Article by Pino Aprile, 2014-09-18

Pino Aprile, writer, journalist, 2014-09-18. This is my article on the Southern Party (Partito Meridionale), published today in "Il Mattino": The race is between the idea of ​​a party that represents the rights of the South, devastated by (italian) governments of every color, especially in the last twenty years, and we have to break all taboos about the autonomy of our macro-region that to many people seems even too scant, because nowadays more and more people are talking about secession. These are the first, impulsive responses (not to say wrong), to solve an issue that has reached the limit: from Berlusconi's governments that diverted resources away from the South to abolish Local Property Tax, pay fines to European Union for cheating North Italian dairy farmers, finance rescues of earthquake-hit L'Aquila; Monti's government that gave 97% of resources to earthquake-hit schools in Middle and North Italy (of this 1/3 only to Lombardia) and 3% only to the South; Letta's government that killed the universities of South Italy with the act of the minister Carrozza and distributed the funds for the great infrastructural projects 97% for Middle and North Italy and 3% to th South (the same amount in Euro is what the North Italian companies that work for the construction of Autostrada A3 pay to Mafia); Renzi's government refuses kindergartens for children in South Italy and southern halves the co-financing for important projects in the South, because "People in South do not know how to spend"; this common affermation contradict itself because the problem "do not know how to spend" is in the Northern Regions, with regard to work against the hydrogeological risk: the Lucania is one of the most virtuous of Italy, Sicily is best of all the other regions in South Italy, that are bad at the same position as Piedmont, Liguria, Val d'Aosta, Trentino, Veneto, Friuli, Umbria ...In each case of the bad management of public resources in North Italian regions the government has appealed to institutional instruments and guaranteed the spending of the money, rather than withdraw them as in the South. Two weights, two measures. The insults (from ministers in charge) and other distractions to the detriment of the South are now so many, which is incomprehensible patience of the people in South Italy. It is not clear why citizens from Matera not block trains between Milan and Rome, to warn the government that they will take away the trouble when the railway will be come to Matera, after a century and a half of waiting. But there are already parties in the South? Why make it one for the South? The South is a colony: and as the colonies, the richest regions on natural resources, see the Lucania, with the largest land-based oil fields in Europe, are those most forgotten and the poorest. Because the native leaders of the colonized territories serve those who dominate, the colonizers. I'm using strong words for a necessary synthesis, but not false: does anyone remember the names of members of Italian Parliament who protested against: the abolition of many public kindergartens in South Italy? Or the exclusion from the school books of all the poets and writers from South Italy (Neapolitans and Sicilians)? Or investment in Railways only in Middle and North Italy? The national parties are the instruments of power for the North, and oppose local leaders in South who obtain consent from the population (the latest national election, 50% of candidates of the Democratic Party in the South, were from North Italy, not one from South was present in the lists in North Italy). only those who possess the power of their votes can request justice/fairness, discuss the discrimination against the South; The candidates elected because imposed by the national leadership is debt with that leadership and indirectly with North Italian Power Elite, not with the voters. The sociologist Ulrich Beck, of the London School of Economics, explains that in Europe is in progress a subtraction from them who have less, by them who have most: the strongest social classes remove resources and growing inequality, remotly; it's what the North Italy do with the South, it's what the Germany do with countries in debt and even with the regions of the East. So the solution is a party for South Italy? Or the macro-region, secession? But before writing "party," Professor Paolo Savona cites "the start of a civil movement." Without this, there is not one. The parties are tools for conscious and organized citizens. Those who care about the well-being of the South Italy, know that there are attempts to create parties pro-South. They are small and in conflict with each other. But every thing are born small; and the contrast is useful because from conflicts emerge a leader. In this boiling can happen that a group prevails and encompasses the other (as in physics, the aggregation of complex systems in larger and larger structures). More attempts there are, better it is... The Professor Gianfranco Viesti here has right: the union-like party makes sense in small areas; in a wide area as the South Italy it will be hard to hold together the ideas from right and left. Unless ... Unless we respect the recipe: join the project, not to divide ourselves on our different ideas. This requires a widespread awareness about the major reasons for the underdevelopment of the South Italy, the way in which it was built and how it was cultivated for the benefit of the Middle and North Italy. After a century and a half, this awareness is spreading. Professor Galli Della Loggia wrote that, at least the real historical events about the Italian Unification, those are almost taught in all the Italian schools. If Renzi recites primates of the Neapolitan Bourbons during the election campaign in Naples, it is because even he knows the truth about our history. The civil movement mentioned by Professor Savona are definitely part of the committees of the "Land of fires" (Terra dei Fuochi) against the toxic waste, associations against Ilva in Taranto, cooperatives against mafia ... The people of South Italy come together to solve common problems: not happened so long. The passage from here to the party is not easy (we come together to storm the castle, there is divided to manage: to do before the oven or the church?), It is true, and can be done. But ... the politics are opportunist, seize opportunities. It can happen (already having the necessary facilities) that the existing national parties compete among themselves in making their claims for the South Italy and for moving towards a more equality/fairness, just to stay on the saddle of the colony. This could hold Italy united. Otherwise, a new party will be born. And grow, will in turn raise the stakes. At the end of the path, there is the referendum as in Scotland. It may well be that Europe becomes united easily if made ​​of small countries and not of rancorous nations arose in bloodbath, divided by territorial selfishness.