Politicians From Italy

"It is clear that if the political climate leads, shall we say, to a thaw in relations between the opposition and the new majority, Schifani has had friendships with mafia figures... I do not write that Schifani has had friendships with mafia figures because neither the right nor the left wants it, and what do I have to do with the right or the left? Let them take whatever political stance they wish, but I have to be a journalist. I have to report it; Lirio Abbate reported it in the book he wrote with Gomez, and he is rightly celebrated as a heroic journalist threatened by the Mafia. So, either they have the courage to say that Lirio Abbate is a scoundrel, a liar, or they have the courage to take note of what he writes about the second-highest office in the state, and simply ask the second-highest office in the state to explain those relationships with those gentlemen who were subsequently convicted of mafia involvement; instead, we, unfortunately, are simply following the political climate. If there were a clash, some would say: ‘Oh well, it suits the left, so I’ll write it.’ Today, when not even the left wants to hear about certain things, nobody talks about them anymore: it’s a tragedy."

"On the one hand, the weakening of the family and the push for same-sex marriage and gender theory in schools; on the other, the mass immigration we are enduring and the simultaneous emigration of our young people abroad. These are all interconnected and interdependent issues, because these factors aim to eradicate our community and our traditions. The risk is the eradication of our people."

"We are in the final stages of a tax reform. The public is well aware that once it is enacted, there will be no room for clemency."

"The Supreme Court’s ruling finally does justice to Mr Previti. It is just a pity that it has taken more than ten years. We are delighted for our friend Cesare Previti and hope that this case will help shed light on the conduct of those who, for purely political reasons, have over the years denied the plain facts and the law."

"Craxi was a man who knew how to make decisions and with his government – remarkable in itself for its longevity, from 1983 to 1987 – he restored the central role and authority of Palazzo Chigi."

"Interviewer: Salvini warns you: either you agree with his proposals or you’re in for a rough ride. Matteoli: The problem isn’t his proposals, partly because some of them are reasonable. What’s unacceptable is the way he issues his diktat: we’ve never done that. Even when FI was at its strongest, we were always conciliatory. Berlusconi always reasoned, he tried to reach agreements."

"[Anche se, stando all'articolo 70 della riforma, manterrà comunque una funzione legislativa paritaria in alcune materie di peculiare importanza (riforme e leggi costituzionali)] Oltre al superamento del bicameralismo paritario ed alla riduzione del numero dei parlamentari, gli altri tasselli basilari della Riforma concernono la revisione del Titolo V della parte seconda della Costituzione. Altresì importanti appaiono le modifiche al meccanismo d'elezione del Capo dello Stato. E quelle dei giudici della Corte Costituzionale. Poi si abbasserà il quorum per la validità dei Referendum abrogativi. Ma, purtroppo, le firme necessarie per proporre un disegno di legge ad iniziativa popolare saliranno dalle attuali 50mila, alle future 150mila. Anche se poi il Parlamento avrà l'obbligo di discutere e deliberare entro termini ben precisi"

"Do we have millions of visitors? That was what I wanted; even the parks must generate revenue. I would never allow holiday homes to be built, but I insist that they turn a profit. I don’t like nature turned into a museum; the park is made for people. And if certain environmentalists aren’t happy, I’ll sleep just the same."

"Interviewer: The reform envisages moving beyond the perfect bicameral system that has been discussed for 30 years: right or wrong, and if so, for or against? Matteoli: The new Senate may, if it wishes, debate all proposals submitted for consideration by the Chamber of Deputies, with the potential to create, if not a complete blockage of legislative activity, delays worse than those of the current perfect bicameral system. I would also point out that the Senate will have to continue, as it does now, to approve laws in various sectors and constitutional laws. So talking about moving beyond perfect bicameralism is pure propaganda. [...] the risk that such demands in this forum will clash with the interests of other regions is equally clear. Reaching a consensus would become impossible."

"It is incomprehensible, unacceptable and, if I may say so, even indecent that, in the face of rising social poverty in the country, there should be a sort of indifference to the accumulation of wealth that the major energy companies have amassed in our country through windfall profits."

"Sarò forse anche infantile, un po' fanciullesco, ma l’idea di vedere sfilare questo potente mezzo [il furgone cellulare in dotazione alla polizia penitenziaria] che dà il prestigio, con il Gruppo Operativo Mobile sopra, far sapere ai cittadini chi sta dietro a quel vetro oscurato, come noi sappiamo trattare chi sta dietro a quel vetro oscurato, come noi incalziamo chi sta dietro quel vetro oscurato, come noi non lasciamo respirare chi sta dietro quel vetro oscurato, credo sia una gioia... è sicuramente per il sottoscritto una intima gioia."

"Mr President, I would like to thank you for acknowledging that climate change is happening. I am very pleased to hear this, because there are some members of this majority who have in the past claimed that climate change does not exist. Recognising this means taking concrete action, in our own small way and within our country, to save many lives in the future."

"Interviewer: II Mattinale, the house organ of Brunetta, claims that Salvini wants to lead the centre-right into a mad dash with the fascists. Matteoli: It is foolish to still think of dividing politics between fascists and communists. I never felt like a fascist, not even when I was in the MSI. It is absurd to talk of fascism today, just as it is to say that Renzi wants to establish a dictatorship."

"The passage of time allows us to view the past with greater clarity and objectivity. It is up to each of us to reflect on Craxi and that dramatic period. He was shown no leniency; he paid more than anyone else for the failings of the entire political system of the time. He was a scapegoat."

"Interviewer: With the new Senate, seats and political costs are being cut: right or wrong, and if so, for or against? Matteoli: The savings would be truly insignificant, given that the apparatus would remain intact. This aspect of costs belongs more to Renzi’s propaganda than to reality."

"Interviewer: You'll have to get used to the idea if the Carroccio gets more votes than Forza Italia. Matteoli: In 2001, Casini and Fini challenged Berlusconi with these words: "The leader will be whoever gets the most votes". The voters rewarded our leader."

"Li abbiamo fregati con l'emendamento Carrara. Siamo cresciuti e siamo diventati più furbi di loro."

"[Maria Falcone e Rita Borsellino] hanno offeso la memoria dei loro eroici fratelli. Le due signore, entrambi militanti a sinistra con una disinvoltura che preferisco non commentare, hanno strumentalizzato due eroi civili che, per fortuna di tutti, sono patrimonio della collettività."

"Sarò il garante di tutti, il massimo garante delle regole."

"[The judiciary] appeals to me most when it engages in a direct and uncompromising fight against the Mafia to dismantle its territorial structure by uprooting its deep-seated, toxic roots. I like it less, however, when certain individual magistrates, following convoluted and nebulous lines of inquiry and relying on statements from state witnesses who speak from hearsay, tend to put forward political theories by conjuring up ghosts from a distant past that allegedly saw conspiracies against the proper functioning of institutions."

"I have always been opposed to abortion; for me, it is legalised murder. It is a position I have always held. But I have never spoken of reforming Law 194, partly because there is no reference to its reform in the government’s programme."

"Interviewer: Is Forza Italia no longer able to connect with its supporters? Matteoli: People didn’t make a different choice; they simply didn’t turn out to vote. Yes, we haven’t been able to connect with our supporters as we once did. Because there are MPs who just sit in Parliament, who have lost touch with the people, lulled into complacency by our leader’s ability to appear on TV: we must get back to doing politics, to engaging with the grassroots. FI must return to being the party of moderates that allies itself with the right and wins elections, which is what President Berlusconi has always wanted."

"There is nothing worse than trivialisation and generalisation, which, unfortunately, Roberto Vecchioni has fallen into. From such a highly regarded singer-songwriter, we would have expected more profound and less stereotypical assessments, not least given the venue where he delivered his speech."

"Ho messo a fuoco i miei ricordi su Schifani e ne ho parlato ai magistrati perché già prima dell'attentato all'Olimpico sapevo che c'era una trattativa Stato-mafia. Quando ho visto Schifani in televisione e con incarichi politici, mi è venuto in mente che frequentava spesso il capannone di Brancaccio a Palermo dove Filippo Graviano si fermava a fare incontri. Ed ho ipotizzato che Schifani poteva essere l'anello di congiunzione per la trattativa."

"The investigations into Freemasonry and the links between lodges and the Mafia must lead to the political accountability of Ms Anselmi and her commission on P2. What has come to light was already known at the time, but Ms Anselmi, acting on behalf of the party system, refused to shed light on Freemasonry."

"Interviewer: Help us then to recall this assessment of P2, as it emerged from the work of the Anselmi Commission. Matteoli: Essentially, what can be said of that work is that of the names that emerged during the investigation – around a thousand – the vast majority were found to have no involvement whatsoever in subversive activities or corruption for political ends. About fifty remained, those we might call "freelancers", including several members of the Italian army, but the presence of the P2 Masonic lodge itself was very much in the minority. [...] To think today that the Italian state was afraid of someone like him (Licio Gelli) is almost laughable. As I said, he was a strange character, a curious figure who, whilst acting as a partisan, was against the partisans."

"Berlusconi’s leadership is not determined by the party constitution but by the voters, and anyone who doesn’t accept it is anti-democratic. No one has won the votes that Berlusconi has secured: An was a party with 14% support. The PDL is approaching 40%."

"(About the 150 km/h speed limit on motorways) It is not a government proposal. We supported it because, under certain safety conditions, it seems reasonable to us. But no one will put up a fight."

"Salvini’s approach [to politics] is winning. Today, the revolution of common sense has begun."

"Interviewer: Who were the most brilliant and influential figures in the history of the MSI? Matteoli: De Marsanich, Anfuso for foreign policy, Romualdi who was the first to speak of taking sides, Almirante for his courage and his charisma."

"You will get nowhere by setting up small firing squads that, in the name of the single party, beat up Berlusconi."

"We do not believe that turning a self-deprecating joke into a gruesome and vulgar challenge to the public is the height of proper reporting. Unfortunately, that is what Enzo Biagi is doing today in the Corriere della Sera. All this is topped off with a grossly sexist remark directed at the provincial coordinator of Forza Italia in Bolzano. If there were a festival of bad taste and misinformation today, this time Biagi would have won first prize."

"The hand of the man who attacked Berlusconi was fuelled by a ruthless hate campaign, [waged] by the Repubblica-L’Espresso publishing group, by that morning paper of the public prosecutors known as “'Il Fatto”', by a programme hosted by Santoro and by a media terrorist named Travaglio, as well as by certain public prosecutors, who are handling some of the most sensitive trials concerning the relationship between the Mafia and politics and who appear on television to demonise Berlusconi. And by a party such as Idv, with its leader Di Pietro, who in recent days has been inciting violence."

"Ho capito, ad esempio, che Bettino Craxi e Claudio Martelli c'erano dentro fino al collo con Gelli e Ortolani. Ad esempio, la storia dei 30 milioni di dollari, del conto Protezione, mica è uno scherzo. C'è da credere davvero che in quegli anni, con tutti quei soldi, si siano comprati il PSI."

"As long as the presiding judge is a colleague of the prosecutor—whom she might even marry—then I wonder if they hold their chambers in bed."

"Se io, Signorile e De Michelis fossimo rimasti insieme, saremmo riusciti a contrastare Craxi. Insieme funzionavamo, purtroppo andò in maniera diversa e per me alla rottura contribuì anche un problema finanziario."

"The monsters are the secret services, an increasingly substantial and dynamic structure that intervenes continuously, massively and oppressively in political and social reality [...] In 1968–69, the protest movement shook the established order, which, in turn, sought to recover in various ways, one of which was the systematic, provocative and violent terrorist activity of specific sectors of the separate bodies of the State [...] The monsters fabricate opposing extremisms: the regime’s darling, Rai TV, is responsible for amplifying the distortion, presenting it as objective; Sid and Rai TV, two very different entities and yet so close when it comes to supporting, in critical decisions, the DC regime. [...] True to form, the Red Brigades reappear on the eve of every election. (1975, introduction to Marco Sassano’s book “Sid and the American Party. The role of the CIA, the secret services and the separate corps in the strategy of subversion", published by Marsilio. Quoted from “”Micromega“”, 16 December 2009)"

"Daniele Capezzone. He’s a cleric, a young man of rare intelligence who strikes me the same way as those learned priests who become cardinals."

"Scalfaro remains right-wing and fundamentalist even though he joins the protests. Just like what happened to Montanelli or Federico Orlando. They’re characterized by moralistic rigor. Bigotry. The secular kind is worse than the religious kind."

"Berlusconi should choose people capable of saying no to him. And besides, he works too much. He invites me to long dinners at his house where we talk only about politics. But he should go to a trattoria, to chat, to watch people."

"Dini is a high-ranking official at the Bank of Italy with the strengths and limitations of someone who lends money to those who already have it."

"Pomicino is one of those local figures who thrive in their own little world but don’t know where to go outside of it."

"Bondi is an offshoot of Berlusconi. In fact, Bondi is Berlusconi. Bondi is the boss at the disposal of the periphery. He listens to everyone."

"Berlusconi has a very strong ego. But the party has faded without him."

"Craxi preferred to say no rather than yes. You leave Berlusconi’s office with a smile; even if his generosity sometimes leads him to say a few too many yeses."

"(About the debate between a hard line and negotiation during the Moro case) There is no need to divide ourselves into hawks and doves; there is no need to misrepresent the spirit of renunciation and submission as warm humanitarianism, or, as cold statism, the basic requirement of not compromising on inalienable rights and duties, such as the duty to deliver justice and ensure the equality of citizens before the law."

"In any case, I did not propose the decree [the so-called Biondi Decree]; it was Berlusconi."

"The liberals are in the government, but Forza Italia is controlled by the Christian Democrats, the Socialists, the Communists, and former Fininvest employees."

"This ruling [on the unconstitutionality of the Pecorella Law] could reopen trials already before the Court of Cassation, and the decisive factor will once again be not the oral and public trial in the first instance, but the appeal based on written documents."

"It’s true, laws were enacted to serve specific trials. We passed the Schifani ruling—later declared unconstitutional, and in fact it was unconstitutional in some respects—to allow Berlusconi to govern (October 9, 2004)"