penalties.

R: That is?ADP: It’s not possible to go on with a mechanism that doesn’t have controls and measures in place to protect the taxpayer. If, for example, someone tells me that 3,000,000,000 Euro of investments have not gone ahead because the local authorities blocked the authorisation, will I or not have the availability of a norm that allows me to say to that concessionary: OK, but the money in the meantime has to be put into a protected fund as a guarantee that this will go ahead? And then there’s the issue of sanctions.

R: Do those have to be revisited as well? Are they not adequate?
ADP: Yes in a certain way, because today, the only tool in the hands of whoever is controlling is the revocation of the concession. And in certain cases that is a blunt instrument as it is an exaggeration.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Economy
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September 07, 2006

The (stumbling) Justice Machine

When the Unione presented itself to the electors, it promised to cancel the ad personam laws. Instead what’s been approved is a pardon that includes finance crimes as well as those against the public administration and against companies.

The ad personam laws have not been touched. For this the Unione will pay a high price at the next elections independently of when they are held. In spite of continual talk about Justice.
In spite of articles, dossiers and parliamentary discussions about Justice, up until now there’s been no real talk. The prisons were full and soon will be again because of the inefficiency of the Justice Machine. Will Parliament then have another pardon?

In Italy, as well as the lack of certainty of a penalty there’s also the lack of certainty of judgement. The trials last an intolerable time. The tribunals lack not just personnel, photocopiers, fax and computers but also paper.

In these conditions, it’s necessary to simplify the judicial process, strengthen the magistracy, make the tribunals efficient, direct the necessary funding into the Justice system so that it can function. The tribunals must be sorted out so that they can function so that the State can function, so that the economy can take off again so that honest citizens can be protected.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Justice
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September 05, 2006

Slavery in Puglia

photo from L'Espresso

Like many others, I have read the investigative article in this week’s l'Espresso about the new slavery in Puglia. A photo of a racist mafia Italy. An Italy that is split by abuse, homicide, and rape on clandestine immigrants. It made me ashamed of being Italian.

In our country, in the countryside around Foggia, between Torremaggiore, Trinitapoli and Borgo Libertà, slavery is practised at almost 200 years after the birth of Lincoln. If it’s possible, it’s done in a way that is more ferocious than at that time.
The harvest of the red gold, the tomato, has become blood red.

The victims are those clandestines attracted to Italy by the mirage of work and finished in hovels, in disastrous hygienic conditions, with starvation wages and with the fear of daily beatings.

Those who rebel were (and still are) killed as has probably happened to the 13 people from Poland that were investigated last month by the Polish Ambassador. What is really disturbing is the vastness of this phenomenon and the length of time it has been going on, and all this in the light of day.

Is it possible that no one knew? That local politicians didn’t know? That people living in the area didn’t know? Italy cannot tolerate extra-territorial areas in the hands of the mafia. Puglia must return to the control of the State and under the control of honest people.Italia dei Valori will present a law against the new tyrants who abuse people, with severe penalties. Today the only ones who pay are the clandestine immigrants who should not be in Italy, but in their own country. Tomorrow above all those who should be paying and dearly are those who exploit them.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
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September 03, 2006

Italia dei Valori at Vasto

At the end of September in the city of Vasto, there’ll be the first national meeting for Italia dei Valori. We are finalising the programme for each of the days and this will be published on the blog. The theme of the event will be the innovation of the country in its different sectors.

Among other things, topics to be covered will be energy and renewable sources, changes to the Biagi law, efficiency of the Public Administration, the free market compared to the private monopolies that we experience today.

L’Incontro dei Valori, {The Meeting of Values}, this is the name of the event that will be reported daily in this space with text, photos and filmstrips.
Italia dei Valori wants to become a benchmark for a country tailored to its people, in which the different institutions are there to serve in a transparent way.

A country that claims back its role at an international level in innovation and research after the deindustrialisation and the decline of recent years. Vasto is a starting point to construct a party to serve the country.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Information
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September 01, 2006

Conflict of Interests

Parliament must face up to the problem of the conflict of interests as soon as possible. The Italian system must be adjusted to that of other western democracies with the adoption of a model that prevents conflicts of interests between institutional positions and the direct exercise of patrimonial activity.

The radio and television system is to be liberalised. Today it is an oligarchy with a public body under the authority of the parties and a single individual. This is an impediment to the development of a free market. Thus it is necessary to create the conditions for the presence of more than one private organisation and the release of one or two public networks should be evaluated.

Some concessionaires of public services in the sector of radio and TV frequencies have altered and are altering the rules of democratic elections with the deceitful, abnormal and predominant use of the communication media, especially in periods of the election campaign.

To overcome this anomaly, it is not sufficient to have blind trust or to use legislative alchemy, because as Travaglio says “the trust is blind but the owner is clearly visible”. Thus the solution can only be the ineligibility of candidates as owners of radio and TV concessions.

Italia dei Valori will participate in this legislative process both by supporting it and with its own integration proposals. It will be said: “But like that Berlusconi is excluded” But if we continue with a system without rules, Berlusconi is being favoured unjustly. Berlusconi must understand that in a democracy, either he has the role of a concessionaire of public services or of a politician.

Postato da Antonio Di Pietro in Politics
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