The only way to understand something is to ask about people’s opinions on it, this article will help shape your view on Italian politics from the perspective of students.
In an era where political instability, wars, and economic crisis are taking over our sweet world, our only hope falls on the next generation – the one that can help us grow back to peaceful humanity.
Today, I invited five college students to an interview about the political situation in Italy, and I’m sharing with you their opinions on the matter. This approach was made so that you could have an insight into how the political situation in this country is satisfying its citizens, but not any category: the future Lawyers, politicians, and economists.
Our interviewees have been taken from different backgrounds, and some have decided to stay anonymous so I will refer to them differently, as for the others they will be referred to by their respective names.
The Q & A: political situation in Italy
The first article of the constitution says, I quote: ‘Italy is a democratic Republic founded on labor. Sovereignty belongs to the people and is exercised by the people in the forms and within the limits of the Constitution.’ Do you feel like this is applied in Italian society, considering that it’s the main article of the Italian book ?
Stefano, Pierre, Umberto and Rocco, all raised an important issue: the labor crisis in Italy. As a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, ‘Italy still has a lot of ground to cover in this area’ as Pierre said; following the 2008 crisis, citizens have been living through very ‘desperate’ times, and it is high time that we acknowledged that job security and labor are not Italy’s strong suit. Some inconsistencies in this sector have been given by Stefano, who said: ‘ I see this sector as a very unfair area, and one that should be given much more attention’. This sector in which family businesses dominate the market is regulated by the “Studi di settore”, which follows a tax approach that could be qualified as ‘unjust’ and miscalculated.
Berlusconi, former PM, has been quite the controversial figure in Italy, and by leading 4 cabinets he surely left an important mark on Italy’s government, what do you think about his Prime ministerial era, how would you qualify him/it?
Stefano and Umberto believe that Berlusconi has helped Italy grow economically. However, he was the journalists’ main target, especially given that he had to lead Italy during a crisis, the media and people found it easy to blame him. According to Umberto his public image is certainly bad, but an Italian citizen should always retrospect to what he did for Italy, and the financial aid he provided to industries, although he might still be characterized as a “Business-oriented “person according to Stefano.
On the other hand, Rocco and Federico have a quite opposing approach. Being one of the biggest entrepreneurs in the world might have created a sort of conflict of interest during Berlusconi’s government. He mainly set a bad example to Italian society, which had essentially ‘degenerated because of some customs he had managed to circulate during that era’ said Rocco. Even with opposite views, the majority of interviewees see this controversial figure as one of the failures of Italy’s government.
Considering the multiple parties in the Italian government, do you see one of them supporting your ideologies towards this country?
For this question, Rocco firmly answered with a big No. He sees Italian political parties as one of the biggest failures of the Italian government. They are quite similar to vultures fighting for a place in the parliament, and mainly opposing each other. The issue with political parties had been raised by quite a few of the interviewees and could be considered a breach in Italian politics. Besides, it is also the source of the Italian government crisis that I raised in the next question.
Italy has known a major government crisis a few months ago, mainly because Matteo Renzi, former PM, revoked his support for Conte’s government, what do you think is the source to this crisis, and how will it impact Italy, and Draghi’s position now?
Surprisingly, all interviewees agreed that Renzi was quite the “self-centered” politician, but Federico, Rocco and Stefano, saw this decision as a quite adequate one, and would mainly be connected to competitiveness according to Rocco, while it’s more ideology centered from Federico’s point of view. Umberto on the other hand thinks that the situation originates from distrust engraved in Italian politics in general. Interviewee Pierre merely believes that causing a political crisis, during a pandemic and financial instability was the best decision the government could come up with.
As for Draghi, while he is Italy’s sweetheart according to all the interviewees, Rocco shared his unpopular opinion on the person, seeing him as not competent enough for the government. Moreover, he brought up his experience as president of the ECB, and how he managed the “Euro”-pean crisis, the emphasis on Euro is due to all the sacrifices that came with that event, such as the Greek economy, and the lives of thousands of children, leading to a partially solved issue.
Moreover, Rocco brought up Draghi’s approach to speed up the recovery plan for Italy through MCkinsey&Company’s help, after they have been affiliated to the unethical “Opioid” scandal, which he described as “incompatible” with how a country should be run.
Conclusions
This series of Q&As highlighted some very important aspects and issues that characterize the Italian government, but also an ideological diversity that leads us to reflect on every point of view. Being the next generation, you now know what Italy asks of you, don’t let your people down, and fight for your country.
Finally, I would like to thank our interviewees for participating in conducting this Q&A and contributing to an intellectual exchange promoting self-expression.
My name is Aicha Jabrani, I'm a BIEM student. I grew up in Morocco, and got to familiarize myself with the journalism world, being my only voice as a Moroccan woman. Through my whole life, I traveled around the world and discovered many cultures, and opened myself to diversity, shaping my perspectives and embracing the person I have become independent, ambitious, and determined .
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Aicha Jabrani
