Saviano's words scare politicians

A row has broken out between Italy's interior minister, Roberto Maroni, and the writer Roberto Saviano. In a monologue aired on his political talk show Vieni via con me (Come with me) Saviano spoke of close ties between the Ndrangheta, the mafia in the southern Italian region of Calabria, and Maroni's right-wing populist Northern League party. The left-liberal daily La Repubblica comments: "Saviano's words carry political weight precisely because he is not a politician and has no desire to be one. ... His words are disarming and free of ulterior motives because they are spoken for their own sake. This is why millions of viewers perceive them as authentic. This instils fear in the powers that be. Because they suffer from a speech impediment, because their own words no longer work or sound false. They are frightened by the idea that peak broadcasting times alone can't explain the nine million viewers - that there is a need for a new language with new values. A need to change not just the channel, but the country." 

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