Yesterday an article appeared in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, containing my comments regarding the blocking of funding for the National Railways. I stated that I was getting tired of a Government that hands out money willy-nilly while others decide what to do with it.
I have received many letters on-line as regards this issue. I attach one of these below. It is from a citizen that, like many others, would like to see certain changes, is counting on this Government, and must not be disappointed:


“Dear Mr. Di Pietro,
I am an employee of Trenitalia s.p.a, a member of the National Railways Group. I heard about you blockage of the funding, amounting to a total of one billion and 35 million Euro, destined for the National Railways, because you are tired of seeing public money being allocated blindly. Given the facts, I believe that you are completely right in doing so. However, for us employees, this sounds somewhat like a warning bell. What will happen to us? What does the future hold for us? Will we land up going the same way as Alitalia or Autostrade s.p.a?
As regards the funding, it is only right that there be full transparency with regard to hw it is granted, and that the funding be used for useful purposes, such as for example, maintenance on rolling stock and railway lines. In this way we could reduce the delays, a painful ailment afflicting commuters that use the rail service daily to get to their place of work.
The citizens must show display their civic conscience and show some respect for community assets such as trains, stations, etc. Unfortunately this is not always the case. There are numerous cases of vandalism, perpetrated by unmannered thugs that are equally at home carrying out robberies and burglaries.
Personally, every morning when I leave my bicycle at the shelter near the Bologna Centrale station, I am faced with a situation that is pitiful to say the least. There is excrement left behind by the homeless and the drug addicts, syringes and a pervading smell of urine, and the situation is unbearable. Much money is being spent on keeping public areas clean, apparently uselessly because the same filth is present every day.
The money is being spent badly on purchasing useless materials, wastage and useless consumption, while employees are being paid while they are not performing their duties. These are only some of the problems that result in the enormous damage and inefficiency that we are all aware of when talking about the National Railways.
We are informed by the television that the funds are being used to either balance ghost accounts, or to provide incentives for employees’ early retirement with “golden handshake” vouchers. These funds should be used solely and exclusively for the purposes of improving the company’s situation. It is with great regret that I am obliged to admit that the situation within the National Railways was far better when the company was still under the direct State control, with no intermediaries, without Confindustria and without the trade unions, however, as regards privatisation, I see anything but a bright future.
I am sure that you Sir, as a magistrate, have seen it all before on a personal basis and that you can, therefore, understand what I am talking about.
You are one of the few remaining people in Italy that are worthy of our esteem and trust.
Unfortunately we are living in precarious times as regards employment, and who knows whether, in a few years’ time, there will be any such thing as retrenchment benefits, welfare benefits and pensions and, above all, whether I will still retain my job and whether I will be able to set up a family of my own.
The more time passes and the more difficult it becomes to make it to the end of the month, between mortgages, various expenses and the cost of living. We are living in an increasingly uncertain world, with little prospect of a better future.

Kindest regards.
A.M.”