Its been 2 months since the election and thus far we wait for Meloni’s new government to actually do something. To be fair, she has announced one new law, a ban on rave parties, in response to an illegal rave a month ago. In practise the law makes it illegal for more than 50 people to gather in someone elses property, thereby making sit ins, occupations and all manner of protest illegal in a single stroke of the pen. No matter, Giorgia says, the law will only be applied to raves.
So we are stil waiting for the first cabinet meeting which will give us an inkling of whats in store. An autumn statement, a budget, or lots of empty promises. What we think we know is that Salvini has promised the bridge to Sicily again – already cost 900 million and never started, apparently salvini thinks they can just start mixing the concrete and all will be well. The other great aim of the Lega is to introduce a 20.000 euro tax break for couples planning to get married in church. This was hastily backtracked to couples getting married in general, but you can bet your bottom dollar it wont include same sex couples, or anyone mildly out of the Lega’s comfort zone.
There’s going to be help with energy bills, but nobody yet knows what – so its just as well its been a very mild autumn thus far. And then there’s the hobby horse of illegal immigration, which Giorgia has banging on about in an attempt to distract attention from the complete lack of movement on anything else. And of course the reddito di cittadinanza – the only thing that comes anywhere near to a state support system for the least able in society and a safety net for those in real poverty – of which there are 2 million families and going on 6 million individuals in Italy – the only European country where real wages have fallen to less that they were 30 years ago, which may or may not have something to do with the total lack of a minimum wage – repeatedly voted down by those who are now in government.
Obviously doing nothing pays off, Giorgia is more popular than she was at election time. Or perhaps its just relief at not having to listen to her.
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