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A rough guide to the Italian election
Right-winger Silvio Berlusconi's election victory on April 13-14, the disastrous results for the Rainbow Left (Sinistra Arcobaleno) -- `` new party born old’’ -- and the increased number of no-voters in this election present new yet anticipated challenges for the radical left in Italy. Below, Paolo Gerbaudo discusses the election result and the challenge for the Italian left. Red Pepper’s Hilary Wainwright talks to Italian left activists about what lessons they draw from the experience of the left's participation in the Romano Prodi government, about the weakness of the movements after the inspiring highs of Genoa and the Florence European Social Forum and, above all, about new strategies necessary to reach out to the mass of democratically minded but disillusioned Italians -- strategies now more relevant than ever. The complete roundtable of interviews and articles is available at the Transnational Institute's website (http://www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?&act_id=18158&menu=11f).
***
A defeated left tries to
recompose
No communists, no socialists, no
pacifists, no greens, no 'no global' activists. An entire array of old and new
political identities, which marked different stages in the development of the Italian
left, have lost political representation, in the space of one election. The
last time something comparable happened was at the beginning of fascism, in
1924, when socialist and communist MPs withdrew in protests against elections
marked by vote-rigging and violence.
Today, there is little doubt about the validity of
the elections. Berlusconi is back thanks to a land-slide victory which
stretches from the Mafia-stricken regions of the South to the hyper-industrialised
North. The gap between his coalition and Veltroni’s Democratic Party is 9 per
cent It is one of the clearest popular majorities
The only opposition parliamentary spokespersons to
Berlusconi will be from Veltroni’s Democratic Party, an unsavoury alliance of
post-communists and social Catholics, whose political blueprint is based on the
centrism of New Labour. Sinistra – L’arcobaleno, the coalition comprising the Partito della Rifondazione Communista (PRC),
the Italian Communists and the Greens, has not convinced the electorate. Set up
in a hurry, a few months before the elections, it has been seen as a ``new
party born old’’, as asserted by Ginsborg in an interview recently with Red Pepper. The 3 per cent it obtained
in the polls is less than a third of the votes gained by all the parties in
this coalition in previous elections.
Berlusconi´s reactionary political menu
On the menu that awaits the Italian people, with
the return of Mr. Silvio, are a revival of the illegal actions which marked his
previous mandate, an assortment of attacks on the autonomy of the judicial
branch, new laws to defend the interests of his enterprises and acolytes, and
an easy going attitude with tax evaders and illegal construction. These
policies will be accompanied by an even stronger attack on trade unions and the
cooperative sector, which in
Next in line will be the repression of various
territorial struggles which have emerged in recent years against engineering
projects: from the No-Tav protesting against an high-speed train line in
Piedmont, to the Vicenza’s no-base protests against the construction of a US
military airport, and the Sicilian and Calabrese activists’ blocking of the
construction of the Messina bridge, which Berlusconi hopes to erect as a
perennial monument to his era.
Divided left
One could easily predict that strong social conflict will ensue. However , the risk this time is that Berlusconi’s attack on constitution, social rights and the environment will only be opposed by a confused and fragmented opposition. Yes, leftist politicians having been kicked out of parliament will have no way to go but the streets. But this time they won’t find the immediate welcome of social movements.
The state of the Italian left in the aftermath of the election is best described as a landscape marked by ruptures and distrust. Something which was hard to predict only a few years ago when a sense of common purpose united a broad and diverse coalition of forces. The series of struggles on global issues did indeed prove fertile terrain for the construction of networks and for the development of a strong dialogue between movements, civil society organisations and parties. This was clearly seen in the case of Rifondazione Comunista, which played a key role in translating struggles into a political strategy, heralding itself as the “party of movements”.
What remains of that period is perfectly
exemplified by one moment in the electoral campaign: when an ice-cream was
thrown at Caruso -- a former member of the anti-globalisers Disobbedienti –
while he was campaigning for Sinistra Arcobaleno in
In 2001, on the streets of
Fraught relationship between parties and movements
The fraught relation between institutional politics
and movements, and the often predatory attitude of the former towards the
latter underlies the division. From 2001 until 2005, the social centres in the
North-East worked closely with allies in the institutions, with social centre
activists taking over sections of the Green Party in the Triveneto region.
Elsewhere local alliances of social centres linked up with Rifondazione, for
example in
It was thanks to these movement-party alliances
that local elections in 2005 delivered a major victory to the centre-left
coalition and in particular to the radical left. In this context, Nichi
Vendola, gay, catholic and communist and deeply involved in social struggles
became elected against all odds in
Critiques of Prodi´s government
The wind changed with the narrow victory of the
Prodi-led centre-left coalition L’Unione in the national elections in April
2006. The most left-leaning government
These condemnations first focused on the
government’s foreign policy, where the withdrawal of Italian troops from
Secondly, there has been widespread indignation for
the lack of action on civil rights. The government has been reluctant in
shielding off the attacks of the Church on abortion and has failed to approve a
law for a ``a solidarity civil pact’’ for unmarried couples.
Thirdly, there has been grave disappointment at the
lack of action on wages, the problem of living costs, or the lack of welfare
programmes for vulnerable workers. There were divisions between the
industrialist position held by the old-left, who continue to consider flexible
work as an anomaly to be eliminated, and activists who ask for new forms of
welfare to support workers in precarious labour conditions. As a result, the
government took no action, thus leaving many young people without any social
rights, which has no comparison in other Western European countries.
The Italian left’s future
So what’s next? In the weeks following the elections,
some activists feel like they have sleepwalked into this new era of Berlusconi.
Attempts at rebuilding grassroots movements are already starting. Social
centres groups will soon hold a meeting in Marghera near
Nevertheless, the key issue and potential problem facing the left will be how the question of democracy is dealt with both in movements and parties. The personalisation, machoism and media-oriented strategy which characterises the leadership of many grassroots movements has proved detrimental for the credibility of progressive alternatives. The time for self-styled spokespersons of the whole movement is over. Will the movement be able to break away from leader-obsessed politics?
A similar reflection needs to take place in both the Greens and Rifondazione. Many argue that the Green Party has been transformed into an accountable centre of power which has little to do with the original idea of a federation and has lost its values of transparency. The charges of corruption which have hit its leader, Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, are just the most visible evidence of this situation. Also it will be important to see how the question of democracy will be dealt with inside Rifondazione which at the moment is torn by a fight over the future of the party and its relation to Arcobaleno between the once majority current led by Bertinotti and a new challenging current endorsed by Ferrero, minister of welfare. The party still has a network of branches across the country that no other left group enjoys. But will it be used for facilitating a recomposition of the left or for tightening control of the grassroots?
The question of democracy which is central for
imagining a different future for the Italian left will also crucially entail a
new discussion of the relationship between parties, social movements and civil
society. The experience of collaboration with parties has proved highly
disappointing for most activists. Nonetheless those experiences were the
symptom of a felt need to translate self-managed alternatives into more stable
collective goods for society. What might be learned from the defeat of this
experience is thus the need for a greater autonomy and transparency in the
relationship between movements and parties, rather than an outright end to all
contact. In this context, the local arenas of struggle which have proved the
most dynamic in recent years might provide a crucial space for developing
clearer strategies and identities beyond the vague inclusiveness of the anti-globalisation
era.
* * * *
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The
crisis of Italy ’s political
institutions: a view from inside government
What difficulties and obstacles were
underestimated or came as a surprise to you on entering the Prodi coalition
government?
The feeble majority was really unexpected. We were
conscious that the centre right had significant social and cultural strength,
since it also obtains significant working-class votes, so is often capable of
dictating the political agenda. However, no one imagined that after five years
of Berlusconi’s government there would be a substantial draw between the votes
of the centre-right and those of the centre-left. The particularly complicated
voting system played its part in making one of the two chambers, the Senate,
ungovernable.
The structural weakness of the government favoured
the political bribery of centre-oriented factions close to the influential
organisations (in particular Confindustria, an association of the Italian
industrial managers) and of the Catholic Church. This rendered even more
difficult than we had imagined our initiative for the redistribution of wealth
to the advantage of workers. Even those objectives that seemed, at first
glance, relatively easier, such as the acknowledgement of the civil rights
same-sex partners, were difficult to achieve.
The weakness of the centre-left coalitions is a faithful mirror of the strength of the social values of the right faction. This strength must be taken into consideration not only in drawing conclusions about Prodi’s government but also when redirecting our future policies. This does not mean that we have to automatically ``moderate’’ our intentions. However, it is important to keep in mind that the electorate is culturally more and more distant from the values of the left-wing parties.
We certainly overestimated the ability to mobilise
political movements against even the most moderate policies of the Prodi
government. Some positive connection was established, for example, with the mobilisation
against the privatisation of the water. For the rest, there was a strong
difficulty in connecting with both the most ``radical’’ movements (such as the
one against the TAV in Susa Valley, or the one against the NATO base in
Vincenza), which were ignored and criticised by the government, and with those
of the ``moderate’’ actors (including the trade unions), which chose to
negotiate and lobby largely without promoting demonstrations. The result was a
scenario completely different from what the Partito della Rifondazione Communista (PRC) had foreseen,
rendering its role in the government more difficult, and at times, isolated.
What did you learn from the inside about the
crisis of the political institutions, which has always been so central to
Rifondazione’s analysis?
The crisis in the Italian institutions is confirmed
by the incapacity of the government to respond to the basic necessities of
marginalised groups. This incapacity derives principally from the political
choice to prioritise economic growth and the management of public debt over
wealth distribution. However, the crisis has worsened because of the country’s
institutional structure, especially as regards welfare.
We came across this during our experience in the government. Except for the pension system and national health services – which constantly faced attempts to cut their budgets, reduce services or privatise them, but which have relatively “robust” institutional mechanisms – the institutions managing unemployment, poverty, disability, state housing and other social problems are subject to little central control. Their organisation is very fragmented, with a strong role for the regional offices, religious associations and the non-profit sector. In particular, the non-profit sector is often synonymous with contract-less, informal, underpaid work, which implies low quality standards in the social services.
All of this is typical of the contemporary form of capitalism, which generates rising social uncertainty, so should be addressed by an efficient welfare system that is equally available for all.
On the other hand, the institutions have
demonstrated a strong capacity to involve in their governance structures all of
those associations that look after the interests of citizens, in particular
those in disadvantaged circumstances. In fact, from this point of view, the
Italian political institutions are not so weak.
An updated analysis of the ``crisis of the
political institutions’’ is needed, therefore, which takes into account the
fact that this crisis is mitigated by a counter force operating against it.
What lessons do you draw about how to open up a
dynamic of transforming these institutions – and about the role of the party
and the movements in this process? Is such a transformation possible? If so,
under what conditions?
What I have mentioned above demonstrates that there
is closure in the institutions when dealing with general economic policies. On
the other hand, they are also very open in their day-to-day administration.
What is needed now is for the institutions to open up to more complex solutions
regarding the [economic] necessities of their citizens, beyond simply their
openness to collaboration with citizens’ associations.
For this to happen, there would need to be a shift
in the balance of forces – brought on by (a) the worsening of the Italian
crisis (even in relation to the foreseen global economic crisis); (b) the
associated failure of the moderate leftwing project (as embodied by the new
Democratic Party) and (c) the ability of workers and citizens to organise
themselves in committees that are not simply about civil defence. It isn’t easy
to foresee a situation when these factors coincide.
Meanwhile, the PRC could unite the different
left-wing factions to construct a “critical mass” that is necessary for
political effectiveness, reconstructing its militant base, gaining political
trust and re-orienting itself in relation to its electorate. Secondly, it could
take advantage of the decentralization of
All this, and above all the last point mentioned,
presupposes a re-evaluation of the role of movements and of the party. On the
one hand, the limits of the political movements must be considered – including
their failure, sometimes, to reach out to the broader public. As a result of their
language and practices that are often as far from the needs of the people as
the political parties themselves are. However, these limits can not be overcome
by pedagogic intervention from the party. The political movements and the
associations that form part of their governing structures have to identify the
problems and solutions based on their own practices and background. On the
other hand, a political party is need more than ever, that can have a wider
vision than that of the PRC, and that can be more competent and more grounded
in society.
How did the PRC prepare for its role in
government? With the benefit of hindsight are there further ways it should have
prepared?
I believe the PRC was not prepared enough for its
participation in the government and did not have a proper political culture for
this challenging task. Partly, this was inevitable: inexperience does count.
However, there was at least one avoidable error:
that of interpretation. A group within the PRC thought this to be a government
of change, based on a dynamic compromise between the workers movement and some
of the more economically advanced parts of the “bourgeoisie”. But the
conditions for this to occur were not there. At present, there is no interest
from the economically well-off to find a ``dynamic compromise’’. Namely a
compromise based on the acknowledgement of the autonomy of the workers’
movement, on the adequate ``payment’’ for production (rather than simply
increasing profit and growth), on acknowledging the collective knowledge and
creative ability of the workforce as a determinant in social innovation and
thus in production itself. Only the unfolding of the economic crisis in
conjunction with a resumption of social conflict could, possibly, construct the
conditions for such a compromise.
The Prodi government was more of a compromise between political factions where the moderate left could occasionally be forced (for electoral reasons) to make some concessions to the radical left. This ``exchange’’ could have led to some positive results. In fact, Prodi’s government had recuperated some part of the tax evasions that were instigated by Berlusconi’s government, and part of this wealth – as a result of initiatives by the PRC and other radical left parties – should now have been redistributed to workers. Maybe it is not a coincidence that the government has failed exactly when something tangible could have been achieved. But, in any case, even if such a result would have given some hope to workers, it would not have been a real change. Deluding the electorate and militants by speaking of the possibilities of real change was a big mistake, because after the illusions came the disillusions.
In brief, there was a wrong analysis of the balance
of forces, of the strong influence of dominant social and economic groups, and
of the nature of the centre-left.
How should lessons from this period of
government shape a new phase for the left in
The first lesson is that a real ``progressive’’
government is only possible if the mechanisms of force are different between
the social classes. Should that not be the case, and for some reason we are
obliged to participate in the government, the limits of our ability to
negotiate and reach our objectives must be explained with far greater clarity
and sincerity.
The second lesson is that, to participate in a government and to act as an effective opposition, a left leader must be able to count consistently on 10 per cent of the electorate. Most importantly, this leader must address the working class and construct a social based from those who been stably organised, starting with the trade unions. Finally, such leadership requires a person who can meet with intellectual workers (environmental activists, lawyers, economists, architects, etc.), whose inputs are essential for defining the policies or for opposing in a constructive manner the policies defined by others. There is a need for a “social” and “competent” party, in other words.
The Sinistra Arcobaleno has been born in the hope
that it might solve this problem. The party must overcome the quantitative
limits of Rifondazione, not dissolving the different parts that make it up, but
constructing a federal structure that includes not only the different political
currents but those associations that want to sign up. It must construct “case
della sinistra” [left houses] all over
The political phase that has just opened is more diverse than the previous one. The political parties of the Ulivo and the La Margherita have come together under the banner of the Democratic Party (Partito Democratico, PD). This party is in the Blairite, New Labour mould. It will run for election by itself, breaking its previous relations with the radical left, and move in a more centrist direction. Even if Berlusconi’s new party, born of the merger (for now only for electoral reasons) of his Forza Italia party and Fini’s post-fascist party, is definitely ahead in the polls, although the PD is gaining some support. It is not improbable, after the elections, that we will see a political accord between Veltroni and Berlusconi. In any case, the radical left seems likely to a face long period of opposition.
A strong Sinistra Arcobaleno opposition, capable of
capitalising on the difficulties that the next government will face, as well as
the decentralisation of policy making; and capable of reconstructing its social
ties, has the capacity to make decisive progress. It could organise the
resistance and prepare the conditions for a broader change in future. This is
our challenge.
[Paolo
Ferrero is an MP for the Partito della Rifondazione Communista and was minister
of social solidarity in the Prodi government.]
***
Movements
and left parties should keep a respectful distance
Alessandra
Mecozzi, international secretary of FIOM,
the Italian metalworkers union, describes to Hilary Wainwright the weakened state of the movements, including
the trade union movement, and draws some harsh lessons.
Are the movements weaker or stronger
after the experience of the left in government? Could you comment especially on
the trade union movement?
We wouldn’t be telling the truth if we blamed
simply the Prodi government for the current weakness of social movements. These
movements are facing a crisis all over the world, with the exception, perhaps,
of
Prior to the Prodi government, leftist social and trade union movements were growing, with positive programs for change. But we needed some tangible results from the government for these to have a real social impact. This did not materialise. The internal political dynamics of this fractious and heterogeneous government rendered it incapable of making the most of the potential of the movements to achieve change. In particular, the divisions which constantly freeze up the left (a characteristic of the left even prior to the Prodi government) meant that no political support was offered to social struggles, including those around improving employment conditions or opposing the war.
Even the most influential confederation of trade
unions, the CGIL - which had fought and won a significant battle to preserve
L’articolo 18 (which protects workers against unfair dismissal) and which
participated massively to the anti-war movements – was quick to back down on
its commitment to social movements. Recently, it has even stopped mentioning
movements in its internal debates. At its Congress earlier this year, to which
Prodi was invited, the CGIL clearly gave up on maintaining its autonomy. Other
movement actors followed the CGIL’s attitude: both those supporting (and at
least not opposing) the government and those openly against them. The autonomy
of the movements has been undermined by a mistaken instinct to judge everything
according to the actions of the government. This reactive approach – whether
pro- or anti-government -- and the failure to develop an autonomous perspective
on the actual issues facing society has been a very damaging, stopping everyone
from analysing the real situation.
Were the movements prepared for the experience
of the radical left in government? Looking back with the wisdom of hindsight,
how should you/the movements have prepared better?
The first lesson to be learnt is that the autonomy
of the movements is an essential principle necessary for their continued
existence (the same is true for trade unions who wish to keep their connections
with the movements). In no circumstances should this be compromised. A lesson
here is that the movements should have put more thought into distinguishing
themselves from the political left (even if radical) during the Berlusconi
government. This would have put them in a stronger position vis a vis the Prodi
government. The latter government would even have benefited from more powerful
movements. Had the movements been stronger, the parties which dominated this
coalition in parliament would not prevail.
For example, the main priority of the Prodi government
was to eradicate
What now? What lessons from the last two years
need to be borne in mind in from a movement point of view, for the future of
the Sinistra Archebolena? At present it is dominated by political parties. What
needs to be done/what conditions need to exist for it be more rooted in
movements and social conflicts?
Some of the movements (which had already been
weakened by years of conflict and bickering without reaching any tangible
solutions) invested all of their hopes and expectations in the Prodi
government. This in turn disappointed them. The government’s initial survival
was more a consequence of “social peace” than (as it should have been) the
result of social conflict combined with the government’s potential capacity to
deliver solutions. In fact, the Government only delivered its promise to
withdraw Italian troops from
What is
more, the military budget was increased and Prodi persisted in the expansion of
the American military base in
The CGIL, the other two trade union federations, CISL and UILl, supported government policies on welfare without any prior consultation, that penalized the most active and socially rooted section of workers and unions. My union FIOM, the metalworkers union, voted against these policies. Meanwhile the attack on the national contract on employment continues. This contract has been a fundamental means of defending workers’ interests. The employers want to bring all negotiations back to the company level, exchanging a rise in salaries with more flexibility, hence worsening employment conditions by increasing productivity at the expense of the workers’ freedom and health. The trade union federations do not seem to be resisting this call of the employers.
For these reasons, the centre-left government that has just fallen has not been a good experience for the movements. Today, we find ourselves weakened and without a strategy. We should, however, be capable of facing up to our responsibilities. We should be able to work – and already we are starting to – reconstruct alliances and develop shared perspectives. The work of the unions – and increasing the social movements – has become, more than ever, a labour of Sisyphus - as Rosa Luxembourg once pointed out . But perhaps we can learn from this and recognise that we must restart by treasuring past experiences and take action to construct and re-construct.
The Italian paradox is that vibrant movements do exist but they are incapable of developing their own solutions, or where they do, they have unable to gain the political support to build on such solutions. It need not always be like this. It only the movements and the left parties could learn to recognise each other’s significance yet keep a mutual distance and act upon their respective ideas, we would already be taking a step forward in the right direction. However in the dynamics of politics and parties, a mimicry seems to prevail, whereby ``differences’’ never truly emerge and parties seem reluctant to distinguish themselves from one another (evidence of the political caste!).
Unless movements learn culturally to let go of government and institutional reference points, they will fail. They risk loosing their connections with society. Without these social roots they will be unable to act as necessary connecting points between society and institutions. Those trade unions who wish to maintain a relationship with the movements, because of a shared outlook, need to safeguard a strong and democratic relationship with the workers that they represent – ensuring that it is the workers who have the final say in the decision-making process. At the same time, we as trade unions must try to build widespread relationships and initiatives with all those who are trying to oppose war, racism and liberalism, in order to come up with alternatives and taking the best from each movement.
Even at the best of times this is very demanding
cultural and practical endeavour. This is why it would have been very useful to
have created a solid forum at the national level both before and after the
Prodi government. It would have meant a real positive change in the Italian
political, social, and cultural landscape. Novelties in this scene are emerging
from La Sinistra Arcobaleno/ Cosa Rossa, from whom everyone expects, at least,
clear objectives. An alternative determined against war, militarism,
[These articles first appeared at the Transnational Institute website (http://www.tni.org/detail_page.phtml?&act_id=18210&menu=11f). Posted with permission.]


Comments
I suppose, it is incorrect
I suppose, it is incorrect to name Bolognians as communist, who once declared that they were not communist anymore. In your article on Italian communist: "Sinistra – L’arcobaleno, the coalition comprising the Partito della Rifondazione Communista (PRC), the Italian Communists and the Greens”, you thus need to make the correction accordingly.
May be you should include the prefix "ex-" for the democrats who are included in the rainbow left, but this would not be any good, if you think the inherent ambiguity in Italian radical left.
Regards.
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