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Diamanti, Ilvo
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2 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
The besieged strongholds of the Italian Left
Like many of its voters, the opposition Democratic Party (PD) in Italy feels like it's "in exile in its own land", writes Ilvo Diamanti in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica, commenting on the heavy losses suffered by the party in the regional and local elections held concurrently with the European elections. The party is besieged from two sides, Diamanti writes: by the right-wing populist Lega Nord on the one hand, and the liberal IdV [Italy of Values] on the other: "The Lega is a territorial party [pursuing the federalist objective of giving more power to the regions], the IdV a party with no territory. ... Until yesterday [the Left] could pretty much mark out the red boundaries. Today these zones are pink. ... The Lega Nord has penetrated the territory of the Left with the language of fear and localism. ... [The PD] has lost its orientation. The IdV is snapping at its heels and its strongholds are being laid siege to ... by the Lega."
» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Elections, » Italy
Ilvo Diamanti on the limits of sympathy
In the daily La Repubblica Ilvo Diamanti complains that the people living in the area hit by the Abruzzo earthquake are receiving much sympathy while the fate of the Lampedusa boat refugees is regarded with indifference: "The little stretch of sea that separates Africa from Sicily has become a cemetery where unknown numbers of boats and people are buried. … The wave of refugees from Africa and Asia … is causing panic not only here in Italy, but in all the rich countries. The old Europe wants to become a fortress and turn the Mediterannean into an insuperable moat without crocodiles but teeming with sharks. … This emigration is an infinite tragedy which nonetheless fails to move us. … We only feel sympathy and solidarity when the tragedy plays out before our eyes and when the media covers it minute by minute, from one scene to the next, almost as if with a sense of satisfaction. When the politicians accompany it step by step and when it's about 'our' people. The 'others', by contrast, have no face. … The landing is described as a misfortune - for us. And no one would dream of holding a G8 summit at Lampedusa. … The politicians … promise to seal off our seas and borders. … They are trying to fool us into believing that our imaginary borders, our emotional walls can halt the wave of foreigners. Under the condition that we look away, that we become blind and cynical and close our hearts and our eyes."
» full article (external link, Italian)
More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Italy, » Europe
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