27 April 2008

My signatures for V2-Day

Today, 25 April 2008, I went down to Largo Cairoli in Milan to put down my signature for the three referendums promoted by Beppe Grillo, calling for freedom of information.
"Good day to one and all. Thanks to all of you who have come out here to sign for what is yet another, the umpteenth test of democracy, which some people have labelled as anti-politics. The only thing that is anti-political is the behaviour of those that are prepared to use the institutions to favour themselves. Anti-politics is what happens when someone stands for election after having been finally sentenced in a court of law. Anti-politics is what happens when a person once again bypasses a decision handed down by the European Court of Justice, and once again bypasses the issue of conflicts of interest and once again bypasses the functionality of the judiciary. What is anti-political is the behaviour of those that have, in recent days, talked about being heavy handed with the justice department, while the collapse of justice and security is precisely the result of not having made a stand against those that have broken the law in the past few years. If the courts and the legal process are not functioning properly, it is because, in recent years, certain laws have been introduced that have caused them to stop functioning properly. Anti-politics is also that which would prevent us from holding demonstrations such as this one.
That is why we are signing this call for a referendum. We want to send a clear message of real politics, the intentional politics envisaged in the Constitution.
We wish to thank the organisers and appreciate what they have done, all of the Beppe Grillo Meetups, and we want to thank Grillo himself, because he has been accused of everything and anything simply because he is fighting for the application of one particular article of the Constitution, the one that permits the gathering of signatures in order to repeal a law introduced by Parliament. We thank all the militants who go around collecting signatures, those that authenticate them and those that voluntarily take it upon themselves to present this umpteenth referendum.
Some say that they won’t be ignored. Popular demand laws will be ignored because, although the Constitution envisages the gathering of signatures and their submission to Parliament, they invariably land up in the cellars the very next day. Referendums, on the other hand, cannot be ignored, because they are required to follow a certain procedure, so much so, that a referendum is envisaged regarding the electoral law, which is still in the works and will have to be held.
Obviously, there will be a flurry of activity in the coming months, aimed at proving that the gathering of these signatures was illegal, that we should not go and vote and, as regards all those people and parties that exhorted us during the recent electoral campaign to go and vote, you will see them again soon, but this time exhorting us not to vote in the referendum. Therefore, when it suits them we must go and vote, but when it doesn’t suit them, then we must stay away from the polls.
In the opinion of this Caste that continues to do as it wishes, we should simply be subjects, a herd of sheep. Think carefully about these referendums, which, over and above the institution itself, are like merit vouchers, because in the final analysis, what are they really saying? They are saying that the newspapers financed by political parties have merely become another way to make money, rather than a way to inform. Secondly, that in order to communicate and inform, you must be registered, just like during the twenty year reign of fascism. Everyone should be free to express his/her own abilities and qualities, the only difference should be the reader, who either reads what is being said, or not, depending on whether or not the truth is being told.
That is why we believe that these referendums are a good thing, in substance and the institution itself, as a real example of democracy in action.
Someone accused us today, saying that this day is a far more important occasion than simply an opportunity to occupy ourselves with a referendum regarding information. We are well aware of the importance of this day and that is precisely why today was chosen, above all to pay homage to those that gave up their freedom to live, something that we do not wish to forget and that is at the top of our list, God forbid! This is not an alternative event, but rather a continuation, a civil duty, firstly to pay homage to those that gave us back our lives, and then to renew our commitment to that very same liberty that we do not wish to see going up in smoke or being bartered.
Certainly, where once there was a castor oil dictatorship, now there is the dictatorship of the dancing girls, but it nevertheless remains a dictatorship, far more gentle, but there nevertheless. In conclusion, I wish to say that, for this very reason, we must all strive for the good of the Country and its institutions. I will be doing just that both inside and outside of Parliament. With this same megaphone, I stood out even as Minister and they tried to drown me with insults when the time came to say no to the pardons, but I will still be there, inside and outside of Parliament, to speak out on behalf of an Italy that is free, an Italy that is independent and an Italy that refuses to give up."

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Information