René's old blog

Tag: Politics

  • Brexit from a distance

    Brexit from a distance

    I find it hard not to follow the Brexit news from the UK, even if I’m not directly involved.

    Much of the Brexit debate has been about freedom of movement.

    When I can live in Venice now, being a Danish citizen, it is because of the EU rules on freedom of movement.

    Freedom of movement

    Both Denmark and Italy are members of the European Union, and hence I can live and work in Italy as if it was in Denmark.

    Or almost.

    I couldn’t just move here and that’s it.  I had to ask, and I had to fulfil some requirements, but once I fulfilled those requirement living here is my right, not a concession from the Italian state.

    First of all I had to prove that I had the means to support myself.  No job, no freedom of movement. I did that by opening my own company, Venice Kayak.  The alternatives would be to get a job on a regular contract, or prove every sic months that I had enough money in the bank to support myself.

    Second, I had to sign up to and pay into INPS, the Italian national healthcare, pensions and social services provider.  I could have made private health insurance, but it would have cost more and I would have had less coverage.

    You cannot just move in without working and without contributing.

    Having fulfilled all the requirements, I was issued an Italian carta d’identità which all residents in Italy must have.  The only difference between my carta d’identità  and that of Italian citizens is that mine is not valid for travelling abroad. For that I have to use my Danish passport.

    I am still a Danish citizen, not Italian.  I’m an immigrant.

    The whole process took a couple of weeks.

    Now, almost nine years later, I’m still here, I’m still working, paying my taxes and my contributions to INPS.  My company has a times given work to 4-5-6 other persons, all Italians.

    All in all, I believe I have been a fair deal for Italy. I have definitely been a net contributor to Italian society.

    Why bother about Brexit

    Brexit makes no direct difference for me.

    Whether the UK leaves or remains will not change my right to live here in Italy as long as I work and contribute (and don’t break the law).

    However, both Italy and Denmark have their fair share of euro-sceptics.

    EurobarometerEU-Freedom-of-movement-2017
    EurobarometerEU-Freedom-of-movement-2017

    Nobody really saw Brexit coming, even just a year before the referendum, and it’s hard to believe that if it can happen there it can’t happen here.

    I seriously hope it won’t.

    If it should happen, my life here will be as difficult as it is now for the over three million EU citizens living in the UK and for the over one million Brits living in the EU.

  • No Grandi Navi

    No Grandi Navi

    On May 9th there was a fairly large demonstration in Venice against the passage of the cruise ships in the lagoon. We went and took some photos.
  • Kayak ban in Venice – new rules in force from tomorrow

    Kayak ban in Venice – new rules in force from tomorrow

    The recent kayaking ban on the Grand Canal and other canals has been partially overturned. The new rules are explained here. They will be in effect from tomorrow morning, April 23rd. The formal publication of the new rules are on the city’s web site: Disciplina generale della navigazione nei rii e canali a traffico esclusivamente urbano della Z.T.L. lagunare, Testo Unico delle disposizioni in materia di traffico acqueo, sostituisce con modifiche la regolamentazione precedente costituita dalle ordinanze n° 310/2006, 402/2013, 91-92-93-94-95-96/2015 e altre disposizioni specifiche.
  • Kayaking ban in Venice – new rules

    Kayaking ban in Venice – new rules

    The rules for paddling in Venice city will be moderated from April 20th. The new rules were decided by the city executive on April 3rd, published officially on April 9th and they’ll be executive ten days after publication. The kayak/canoe/dragon/sup ban in the Grand Canal and other canals will be reduced to the hours 8am-3pm on weekdays and 8am-1pm on Saturdays. On Sundays and holidays there are no limits. Venezia interdizioni kayak - percorsi blu There’s a series of minor canals designated as “blue” canals, reserved for non motorised boats, running north to south through the city centre, and it will be allowed to cross the Grand Canal in proximity with these “blue” canals, giving precedence to all other traffic, even in the hours where normal navigation on the Grand Canal is banned. In this way it is possible to move about the city also before 3pm on weekdays.
    All the rest of the city is available for paddlers at all times. The new rules seem to indicate that it will be obligatory to carry at all times (also by day) a white light, visible at 360°, to be lit between sunset and sunrise. The ban has not been lifted completely, but changed from a blanket ban on certain canals to a system of time limits, which is not really different from what gondolas, taxis and goods haulers also have to abide by, so I don’t think we can really complain. We’re not treated worse than other categories of traffic in the city.
    (more…)
  • Kayaking ban in Venice – the city’s proposal

    Kayaking ban in Venice – the city’s proposal

    The City of Venice has issues a wide ban on kayaks, canoes, SUPs, dragon boats and more. Yesterday I had a meeting with a representative of the municipal government, sufficiently high up in the hierarchy to be able to influence municipal policies. While the meeting itself was rather inconclusive, there was a recognition that there is a real problem to solve, and another meeting will be called later, with both politicians and technicians present, in an attempt to find a solution. The proposal from the municipal administration is to ease the ban a bit, allowing free passage for everybody after 5pm on Monday to Friday, after 1pm on Saturdays and all day on Sunday. We have no idea whether they’ll stick with this or if we can still make suggestions. We will no doubt make our suggestions. For Venice Kayak the proposed modifications will be worth very little. We will have to move our longer tours to later hours, and the viable season for longer tours will be cut from 7-8 months a year to 3-4 months, if we are to avoid returning after dark.
  • Kayaking ban in Venice – dialogue with the city administration

    Kayaking ban in Venice – dialogue with the city administration

    Venice has issued a ban on kayaks, canoes, dragon boats and more, which is effective from Sunday, March 1st. Currently it is illegal to go by kayak, canoe or dragon boat on the Grand Canal and several other canals in the city. As a consequence, the city’s canal network has been cut to pieces, from a kayaker’s point of view, where it is not longer possible to go from one part to another. Today I have had a meeting with the city official who have signed the new regulations, and it was not as bad as I had anticipated. As things stand now, the ban is there and it is an offence to even paddle across the no-go canals. However, the city administrators have finally understood that they have made a mistake by issuing a blanket ban like they have. Being unable to turn back, there will be a modification to the new rules, which will give kayaks, canoes and dragon boats more room so it will be possible to move around the city in a reasonably rational way. In short, there will be some points on the no-go canals where passage will be allowed, most notably on the Grand Canal. There will be some limits on when you can pass, it’ll be mostly in the afternoon, and maybe even on who can pass, for example a requirement that there is a qualified coach in a group of kayaks. It is my hope that they will also allow passage, at least in the afternoon, on parts of the lower Canal Grande, so we can still visit the ancient gondola shipyards in the Dorsoduro area, which will otherwise be unreachable. While this will not be a perfect solution, it will be a marked improvement on the no-exceptions-allowed ban they have made for now.

    Bureaucracy

    The current rules banning kayaks etc from the Grand Canal and more, are not made by the city administration alone, and the city administration cannot therefore change them alone. The changes from February 11th were published after a meeting of what they call a conferenza dei servizi, where all the different public bodies meet to coordinate. A change to the new rules will have to pass the same way. This means that there will be a meeting on March 12th, where a commission will meet to prepare everything for the next meeting of the conferenza dei servizi, where a change can be formally decided. Once we get there, we’ll know what they’ll come up with. I do not know the date of the next meeting of the conferenza dei servizi, but I’ve been told that they’re normally held once a month.

    Legal Challenge

    The legal challenge to the kayaking ban in Venice will not stop before the city administration publishes what exactly they intend to do, and they cannot do that before the meeting of the conferenza dei servizi has met, and at than point they have also decided. There will be no public hearing, beside the kind of privately requested meetings with city officials, like the one I had today. The Arcobaleno association has no intend of backing down before they know what the new rules will be, so the process will go forward. The collection of funds in support of the legal challenge continues.

    The meeting

    My appointment today was on behalf of my company Venice Kayak, so I did not represent anybody else there. Besides explanations about what we’re doing — kayaking excursions in Venice lead by qualified guides, and not any kind of rental to whoever shows up — the discussion was mostly about what kind of modifications we would need to be able to continue our work. This maps shows the ‘dispensations’ we’ll need to be able to carry on in the way we have done now in seven years, without accidents or conflicts. Venice kayaking ban - suggested changes Summarised we need
    • a few passages on inner city canals to connect the otherwise detached segments of the city’s canal network,
    • some predetermined points where we can cross the Grand Canal, on each of the three parts of the canal, and
    • the possibility of transiting on a part of the lower Grand Canal to reach otherwise unreachable areas.
    For now we’re crossing our fingers, hoping for the best. If the city administration cannot come up with a working solution for us and the other paddlers in Venice, we will have no choice but the throw all our effort at the legal challenge the Arcobaleno association is preparing.
  • Video of Berlusconi’s ‘compliment’ to Obama

    Video of Berlusconi’s ‘compliment’ to Obama

    The Guardian has a video of Berlusconi followed by a few interviews with ‘common’ Italians. Video: Italians rage at Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘racist’ Barack Obama comment The Repubblica has another one with clips from many countries.

    L’abbronzato fa il giro del mondo.

    The Corriere reports that Obama has called the leaders of all the G7 nations, except Berlusconi. Obama chiama per ringraziare tutti ileader del G7 tranne Berlusconi.
  • Berlusconi compliments Obama on his “tan”

    Berlusconi compliments Obama on his “tan”

    The election of Obama in the USA hasn’t gone down so well within the Italian government. Prime minister Berlusconi literally adored Bush, and apparently aren’t able to hide his disappointment with the election of Obama. While on an official visit in Moscow, Berlusconi answered a question about the election of Obama with a “Barack Obama? Young, handsome and well tanned”. He then offered Obama “advise” based on his “ancianity”. When confronted Berlusconi said that it was “a compliment and absolutely a sweet thing towards him”. He also complained that people have no sense of humour: “If they have no sense of humour it means the idiots have invaded the pitch and they should just go home …”. One of the fascist members of Berlusconi’s government, Maurizio Gasparri, said after the elections that now “Al Quada would be content”. Berlusconi, prima gaffe su Obama “E’ giovane, bello e abbronzato” – esteri – Repubblica.it. Update: The Guardian also runs the story: Obama is young, handsome and tanned, says Silvio Berlusconi. On BBC: Berlusconi defends Obama’s ‘tan’.
  • Berlusconi covers up Truth – literally

    Berlusconi covers up Truth – literally

    When Berlusconi became prime minister recently, he chose a new backdrop for press conferences. His choice fell on a 18th century painting by the Venetian artist Gianbattista Tiepolo called “Truth unveiled by Time”. It is an allegory showing Time, in the form of an old bearded man, undressing Truth, a beautiful young lady, while Lie is forced away by the vision of Truth unveiled. I wouldn’t be surprised if he chose that painting to say that the truth about his innocence in the myriad of criminal proceedings he has been involved in, will inevitably be revealed in time. Unfortunately, the bare breast of Truth had a tendency to pop up just beside Berlusconi’s head in press photos, so even though Berlusconi has made a fortune on television with hordes of scantily clad teenage girls in almost all programmes, this wasn’t quite the image he wanted. After all, he’s an honest man (by his own word), with two marriages and just a handful of affairs on record, and he has never spend a single day in prison. As a consequence, somebody in Berlusconi’s PR corpse decided to have the painting modified, to cover the breast. The result can be seen on the photo below (shamelessly borrowed from the Italian newspaper La Repubblica). The original painting, kept safe from Berlusconi’s groping hands in a museum, is here, with the relevant part enlarged (again borrowed from La Repubblica): The modification of a treasured Italian work of art, even if only on a copy, has caused an uproar in Italy, but then, it is only a very minor gaffe by Berlusconi standard. Now, if he would only claim that Truth is really the communist daughter of a nazi concentration camp guard, that would be more his style. The story is all around, in La Repubblica, on the BBC and many others.

  • Elections in Italy

    Today is election day here in Italy. So is tomorrow, as two days are needed here to vote. Voting started this morning and will continue until ten in the evening, to be resumed Monday morning at eight until three in the afternoon. A final result or a credible projection should be available Monday evening. The one issue to overshadow all the others should have been the economy. The Italian economy is one of the weakest in Europe. They have the lowest productivity in the OECD and the national debt is more than 100% of the GNP. The dept costs €1200/year for each an every Italian, big or small, just in interest, according to the BBC. The Italian press doesn’t seem to bother the readers with such mundane information, and television wouldn’t touch anything as unpopular and indigestable as the national economy with a poker. The Italians, at least the onces I’ve met during the last month in Sicily, Sardinia and Veneto, know very well the economy is going down the drain, but they have no more of a solution than the politicians they can chose between. There’s an air of resignation about. People have absolutely no illusions, neither about the state of affairs, nor about the ruling class’ complete inability to confront, and even less solve those problems. Everything gets very depressing when diner discussions touch the subject of the economy and the future. The basic choice of the Italian voter is between the right-wing Popolo della Libertà (People of Freedom) and the left-wing Partito Democratico (Democratic Party). There’s a million smaller parties too, left, right and centre, and they all stand a chance of representation as there is no minimum threshold of votes to gain seats in either house. This will probably leave the winner of the elections with a very small and very fragile majority in at least one of the houses, just like the outgoing government, who fell when one of the smaller parties of the coalition broke ranks in a confidence vote. The right-wing is lead by media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi rather shady character I wouldn’t want to run anything in my country, not even the local laundrette. Here in Italy he runs almost everything. Of six national television stations the own three and leans heavily ot the three state owned stations. He owns a lot of newspapers and magazines too, some of the largest publishing houses, a super market chain and loads of other types of businesses too. Much if not most of the information the average Italian gets through the mass media, is controlled directly or indirectly by Berlusconi. Berlusconi’s past is riddled with controversy, from the origin of the money that allowed him to start his entrepreneurial career to his membership if the subversive freemason lodge P2 in the 1970s to his close relationship with the leaders of the corrupt Partito Socialista in the 1980s. Add to that public dealings with known Sicilian mafiosi and the innumerable times he has been indicted for all sorts of criminal behaviour, from corruption, tax evasion, money laundering, falsification of accounts and so on. His closest associates aren’t any better, and most of them come from his business empire anyway. Several has been indicted of serious economic crimes, some of mafia association. A few has been sentenced, and even fewer have had to spend a short time behind bars. One, Marcello Dell’Utri from Palermo, has been sentenced for assisting the mafia, but that hasn’t hurt him the slightest. He’s still a part of Berlusconi’s inner circle and active in politics, now a candidate for the senate. As if this wasn’t enough to finish off any political ambition of Berlusconi’s, add in the numerous blunders he has made on the international scene, like comparing the German leader of the socialist group in the European Parliament to a KZ camp guard or publicly declaring Putin a “democrat” just as the rest of the EU was discussing how best to criticise Putin’s democratic record. Last time Italy held the EU presidency, it was aptly compared to a full bus hurling down a mountain road, with the driver (Berlusconi) spending most of the time telling jokes the vast majority of the passengers found offensive, while trying to steer with his feet. Needless to say, Brussels fear a return to power of Berlusconi. Yet, Berlusconi is popular with large part of the Italian electorate. Many think that if he can manage his personal empire successfully, he can also manage Italy. The greatest successes of Berlusconi’s two previous periods as prime minister has been to enact laws to protect himself from prosecution, and to return the Italian fascists to government while shouting “communist” at anyone who dared disagree with his actions or style. The left wing is lead by the social democrat Walter Veltroni. He is about as grey and dull as Berlusconi is controversial. He is not doubt the better choice for Italy, but it is unlikely he will be able to do much, even if he should win the elections. The cure needed to overcome Italy’s maladies will be rough and and require many sacrifices, and most Italians aren’t prepared for that. Many will vote for the one who’s better at promising them that tomorrow the whole misery affair of misrule, overspending, debt and corruption will somehow magically be over and all will be well again, and that person will be Berlusconi. He’s been a salesman all his life, and he can sell that lie too. In the end it all comes down to that. Italy has been living over its means for sixty years, and the deficit, inflation and public debt has accumulated all that time. The sacrifices needed to rectify the situation will be so tough nobody will vote for a politician who proposes the cuts in public spending necessary to remove the debt. Many Italians prefer not to think about it, hoping the problem goes away by ifself if ignored for long enough. I think the word is “denial”, and Berlusconi is the perfect representative of that, which is why he will probably win the elections again, thus digging Italy an even deeper hole.