“Against all the odds, a European identity is emerging, even in Britain.”
“Brexiteers’ sovereignty tapped into the colonial nostalgia and delusion of grandeur that is still part of its national consciousness.”
The politics of escapism won the day; yet the Leave campaign leaders are escaping from taking responsibility for the xenophobia and social divisions in the country.
This is a crucial opportunity for Italy to make its mark and counter the dogma of austerity as much as the division between so-called core countries and peripheral countries. It is an opportunity for proposing alternatives and a path of growth.
For his detractors, Matteo Renzi is a new Berlusconi pursuing charisma, rather than articulate political ideas. Written off by left-wing commentators as ambitious and superficial, Italy’s youngest ever Prime Minister is fighting for Italy’s soul.
The Eurozone crisis has plunged southern Europeans into poverty and unemployment. It has created irreparable divisions between the north and the south of Europe. No sign of economic and political convergence is in sight. Fear not, TV will save us.
The Italian election resulted in a deadlock with no clear winner. But while Italy is stuck between politics as usual and a sterile protest vote, the seeds of a ‘liberal revolution’ have discretely been sown. Could this mark the beginning of an Italian spring?
As Italy is heading to the polls on Sunday for ‘the most important election in 30 years’, the vote of Italians living abroad will partly determine the formation of the next government. How do these expats feel about Italian politics, and how are they going to vote?
In November 2011, Mario Monti, an academic and former European Commissioner, was seen as the providential man to save Italy from its troubles. Now, only one year and a few months later, he is trailing behind in the polls and set to lose the upcoming elections. What happened?
They think ‘Europe’ is ‘foreign affairs’. But Europe is nothing if it is not its citizens. That is why, the day before the Greek elections, a demonstration in solidarity with the Greek people will take place in Dublin (at The Spire at 1pm).
European politicians are seeking to follow the moods of the public rather than to shape them. Europeans do not want Europe to fail, but Europe cannot rest solely on the actions of the German Chancellor, the French President, or the President of the European Central Bank.
It is nation states that have emasculated European institutions. What is often branded as the ‘national interest’ is nothing but a justification for the pursuit of internal politics.
