1 March 2008

I support the Italia dei Valori Party

I support the Italia dei Valori party is a new online initiative set up by the Italia dei Valori party, which is aimed at expanding the party’s support base by creating local communities throughout the entire country.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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20 February 2008

The right to choose

I’ve received this declaration released today from Fabio Evangelisti, deputy with Italia dei Valori.
During Maria Latella’s programme, there was the umpteenth example of how certain characters are using politics and the problems of the country to get notoriety, perhaps even power, and why not, even a seat in Parliament.
And so it was while Giuliano Ferrara was busy on the Sky Tg 24 news programme giving out his ideas about the right to abortion on the lives of women in Italy, a 20 year old of Chinese origin is fighting for her life following a delicate operation that was made necessary because of an clandestine abortion.
It is a vile practice that it is unnecessary to remind ourselves found the law 194 to be a valid eradicating agent, but that is still found in the woodwork of our society. There is no doubt that any law can be improved and applied in a more complete way, but it is unthinkable that in a situation of this type, in which there is the use of a clandestine procedure to interrupt a pregnancy, there’s the wish to step back 30 years, and remove from women the right to choose how and whether or not to go on with their own pregnancy.
To those like Ferrara, who point to such delicate questions to gain consensus, there is nothing else but for me to put forward a very simple invitation: to go and visit the young Chinese woman who is being cared for at Careggi in Florence.
Italia dei Valori has fought during the Prodi government and it will fight in the next government to defend the right of women to choose on the topic of abortion.

Previous articles:
Law 194, useless discussions
Campagna elettorale sulla 194
Legge 194? Parliamo anche di fecondazione assistita
Un diritto di scelta

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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5 February 2008

The fear of a young Pozzuoli man

I’ve received a letter from a young man from Pozzuoli and I’m publishing it here.
"Ciao Antonio.
I’m afraid
At night I don’t manage to sleep because I see my beloved city dying bit by bit, just like the ItalianRepublic that no longer seems to be so democratic. Well, my city is Pozzuoli, well known since ancient times as a city of commerce and cultural exchange and because of its natural uniqueness also a city for spending holidays for the well to do senators at the time of the Roman Republic. My dreams are disturbed both by the refuse emergency that has lasted for years, as well as the slow and diabolic devastation of our territory. Over the years, our grandparents, who survived a devastating war, have accepted with an enthusiasm that is like that of a child on the night before the Epiphany, the industrialization of our beloved city without seeing into the future of the terrible consequences it has concealed. To cite some effects, there have been cases of death form asbestos! Today we find ourselves looking at drainage plans for our territory that are going very slowly and we don’t understand why! But even on a small scale we can see that nothing is working, roads are in a bad state, even just by the aeronautical academy there’s a sign up telling of the danger to any adventurer who wants to know this fantastic city.
Many other problems beset this city that one day will be formally declared unique in the world for its history and its natural phenomena (http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2030/).
There’s an expression that is a good description of the political and social situation of Pozzuoli, as it is perhaps for the rest of Italy: “pearls to the pigs”
Right now, the town is run by a commissioner because of infiltration by the Cammorra. The political class seems to be unchanged and meanwhile with them we are getting ready for local elections. I don’t know who else to turn to except to someone like you who is always talking about your hunger for justice. I have not voted for you and I have never done so, but perhaps you are the only person who right now can understand my existential discomfort. By now I no longer have trust in the institutions. I am really afraid of everything that is happening in Italy, yes in Italy, because I believe that the problems that are emerging in Naples and in the South are not just local but belong to the whole of Italy. At times, when I’m watching TV, it seems that this country is anything but a united country. Perhaps this is the main problem of the country; we don’t have a national identity.
Every day I cry for my future and for the future of my city. I’m thinking of going away from Italy because I’m afraid. I don’t feel protected by the institutions. And just to tell you one thing, we have collected signatures for a petition to find out whether or not the antennae that Trenitalia has installed in the environment of the Metro Line 2, are harmful even though they are close to habitation. We have not had any response.
Now I’ll stop chattering and bombarding you with these problems of mine. I’ll try to go and sleep. Perhaps by managing to dream that all this is only a nightmare.
Greetings
Walter"

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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4 January 2008

Law 194, useless discussions

The revision of the abortion law, law 194, is one of the main political debates of the beginning of 2008. As far as I am concerned, a woman should not have an abortion, but I don’t claim that my choices should have precedence over decisions made by other people.
I reckon that the law 194, even with its imperfections, present anyway in all the other laws, should not be modified. I don’t see reasons why it should. Law 194 has functioned. I don’t think there is any doubt about this. And it has protected the liberty of thousands of women to be in charge of their own lives. The current debate has two aspects that disturb me as a citizen and as a politician. The first is that a discussion about civil rights is being influenced and perhaps being directed by religion. The second is that with all the unresolved problems in the country, and there are thousands of them, there’s debate (and the waste of precious time) about a law that is working, a law that was approved by Italians in a referendum. The image that the political class is giving out, one more time, is to be living in a different world, isolated and far off from the Italians and their expectations.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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3 January 2008

Ecopass in Milano, a starting point

From today, the most polluting cars will have to pay for a pass called Ecopass to go into the centre of Milan.
Letizia Moratti has been strongly in favour of this tax to reduce pollution and she has introduced this even against part of her own majority. The outcomes of this Pass can be evaluated in the next few months, but this measure is anyway a strong signal of a change of direction in the occupation of the city by private vehicles and thus in the emission of poisons in industrial quantities into the air. Letizia Moratti has had the courage to “do” something. This is rare in a country that is dominated by chatter. It’s possible that the measures are only partially effective, but it is a starting point.
My opinion is that in Milan, as in the other most important cities, the historical centre should be closed to private vehicles and that the use of alternating registration plates for being on the road, is a simple and effective remedy against the traffic as well as the introduction of electric public transport vehicles, including taxis as well as safe cycle tracks. But it’s necessary to start somewhere, and this is why I thank mayor Moratti for having brought in the Ecopass in Milan. It has already shown itself to be very effective in other big cities in the world, as for example in London.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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11 December 2007

Break the mafia, let’s break the silence

Today at 21h00, I will be in Milan, attending the Break the mafia conference at the Carcano Theatre situated at No. 63, Corso di Porta Romana.
The event has been organised by a group of “free men and women” that are wanting to “break the silence in order to break down the increasingly high wall of indifference, but also to prick consciences, to inform without any media filtering and to reawaken a sense of civic duty”(from the website: www.breakthemafia.it).
I will be present at this event. Also taking part will be magistrates Luigi De Magistris and Clementina Forleo, currently still involved in the “Why not” and “Unipol” inquiries, we have no idea for how long this will still be the case.
As Minister and as Chairman of the “Italia dei Valori”, I want to publicly show my support for two courageous people who embody the values of civic duty and public morality, which are essential for the future of this Country.
Part of the event will be shown live, be means of streaming, on this Blog and on the websites italiadeivalori.it and antenneattive.org.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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18 November 2007

Survey on Immigration

I’m publishing a survey on Immigration in Italy that was carried out by ISPO and presented at Vasto during the national meeting of Italia dei Valori.
The survey is explained in the video of professor Renato Mannheimer, the director of the Istituto di Studi sulla Pubblica Opinione.

Text:
As always in surveys, there’s talk of perceived insecurity and not real insecurity, and often perceived insecurity is higher than real insecurity. I would like to tell you about the general attitude of the Italians in relation to the phenomenon of immigration.
We have the good fortune to have data that can be compared over time, resulting from the survey done in 1999 with that done in 2007. Basically, the percentage of people who say that immigrants manage to integrate has gone down, while the number of those saying that they do integrate has gone up and has reached 45%, but that they are a bit closed in on themselves. It’s as though we Italains, have the idea that most immigrants make up a world of their own, that the process of integration does not work and creates dangers. This is a widespread social perception which is a cause for worry.
We see immigrants as a closed group, and our attitude in relation to the phenomenon of immigration is one of suspicion in which a significant proportion (31%) of Italians thinks that it is an inevitable phenomenon but a larger proportion (39%) thinks that it is a phenomenon that should be stopped. Five years ago, this same percentage was 24% and thus it has gone up over time.
Here’s there’s no reference to laws. Few Italians understand well how the various mechanisms work or are familiar with the Bossi-Fini mechanisms. The idea is that this phenomenon is scary, and thus a higher percentage, today the relative majority, say that the phenomenon must be stopped. Not an absolute majority, but 40% represents a good part of the population. It is a part that goes across the board. Within this 40% there are people on the Left and on the Right, with a leaning towards, but not totally, people who sympathise with the Centre Right. Then there are a lot of people who do not have sympathies at all, who are not interested in politics but who are fearful of the phenomenon of immigration.
If we have to do a summary of the attitudes towards foreigners who are immigrants, we find that there is one Italian in four, 25% who expresses a high level of fear. Apart from this 25% there’s another 16% who have a high to medium level of fear, which when added on means that we have 40% of the Italians who are fearful of the phenomenon. Thus there is a fear of the phenomenon that we cannot hide and that we need to do something about. To intervene well, we need to discuss the reasons.
There has been a lot of discussion between the relationship of criminality and immigration. This is a relationship that on one side is objective and on another side is subjective. It is objective because very often those who arrive are in disadvantageous and difficult situations, when they have not directly premeditated a criminal intention and it is easier for them to turn to criminal activity. Then for an objective position, the prison population has a very high proportion of immigrants and many crimes, often of a certain type, are committed by immigrants.
However there is also a subjective perception, that often does not coincide with the objective one. Some people maintain that immigrants from outside the European Union make life in our cities less safe. Others say this is not true. There’s 38% (that is always related to that 40% who are fearful) in agreement: our cities are less safe. Among these there are more who live in the North East, more among the housewives, who are not a category that is most active, but a category that is more isolated with less access to information and there are more, with an absolute majority, among the voters of the Centre Right. But I repeat, those that have this opinion are not only on the Centre Right. It is an opinion that goes across the board. This shows us how there is a strong relationship between the subjective perception that criminality is associated with immigration. Then we can discuss to what extent it is less than people perceive it to be.
However, I would like to add that immigration evokes other issues, about conflict and about worries. For example, to a lower but still significant extent, there’s agreement around the idea that immigrants take away work from Italains. The fact has been noted that immigrants at least do the work that the Italians don’t want to do or have the possibility not to do any longer. An even lower percentage say they do not trust immigrants, but the absolute majority don’t say that it is a difficulty, they say that it could be.
I would like to say that the problem is of importance, even though it is not considered to be a priority and of great importance as it was in 2001, and that the social fear of the phenomenon of immigration is widespread. We can estimate that those who have a strong feeling, who see immigrants as a threat, as between 30 and 40% of the Italians. It’s thought that these things must be resolved by the work of each one, by the capacity for understanding of each one, but especially by the public authority of the Government with ad hoc laws. Until today, legislation on immigration and criminality is at the same time not well known but anyway considered to be insufficient by this 40% who are fearful.”

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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12 November 2007

Council of Ministers: Housing Policies and the Regions

In this meeting of the Council of Ministers the most important issue that we talked about was about housing policies.
550 million had been allocated to be used by 31 December this year to house those who have no home and who are living in destitution.
There are difficulties for the distribution of these funds. The criteria to decide how to share out the money adopted by the two people with the task, myself and the Minister Ferrero, contrast with an amendment by Parliament saying that the operation needs the consensus of all the regions and not just the majority of these. When making decisions, Democracy must try, to find the consensus of the majority and not of the whole set of individuals, otherwise it is transformed into a dictatorship.
In the video, (the text of which will be published) there’s the interview with Antonio Di Pietro.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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1 November 2007

Stop the Flow of People from Romania

photo from repubblica.it
The umpteenth hateful episode of violence against a woman has happened in Rome. The dynamics of the aggression were terrible. A lady aged 47 years, the wife of an admiral, was attacked at the station of Tor di Quinto. The person thought to be responsible is Romolus Mailat, a Romanian who lives in a camp near to the place where this event took place. The woman was beaten up, raped and killed. Her body was then dragged like an animal and thrown in a ditch. An aggressive incident that could happen to any woman in Italy.
The entrance of Romania to Europe has brought to Italy a mass of misfits without work and without other sources of income, some of whom are prone to petty crime. What’s needed is a government decree that blocks this flow and turns back all the Romanian citizens who cannot show that they have a job and a place to live in Italy.
The time needed for a draft law is too long. It is no longer enough to tackle the social emergency that we have under our eyes.
Just today I have asked the President of the Council, Romano Prodi for a decree to be discussed at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers together with a request for the immediate dismantling of all the abusive nomad camps.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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24 August 2007

Safe Schools

Today I signed an interministerial decree that puts into operation the first abridged version of the Extraordinary Plan for making safe the scholastic buildings. The sum of 215 million euro has been released and the relevant towns and cities can ask for loans for 800 interventions to restructure the scholastic buildings in their territory.

The loans will be made available to the local authorities by the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti once the decree has been recorded. It has also been signed by the Minister of the Economy and Finance. The finance will get to the coffers of the towns and cities by the end of the year. In this period, together with the relevant Regions, I will sign the programme agreements relating to the Extraordinary Plan.
Once the summer break has finished, I am keen to do something concrete to give the schools of our country structures that are adequate and safe to avoid tragic episodes like we have seen in the past.

Even in this case, as has already happened for the housing policies, detailed work has been carried out, and there has been the release of funds that had been blocked in the accounts of the Ministry. This will make available resources to the local authorities for interventions like safety measures, consolidating and adjusting the structures, adaptations for seismic regulations, knocking down architectural barriers, restructuring and carrying out extraordinary maintenance in hundreds of school buildings throughout the whole country.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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14 August 2007

The Romani Problem

photo by Stampa.it
The case of the four children who burned to death has opened up a discussion about the Romani community in Italy.
The tragedy was largely to be expected. I believe that it is clear to everyone how these people live: in hygiene conditions of the third world, in tumble-down sheds, under the flyovers, with abusive attachments to the utilities, outside any type of law. The Romanies arrive in Italy without a job, without a house, without knowing our language. Do we want to welcome them? Are we able to welcome them? Do we have enough resources and above all, is this what the Italian citizens want? Only if there is a positive response to this question can the flow of nomads into our country continue and can we allow those who have already arrived to stay. Otherwise we are being the usual do-gooders at the expense of others.
If the law were to be applied, the thousands of Romani children who ask for money at every street corner or who are stealing, should be taken into care by the authorities, and parental rights of their parents should be denied them. If the law were to be applied there would be a rapid return to their homeland of thousands of Roma.
The problem cannot be tackled with the ostrich policy, just allowing the tensions and the problems to fall on Italian citizens. In this case, my position is closer to that of the mayors than to that of certain people in the Government.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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11 July 2007

Let’s not abandon our young people

I’m publishing a letter from Flavio Mobigli from Monza about assistance given to young people in supported accommodation in the City of Milan and his appeal that you can sign up to: http://www.petitiononline.com/prosammi/petition.html

“The young people under 18 years old who do not have adequate care from their families or who have suffered serious mistreatment, can be allocated a place in a community lodging for children that gives them material support and a positive educational environment.
On arriving at their 18th birthday, if serious problems in the family are ongoing, to allow the young person to finish their studies or to follow a route that will lead to their complete autonomy, there is the possibility to get a voluntary placement in a community for young adults with an administrative procedure called “administrative continuation”, until they are 21 years old.
The city of Milan has decided to no longer finance any administrative continuation project purely to save money, thus obliging hundreds of young people, with serious family problems (or even without families) to be abandoned to their own devices once they turn 18, with the likelihood to have to get by and find a job straight away and a place to live, perhaps having to interrupt their studies and thus preventing them perhaps from the chance of getting a better quality job in the future.
Often, once they have turned 18, the young men or young women who have started a difficult route in a community lodging, coping with the traumas they have lived through in a problematic and damaging family situation, do not have the maturity and the inner stability to face up to such a difficult step, all alone and without social support.
This is why it is necessary to send this petition to the city of Milan to ask them to commit to supporting, even in the future, the arrangements connected with the “administrative continuation”. It is a crying shame that a big European metropolis is disinterested in the future of its young people, not taking on a necessary duty that has always brought good results, when so many tiny towns with much more serious financial problems do not slide out of giving support and dignity to those who have already suffered at a young age so many disadvantages and so much suffering in their lives.
Let us unite our voices to ask the city of Milan for a sign of civility.”

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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25 June 2007

The war on the roads

In a tiny village, Annico in the province of Cremona, two mothers and their children have been mown down on the pedestrian crossing.
An infant of 6 months was saved because the baby carriage was pushed away by the mother before she was knocked down. Carla Maria and Fiorenza aged not much more than 30 years, Sara aged 11 years are dead because of a motorcyclist who will now answer to the Justice system.
In Italy there’s an absence of a culture of road safety. Yesterday it happened in Annico, tomorrow it’ll be elsewhere, every day people die on the roads.
Cyclists and pedestrians are killed in the big cities, a fact that is by now accepted as though it is inevitable.
To tighten up the laws and for the law enforcement agencies to operate more controls, is possible and must be done
These actions however will not be useful unless at the same time there is a raised awareness at a national level of the massacre that is happening on our roads.
Thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injured people every year are a national emergency that must be tackled with determination.
On this point, as Minister of Infrastructure, I will act as a promoter of a joint body on road safety with the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Education, the vehicle producers and the media.
However, my Ministry is already putting in place a series of measures to reduce roads accidents and I will keep you informed of these on the blog.
Among these are to tell Anas and the motorway concessionaires to ensure that the road surface has self-draining asphalt so as to give better visibility when it’s raining and thus reduce accidents.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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27 March 2007

The matter of housing policy

Here we are again, friends, with the Friday appointment, this time without the Council of Ministers, but still with many topics for discussion.
As regards my Ministry, we have opened up a new important direction, that does not relate just to bricks and mortar, but also to solidarity, assistance, defence of the weakest groups of people in society, safety in the big cities, safety of the citizens: the matter of housing policy.

There is a big problem in Italy. This is especially true since the law blocking rents ran out of time. Let’s be clear. I’m in favour of liberalisation. It’s true that whoever buys a house cannot stay blocked for the rest of their lives. But it’s also clear that, whoever has no house cannot stay in this condition for the rest of their lives.
We have to meet the needs, together with the Local Authorities, the Regions and the local bodies, without showing favouritism.

At the Ministry of Infrastructure I have found many resources, a matter of 2,000,000,000 Euro that are unused because they are blocked by appeals and counter-appeals or procedural questions. For some time now in Italy, it seems that for anyone who wants to have an enterprise or anyone who wants to be in politics, the first thing they do is to go to the judge. Our country has become a single mess of litigation. Well, in these months, I have unblocked the funds and I am proud to be able to say that for some weeks now I have started, city by city, region by region, to allocate the money. Real money. Not promises. Milan, Naples, Rome, and the day after tomorrow to Turin and so on.

For a few hundred towns we have taken measures to have joint finance initiatives for the restoration of buildings in a bad state of repair in the suburbs, of buildings that are blocked and so cannot be rented out by the local authorities to those most in need. I believe that this has been a solid intervention: the famous "Quartiere 2" contracts. This has been talked about for years, and finally by Easter, all this money will be paid out.

Another law set aside 1,000,000,000 but this was blocked. And we are taking measures to distribute this as well to Milan, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Bari, Genoa.

But the most important thing that we are doing is to start off a new housing plan. We have written a law and I have taken on the honour and the duty to be the coordinator to get recognition of the housing needs of all the cities. I am insisting that we are not just talking of aspirations, but that time scales are laid down, that we have a timed programme laid down by law. This has been accepted. Within two months, starting from February, all the towns must give an indication of their housing needs

Within three months we must make up a group together with all the associations in the category so that we can write a law to reorganise all the housing needs in the territory. By June the Government and the Ministry of the Economy, must identify the resources and have a law ready to take to Parliament.

A timed-programme, as I said, that I intend to follow. I have already set the date of 17 April for the setting up of this grouping. I have already identified the generalities of the text. For example, there will be a measure to ensure that in all the cities, all properties belonging to the social protection agencies that are empty and not rented out must be sold to the local authorities at the same price and with the same privileges laid down for the tenants who have the “right to buy”.

There are hundreds of thousands of buildings in all cities belonging to the social protection agencies that are empty or even abandoned because of lack of maintenance. The law already allows these properties to be sold to the tenants, who however do not have the money to buy them. Why do we just have to have financial speculation and not give the Local Authorities the same right to buy as the tenant? In this way the local authorities can if they want to, buy that property at a just and fair price and make it available to the people as is right and proper?

This is just one of the numerous examples. Why do the buildings to be acquired by the Local Authorities to be used for public housing for the weakest sectors of society have to be taxed and to have sales tax applied?
It is a measure that hinders the creation of a stock of properties owned by the Local Authorities to make available to the people who are most in need. There you are: This is the responsible federalism.
This is what we are concerned with: by the end of this year we want to complete this important commitment that is in the manifesto programme but that is hardly discussed.

A Ministry of Infrastructure, thus, that is not just thinking of making roads and railways, as it has been accused, but that is thinking of showing solidarity and defending the weakest members of society.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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8 March 2007

Electoral Law and Convicts

I haven’t forgotten. During the election campaign I inserted the following into my programme:
”Prevent the candidature for election to the Lower House, the Upper House and the European Parliament of people who have been convicted.”
Recently, we have been discussing the new electoral law. Whether to have a referendum, a broad agreement or agreements with variable geometry.
Even the experts have difficulty in getting an exact understanding of what is being discussed. I would like to start with the head of the problem and not the tail: with the parliamentarians, of the women and men who represent the citizens. People who are paid to act in the interest of the nation, not in their own interests , and certainly not in the interests of the parties to which they belong.

Two things above all must be guaranteed in the next elections:
- the representativeness of the parliamentarian who must be elected by the citizens and not inserted in a closed list, according to a party meritocracy.
- the morality of the parliamentarian who must not have been convicted. How can we present ourselves to the country with a platoon of convicts elected to Parliament?

Italia dei Valori has presented to both the Lower and the Upper House, a draft of a law to absolutely prevent convicted people from being present in the electoral lists. In relation to this, what’s needed is strong support from public opinion.. From all of you.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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27 February 2007

Promoting Citizen Health

Campaign Poster

Unfortunately, the pollution situation in the big cities is not sustainable and the consequences for the health of the citizens is ever more serious. Particularly for children and older people. Starting in Milan, Italia dei Valori has decided to create an information campaign to raise awareness about this.
“Promoting Citizen Health is the title of the antismog initiative organised by Italia die Valori in Milan. Italia die Valori has planned a month dedicated to distributing information and raising awareness about pollution, its causes, its effects and its possible solutions.
The antismog month started 25 February, the same day as the total block on traffic in the North of Italy. The anti smog month ends 25 March.
During this month there will be 4 information points at Piazza Cordusio, Piazza San Babila, Piazza Argentina and Piazza Leonardo da Vinci. There’ll also be an opinion survey face to face and online at www.antoniodipietro.it. It’s about traffic, transport, and what it’s like living in Milan.
In the Auditorium S. Carlo at 8:15pm on 6 March , 13 March and 20 March there will be meetings with the major organisations concerned with the protection of public health, traffic reduction and environmental protection.
Medical practitioners specialised in the diseases and conditions caused by pollution will be participating.”

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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6 February 2007

Stop the Championship

I want to express my sincerest condolences to the Raciti family who are mourning the policeman assassinated at Catania by vulgar delinquents. And at the same time I want to give all my solidarity to the Police Forces who risk their lives for little recompense to protect citizens.
Football should be suspended at least for the current season. A few days are not enough to take decisions that can solve the issues. Citizens, rightly, would feel they were being taken for a ride. The football clubs should leave the Stock Exchange. Too many economic interests are destroying the football sector. Penalties for the ne’er do wells who are parading themselves as “ultras” at the stadium must be more severe and above all certain. Too many police officers are hit and threatened with the people responsible not paying any consequences.
Finally the freewheeling words that insult both the work of the Police and the memory of Inspector Filippo Raciti pronounced by the Member of Parliament for the Rifondazione Party, Francesco Caruso: “The life of a police officer is worth the same as that of an ultrà” and by the President of the Football League Antonio Matarrese: “Football cannot close down, the dead are part of the system”. These words serve to justify an intolerable situation.
Matarrese must go. What’s more he should never have stayed after the scandal of the fraudulent games. Football needs new leaders and responsible policies. Otherwise it has no future.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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1 February 2007

PACS – Civil Unions

Hundreds of thousands of couples are living together in Italy without being married. Many have children. None of them have pension or social security rights.
We are talking of true families that find that they can’t do the everyday activities that are allowed only to married couples.
In Italy everything is normalized, in fact even crime has been with the recent pardon. Amnesties and condoni have come thick and fast thanks to the Centre Right in the last few years. In this situation not to give rights to de facto families is inconceivable.
The traditional family is changing. Marriage with a religious or civil ritual is rare. We must simply take note of this. It’s not by ignoring the PACS that social dynamics are changed. But without extending certain fundamental rights of married couples to de facto couples, we are creating social inequalities, in particular among those with the lowest incomes.
The programme of the Unione aims to extend certain rights to de facto couples and all the parties of the coalition have signed up to this. The PACS are not against the Church but in favour of families and their rights.
All families must be at the centre of attention in politics with equal rights and duties according to principles of equity and solidarity.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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20 January 2007

Incinerators

I have received a request for explanations about Italia dei Valori’s position on incinerators. In particular on the response given by the Honourable Borghesi of IdV to signor Ellis Favotto.
IDV is not in favour of incinerators. The risks for health caused by incinerators can be justifiable only in the presence of emergency situations and only for the time that is strictly necessary to overcome the emergency. In the past, in the blog I have expressed opinions on this position and I have not changed my mind. To avoid misunderstanding in the future on certain topics, in particular on incinerators, I will reply personally.

“Dear Hon. Di Pietro,
I am writing because I was “disconcerted” to put it mildly, by the response given by Hon. Borghesi (given in your name) and sent to Ellis Favotto on the topic of incinerators.
It is scandalous that you on your blog write that: “Italia dei Valori will oppose the construction of new incinerators, even with the request of the abolition of financing arranged up to now, and proposing legislative interventions in favour of reducing refuse at its origin and supporting companies committed to the sector of reusing refuse.”
And that Hon. Borghesi states that what is written on the Blog “does not count” because the IdV party “has always said it was in favour”.
I read your blog and now I sincerely ask myself about the credibility of what you write if contradictions of this “calibre” are then made.
I’m not hiding my sympathies and feelings for “your” party and for you as a person, nonetheless this statement and other recent ones (see Pedemontana Veneta, Mose, …) have been a profound delusion.
I’m telling you sincerely that I have lost trust in yourself and in “your” party.
I have supported Italia dei Valori in the National, Provincial and local elections.
I have given a big commitment in terms of information and election campaigning (done almost entirely at my own expense) because I believed in the IdV plan and programme.
The Provincial Coordinator (De Zanet) knows both myself and my wife very well.
I have accepted a commitment with the people and now I sincerely feel that I have the duty to communicate to them about this new position taken by the Party.
Clearly, I will not renew my Party membership and I’m asking the Coordinator to delete my name from the Mailing List as I’m no longer authorizing the use of my email or my mobile phone for various communications.
I am really disillusioned as I believed in the “transparency” of the party and yourself. At this point I see no difference between your party and all the others.
I’m really sorry. I had great faith in you.
Such statements are of such an unacceptable level of incongruence and incoherence and above all they show a complete lack of respect in relation to the whole Italian people on the part of the IdV party.
I hope that a denial will be forthcoming from yourself. In any case, since I am also President of the GRILLITREVISO Association, I will send a copy of everything to Beppe Grillo, Maurizio Pallante, Stefano Montanari, Gianluigi Salvador, Eduardo Rina and Walter Bianco to get their reactions. .
Greetings from engineer Pamio Maurizio. GRILLITREVISO Association”

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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24 December 2006

Greetings

The year 2006 has been one of great changes for the country. Italians decided, with the elections, to turn over a new page after 5 years of promises and "ad personam" laws.
As I said in this blog before the elections, the new Government has two priorities: the return of the accounts of the State to a healthy economic position and the restoration of the rule of law.
The Finance law, even though it has many contradictions and it has seen that the government is incapable of communicating, has been a strong response to the situation of pre-bankruptcy of the State that we inherited.
On the topic of justice, the action of the government and above all that of the majority is basically in deficit. There is not yet any signal of discontinuity with respect to Berlusconi. Italia dei Valori has been fighting on this issue, and it will continue to do so in 2007, for the abolition of ad hoc laws and for the certainty of rights.
A new year is waiting for us. I hope that it will be a serene year for all Italians. A year for relaunching the economy, of greater social protection for the most deprived. A year for starting again, to set off and make our country great once more.
Greetings for the Festive Season. Antonio Di Pietro.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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21 November 2006

Poison and Politics

In Milan there’s been the umpteenth staged event against smog with the Sunday without cars. A precaution that has left things exactly as they were before.
In its document called “Air Quality Guidelines” the World Health Organisation underlines how going beyond the limit for PM2.5 tiny dust particles in the air can lead to serious consequences for the organism, even death and especially for children. .
During the month of November the PM2.5 threshold has been surpassed 14 times in the first 18 days and on 16 November it reached a value of 117.
Milan is at the centre of attention for its level of atmospheric pollution. But it’s not the only city in this situation. It can however become a national point of reference for choices relating to city traffic that by now cannot be put off.
The proposals put forward up until now have found obstacles in the usual crossed vetoes and voting interests between the Region of Lombardy, the Province and the City of Milan and the government.
The idea of the entry ticket has not been accepted. The idea of alternating registration numbers has been rejected. The centre can’t be closed. The cycle tracks hardly exist. Public transport has not been strengthened and instead of electric buses we’ve got buses running on petrol.
Meanwhile, citizens get ill and die from tumours.
Italia dei Valori will make its voice known, with the help of the citizens, to adopt immediately measures to protect public health. The entry ticket and the closure of the centre of the city as soon as possible.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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23 October 2006

The bankruptcy of the Comune di Taranto

The services of our every day lives depend on local institutions: roads, nurseries, public transport, refuse collection and disposal. The local council of a city shouldn’t be allowed to go bankrupt in the midst of indifference.
And yet that is what has happened at Taranto. A few days ago, the Commissario straordinario {official given charge of the situation}, Tommaso Blonda, approved the definitive management report on the 2005 financial situation of the Comune di Taranto.
In 2004, the deficit was more than 83 million Euro. In 2005 it increased by 60% to about 138 million. The debts not included in the balance sheet were in the region of 150 million. The latent liabilities are almost 160 million. Overall the deficit is almost 450 million. Euro.
The ten days of financial autonomy guaranteed by the Commissario have gone by. The coffers are empty and public services have started to be cut. It is unacceptable that the citizens one more time, have to pay for people that consider the public realm to be their zone of conquest.
It is correct that local entities are given responsibility with autonomy to make decisions and raise revenue through taxes, but it is in the same measure right that the administrations give an account of their actions right to the end.
An important city that goes bankrupt is a symptom of the collapse of the public administration, but also of the inefficiency of the control bodies and of the political parties. It is a bad signal that must make us reflect.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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28 August 2006

Violence against women

Currently there’s an increase in violence against women. The case of the two young  French women has touched me. They come from a country with a high degree of immigration. They accepted a lift from two men from Tunisia. They were not afraid and they were raped. They thought they were in Paris and they were in Milan.
The problem is the restoration of the rule of law at all levels, not only for those who are not from the EU. We have to guarantee the security of the citizens. We cannot accept the fact that violence against women becomes an ordinary fact. I want to remind you that Mario Alessi, an Italian, the assassin of little Tommaso, had raped a young woman in the presence of her fiancée and he was free.

Italia dei Valori is going to propose to Parliament that there is a significant increase in the penalties for rape. It is not acceptable that a woman should be afraid of waiting for a bus, of taking the metro, or is afraid of wearing a miniskirt and going into a station, as happens in the Milan Central Station.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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22 August 2006

Clandestines and the responsibility of Libya

The clandestines who are coming day by day by boat to Italian coasts are being sent by someone. He’s called Gaddafi. Nearly all the boats are leaving from the coast of Libya with the tacit consent of the local authorities.

There has been tension for a long time between Italy and Libya. Gaddafi has been asking for 3,500,000,000 Euro for hypothetical compensation payments for the construction of a motorway.
The Italians who were expelled from Libya left all their possessions there.

They have had no compensation.
Gaddafi uses the clandestines to put pressure on the Italian government. Today he wants a motorway, tomorrow who knows what else.

The departures from Libya represent a clear act of hostility in relation to our country and cannot be tolerated. In relation to these continual violations of her territory, Italy should even consider the patrolling of Libya’s territorial waters and not just a firm stand in relation to the government of Tripoli.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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18 August 2006

Citizenship and respect for civil rights

The case of Hina Saleem, the young woman from Pakistan killed by her father because she lived with a young Italian man, must give reason to reflect on the proposed law for citizenship for those who reside in our country for 5 years.
The number of years is an important factor and it is probable that it would be better to increase the time. Sticking to the values of the Constitution is also important.
But in my opinion, to get Italian citizenship, the most important things is the respect for the fundamental values underlying living together in society. Among these is the free choice of a marriage partner.
Hina’s father has had a regular job for more than 10 years. He has the documents necessary to get citizenship right now without the need for a new law.
Together with a new law on citizenship what are needed are severe punishments for those who violate civil rights, for example by marriages that are arranged and enforced.
Civil rights are not negotiable. Those who don’t respect them must not be allowed to obtain Italian citizenship.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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20 July 2006

The right to a home

Yesterday I wrote to the President of the Council, Romano Prodi, to the Minister of the Interior, Giuliano Amato to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, Tommaso Padoa Schioppa. The Bersani decree, decree 233 of 4 July 2006 is about to be made a law. I asked them to insert a clause that defers for three months the conditions for eviction in the cities with more than a million inhabitants (Milano, Rome, Naples). This was fixed by the decree of 1 February 2006 and was converted to law n. 86 on 1 February 2006.

This arrangement involves no costs to the State accounts as it is possible to use financial resources set aside by previous legislation but not yet utilised.
The resources available are about 99 million Euro and will be distributed according to a decree from the Ministry of Infrastructure, to the cities that are the centres of metropolitan areas to help that part of the population that is in particular conditions of economic and social disadvantage.

A home has changed from being a social right to being a luxury. Values of the buildings and rents have gone up in recent years in an indiscriminate way. The government can intervene and must do so. It must establish a permanent observatory to monitor the price of property and to take steps to limit unjustified increases.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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5 July 2006

The thirst of the Eolie

The mayors of the Eolie archipelago are taking action against the reduction of water that is brought in water transport ships. There’s a planned reduction from 1,750,000 cubic metres of water a year to 1,400,000. Water comes in the ships from Naples on a journey that is long and costly and I hope not for private interests.
Water, not only for the Eolie, is a good that is ever more rare and more costly. Apart from the current situation that will definitely be resolved, it’s necessary to invest in systems that will make the Eolie less dependent on water supplies by ship. This also applies to other places. Investment in desalination plants must be evaluated as soon as possible and put into effect. 
Now that there is this emergency, likely to be followed by many others, it is the right moment to start a plan that allows the Eolie to be autonomous from the point of view of water supplies but also energy supplies using solar energy. I will talk to Minister Bersani about this. I know that he is very much alert to these issues.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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2 July 2006

The Centres for Initial Welcome

The Centri di Prima Accoglienza (CPT) {Centres for Initial Welcome} were set up for those who come into our country clandestinely. The clandestines that are looked after there can later be allowed to stay in Italy, for example for political or humanitarian reasons, or they can be expelled.
These Centres are necessary.
A situation in which thousands of people from outside the European Community illegally enter Italy and move around the streets without documents, without work, without the means of subsistence, is not possible. This evaluation is not one of the Right nor of the Left, it is simply good sense. To dismantle these Centres would not resolve anything and in fact it would only increase the traffic of clandestines.
But the conditions of life of the people who are detained there must absolutely be improved. We talk in fact of assistance and not of lager or prison.
In the next few weeks Italia dei Valori will visit some of these Centres and reports of its impressions will be published on this site.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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29 May 2006

Cuffaro and the incinerators in Sicily

Salvatore Raiti member of the Lower House and coordinator of IdV in the region of Sicily has made the following statement about Cuffaro. I agree wholeheartedly.

“Cuffaro is without shame. Only three days before the closure of the election campaign he is performing actions that are illegitimate and are possibly illegal.

It’s not understandable how in his role of Commissioner Delegate for the Refuse Emergency, he can promulgate the ordinance n. 482 of 22.05.2006 (just a week before the regional elections) authorising the construction of thermovalorisation plants in Sicily. This is without waiting for the order of the regional TAR {Tribunale Amministrativo Regionale = Regional Administrative Tribunal} as well as a motion approved by the Region of Sicily that are in a directly opposite direction.

Let Cuffaro then explain what legitimate interest he has, to justify the communication about this order on the same day. He sent a fax to the company that is to construct the thermovalorisation plants. This was done the same day at 4:33pm!

With the thousand million Euro that would be needed to construct these installations and with the health of the people of Sicily we must not play games. For this reason, I ask the Minister of the Environment and the President of the Council to intervene directly to restore the rule of law, to withdraw from Cuffaro the position of extraordinary Commissioner Delegate and to revoke this order immediately.”

I reserve the right to evaluate whether there are the appropriate conditions to bring this to the attention of the criminal magistrates in relation to abuses that may have occurred.
Furthermore I will ask the Minister of the Environment to take action as soon as possible and I will take the issue to the Council of Ministers.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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27 April 2006

Slaughter on Italian Roads

In Verona two 23-year-olds were killed by another car in a head-on collision. The other car was on the wrong side of the road and was driven by a person of Romanian origin who was under the influence of alcohol. He was released the next day.In Rome on Sunday, a car driven by an Italian who was drunk, went onto the Pontina {road SS 148 leading into Rome} in the wrong direction and caused 3 deaths.

In Catania 4 young people are dead as a result of a Cuban citizen travelling in the wrong lane.
Again in Verona a Mercedes, while doing a U turn, killed a young married couple on a motorbike.
The number of road accidents causing the death of one or more people in Italy is horrifying. The cause of these deaths is often the irresponsible attitude of a driver. I believe that the penalties currently being handed out should be made more severe and in really serious cases like those mentioned here, charges of multiple aggravated homicide should be brought.
Accidents are often caused by alcohol. Checks are rare, almost inexistent. They need to be tightened up with the confiscation of the driving licence for those who give positive results. Road traffic accidents in Italy cause thousands of deaths. It’s a war. Now is the time to face up to this problem openly. No compromise.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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26 April 2006

Stop to incinerators

Incinerators or thermovaluers, are financed in Italy with public money as they are put on the same footing as renewable energy.
Without public finding the incinerators could not exist. Do they merit this investment? The reply that I feel is appropriate is completely negative. The construction of incinerators is fruit of 2 things: poor information provision and mistaken social behaviour.

The poor information provision leads people to think that incinerators are a solution at the forefront of technology, that they are necessary and that in any case they represent the lesser evil.
The incinerators are not an innovative solution. The opposite is true. The first ones were constructed 40 years ago and those countries that used them initially no longer build them and use them less and less. Furthermore it has been demonstrated that the ash produced becomes toxic waste.

The mistaken social behaviour comes about at the level of the producer and the consumer. Waste products are often created at the beginning by useless packaging: boxes, plastic, paper etc. These are just things to get rid of.
Auto-regulation of the producing companies, “helped” by taxes on production of parts that are superfluous to the product, like, for example the box for a tube of toothpaste. This would greatly reduce the phenomenon.
An incentive to reuse the containers with a price reduction for consumers is a measure that could further limit the production of rubbish. For example glass bottles could be reused.
The differentiated collection of waste should be in operation in the whole country. At the moment it isn’t. This makes it possible to recycle most of the waste and it is a great opportunity both for the environment and for industry.

This is why Italia dei Valori will oppose the construction of any new incinerators. It is also asking for the abolition of their financing as of today. It is proposing legislation that will favour a reduction of waste at the origin and the support of companies working in the waste re-cycling sector.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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13 April 2006

Let the winner govern!

photo from Repubblica.it

In spite of the victory of the Unione in the Upper House (Senato) and the Lower House (Camera), the news programmes are still buzzing with dialectical inventions about defeats or really about the defeat.
If I am permitted, I would like to invite the newspapers and the TV channels to have a greater sense of reality. Let it be clear that I am not referring to those of the former President of the Council that are simply propaganda channels and not true information channels.
Let the journalists now discuss the real problems of the country. The previous legislature has left us with so many problems that we have too many to choose from.
Last night I watched the programme Ballarò. I heard arguments put forward asking “out of a sense of responsibility” for a coalition of the representatives of those who have torn to shreds the Constitution and the laws of Parliament.
By the one who called the centre left voters “coglioni”.
It gave me an allergic reaction.

Here is a very modest piece of advice to my colleagues in the Unione: If you are invited to take part in a programme to talk about the null proposition of the current opposition, don’t accept.
When you do appear on TV talk about data, numbers, statistics related to what the Unione will do for Italian citizens.
In answer to the umpteenth provocation about the “grand coalition”, my opinion is that the bipolar system obliges the winning coalition to govern to give the country the alternative determined by voting.
In other words, let the winner govern.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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6 April 2006

The Untrue History of Italy

These elections have been the election of lies. Lies that are planned, scientific and together damaging the economic situation of the country.
I don’t want to deceive anyone: it will take years of sacrifices to reconstruct a country in pieces. Election promises? I’ll leave them to the disinformation professionals of the CDL.
They are the ones who have shamelessly sent through the post a communication to all Italians, considering them all to be without the capacity to understand and to decide. This appears to be a magazine and is entitled: “The True History of Italy”. It is shameful publicity that should more aptly be called “The Untrue History of Italy”.

Numbers, statistics, percentages and facts are misrepresented to such an extent that it would be hilarious if we weren’t so close to the economic drama.
Among the many examples is one on page 154 where the increase in the average income of Italians in these 5 years is magnified as follows:
“27,119 dollars is today’s average income of Italians (in 2001 it was 24,670 dollars)”
Dollars, not Euro! A communication about our average income is given in dollars? This is a strategy worthy of Tremonti at his best.
This makes it appear that the average Italian has increased their buying power in 5 years by 2,449 dollars.
But Italians are paid in Euro. The conversion rate euro/dollar has gone from 1.16 euro per dollar in May 2001 to 0.81 euro per dollar today.
What’s happened in these five years is that the Euro has got much stronger with respect to the dollar.
The Dollar/Euro exchange rate confirms that the value of the Euro has protected our savings.
However our incomes have gone down. They have dropped by a massive amount as all Italian families know (apart from those who live in the United States and are paid in Euro)

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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26 March 2006

The Ostriches of the CDL

Yesterday evening on Matrix I met up with Giulio Tremonti for an electoral discussion on a range of topics and particularly about the economy.
Tremonti stated that the Italian economy is doing well, that we are respected abroad, that he knows the five rules to revive our country, that it’s natural for the Public Debt to grow (but on this big one I’ve got doubts and even though I heard it with my own ears, I have to listen again to the recording.)
He added that the Biagi law is the panacea for the world of work, that the future of Italy lies in the massive engineering operations like the Messina Bridge and the revival of nuclear.
I could have just said nothing to gain votes.

The state of confusion of the CDL and its obstinate refusal to admit that there is a failing economic situation that they have dragged this country into, to face up to reality, to behave like ostriches (burying their head in the sand), makes me fear that the 2005 Balance Sheet for the State may reserve us unpleasant surprises that I hope can be managed
If even the Minister of the Economy refuses to accept the abnormal growth in the Public Debt, of the collapse of the foreign balance of trade, of tax evasion by one Italian in three, of a continued indebtedness of families, of the spread of precariousness (far different from solid jobs!) that takes away every hope for the future for our young people. If those who should have access to every statistic, deny these evident realities, we are finished.
This Government of the Republic that has lasted the longest time, blames the previous Government for Italy’s decline and for every other current problem.
But, if that is the case, what has it been doing in Government over the last 5 years?
And what has it achieved apart from laws ad personam, amnesties and the depenalisation of false accounting? The citizens don’t need lessons from professor Tremonti to find out that they can’t mange to get to the end of the month. They will hold him to account on 9 and 10 April.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Society
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