In these days, twenty years after the end of socalled first (Italian) Republic, Italy's politics is living another debacle. I am living again what I had lived once in my past when I was a teenager. I see some analogies between today scandals and those revealed in 1992 though the contexts are completely different.
In that year a wide judiciary investigation, nicknamed by journalists "clean hands", had overwhelmed as a "tsunami" the then Italian leading parties revealing the biggest scandals of corruption and bribery in the latest fifty years of the country's history, Tangentopoli: Italian neologism to define a "city of bribe".
In that year a wide judiciary investigation, nicknamed by journalists "clean hands", had overwhelmed as a "tsunami" the then Italian leading parties revealing the biggest scandals of corruption and bribery in the latest fifty years of the country's history, Tangentopoli: Italian neologism to define a "city of bribe".
Two of then main ruling parties, the Christian Democracy (DC) and the Italian Socialist Party (PSI), had literally erased: many of these parties leaders where investigated or arrested under charges of to be part of a very radicated system of corruption in Italian society. As described by an almost unknown Alberto Sordi's movie of 1984, "Tutti dentro".
The most famous politician charged of bribery has been Bettino Craxi, the Socialist Party leader, escaped in Tunisia to avoid a judiciary process. He had dead "contumacious" in 2000 in his tunisian villa in Hammamet without never come back in Italy.
Giulio Andreotti, Arnaldo Forlani, Francesco Cossiga, Ciriaco De Mita of DC, Gianni De Michelis and Claudio Martelli of PSI are other political bosses of these years that in 1992 had suddenly losted their political power under similar corruption's charges as Mr Craxi. But They unlike him had not fled Italy.
Despite their political fall Mr Andreotti and Mr Cossiga, both several times Republic's Prime Minister and Minister, had preserved also their seats in Italian Senate because both at the time had became Senators for life but They had no more hold offices in governaments after 1992.
"Clean hands" has changed deeply Italian politics. Indeed the deletion of the two main historical ruling parties had opened a sudden blackout in Italy's politics from 1992 to 1994. Since then more citizens had lost confidence in politics and words DC and PSI has became synonymous of bribery and of politics without no ethics.
The lack of a political guide had weaken the Country: so the former Italian currency, the Lira, had suffered a speculation attack that pushing temporarily the Country out of European Monetary System. The only solution for a crisis as political as economic had been shaping two subsequent technocratic governments. As happened in the end of 2011.
These governaments respectively ruled by Giuliano Amato and Carlo Azelio Ciampi to overcome a crisis as political as economic, according with the European legislation, had introduced a wide liberalization in many areas of Italy economy as Energy, Telecomunications, Industry, Infrastructures and Banks.
In this years the political landscape was really undefined because only the previous old "unruling" parties i.e. Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) former Italian Comunist Party, Italian Social Movement (MSI) a post fascist party and the recent North League appeared not affected by corruption and bribery.
At the end of 1993 a new party emerged in the Italian politics, Forza Italia, created by Silvio Berlusconi a businessman not a politician, gathering many political souls from that "liberal - conservative" to that "christian - democratic" to that liberal filling the void created by the recent disappering of DC and PSI.
A new bipolar season had becomed in Italy. Not with two only parties but with two main groups with pourly defined borders: one of center left lead by the PDS, now Democratic Party (PD), and anoter of center right lead by Forza Italia. This configuration of Italian politics had lasted from the elections in 1994 to the Mr Berlusconi resignation in the end of 2011.
Indeed the current Italian Governament, again technocratic, led by Mario Monti is supported both the center left and center right. This "political convergence" remember the "pre - Tangentopoli" political style whose Governaments had been affected by instability and without alternation: because if "all are responsible no one is responsible".
Mr Berlusconi, four times prime minister, has marked the last twenty years of Italian politics outlining many endemic problems of the country, as those for to make business, without resolving them. It's unnecessary speaking about his trouble with law about conflict of interests, charges of corruption, sexual scandals and suspects of tie with Mafia.
Berlusconi has also been the main "glue" of the center left coalition incapable to solve the Italian problems overcoming her ideologic visions and her proper conflict of interests. So the only "political idea" in the last twenty years of center left parties has been "to demonize" Berlusconi attacking him without creating a (believable) alternative to him.
Also in Berlusconi's currently party, People of Freedom, there are many components under investigations for bribery or corruption. Just as inside the currently main center left party, the PD, in which a serious case of misappropriation of party's funds by the party's treasurer has recently exploded.
The same thing has happened in the North League involving the Party's secretary and other important politicians: the really problem is that the Italian parties receive public funds to avoid corruption and bribery by politicians. I am not kidding. Obviously Italian politicians receive also a salary when are elected.
Not enough because other scandals are revealed in 2011. In Lombardy, a region in North Italy, some elements of regional Governament, lead by Roberto Formigoni of center right, are investigated about bribery charges. Not only! Again in Lombardy Filippo Penati of center left, the president of Province Milan biggest city in Lombardy, is also investigated about bribery.
It's possible to quote other politician's cases of corruption and bribery at every institutional level: from the Parliament to the Regions, to Provinces until the Municipalities. Corruption is not only in a single party but presents in every political formation so many Italian citizens are losting confidence in their politicians and others will lost it if something will not change in future.
"Clean hands" has changed deeply Italian politics. Indeed the deletion of the two main historical ruling parties had opened a sudden blackout in Italy's politics from 1992 to 1994. Since then more citizens had lost confidence in politics and words DC and PSI has became synonymous of bribery and of politics without no ethics.
The lack of a political guide had weaken the Country: so the former Italian currency, the Lira, had suffered a speculation attack that pushing temporarily the Country out of European Monetary System. The only solution for a crisis as political as economic had been shaping two subsequent technocratic governments. As happened in the end of 2011.
These governaments respectively ruled by Giuliano Amato and Carlo Azelio Ciampi to overcome a crisis as political as economic, according with the European legislation, had introduced a wide liberalization in many areas of Italy economy as Energy, Telecomunications, Industry, Infrastructures and Banks.
In this years the political landscape was really undefined because only the previous old "unruling" parties i.e. Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) former Italian Comunist Party, Italian Social Movement (MSI) a post fascist party and the recent North League appeared not affected by corruption and bribery.
A new bipolar season had becomed in Italy. Not with two only parties but with two main groups with pourly defined borders: one of center left lead by the PDS, now Democratic Party (PD), and anoter of center right lead by Forza Italia. This configuration of Italian politics had lasted from the elections in 1994 to the Mr Berlusconi resignation in the end of 2011.
Indeed the current Italian Governament, again technocratic, led by Mario Monti is supported both the center left and center right. This "political convergence" remember the "pre - Tangentopoli" political style whose Governaments had been affected by instability and without alternation: because if "all are responsible no one is responsible".
Mr Berlusconi, four times prime minister, has marked the last twenty years of Italian politics outlining many endemic problems of the country, as those for to make business, without resolving them. It's unnecessary speaking about his trouble with law about conflict of interests, charges of corruption, sexual scandals and suspects of tie with Mafia.
Berlusconi has also been the main "glue" of the center left coalition incapable to solve the Italian problems overcoming her ideologic visions and her proper conflict of interests. So the only "political idea" in the last twenty years of center left parties has been "to demonize" Berlusconi attacking him without creating a (believable) alternative to him.
Also in Berlusconi's currently party, People of Freedom, there are many components under investigations for bribery or corruption. Just as inside the currently main center left party, the PD, in which a serious case of misappropriation of party's funds by the party's treasurer has recently exploded.
The same thing has happened in the North League involving the Party's secretary and other important politicians: the really problem is that the Italian parties receive public funds to avoid corruption and bribery by politicians. I am not kidding. Obviously Italian politicians receive also a salary when are elected.
Not enough because other scandals are revealed in 2011. In Lombardy, a region in North Italy, some elements of regional Governament, lead by Roberto Formigoni of center right, are investigated about bribery charges. Not only! Again in Lombardy Filippo Penati of center left, the president of Province Milan biggest city in Lombardy, is also investigated about bribery.
It's possible to quote other politician's cases of corruption and bribery at every institutional level: from the Parliament to the Regions, to Provinces until the Municipalities. Corruption is not only in a single party but presents in every political formation so many Italian citizens are losting confidence in their politicians and others will lost it if something will not change in future.
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