Sicily - pitchfork rebellion

[bochead]

Sicily has rebelled and it's citizens are demanding the following:-

The arrest of all corrupt politicians

Reduction in the number of Parliamentarians

Removal of the provincial bureaucracy (local crooks), as most of these politicians have been there for over forty years

Drastic cuts in the salaries and privileges of Parliamentarians and Senators

Restricting politicians to only two terms in office

www.veteranstoday.com/2012/01/31/sicily-pitchfork-movement-in-revolt-western-media-blackout/

Does anyone else wish this could happen here?

Couldn't find anything about it in the Guardian. That's strange.

That's interesting. I don't blame them or any other Italian for protesting against their corrupt and incompetent politicians.

I also admire the Sicilians who are sick of the cancer of organised crime and are trying to do something about it. Judges, police officers and local politicians have died when trying to take a stand though they still do. Businessmen and women take their lives in their hands by refusing to pay these parasites for 'protection'.

They are very brave. Especially when you realise that Berlusconi has such links to organised crime. That man is only on the outside of a jail cell because so many Italians inexplicably think he was good for their country.

So I don't know whether the Pitchfork Movement (dodgy name, but maybe it got lost in translation) will be able to do anything about it.

Italy is a very young country and there are local rivalries about everything from politics to food - so it's hard to get enough people to agree on anything.

They are wedded to an appallingly weak system of government and like the idea of a strong man.

Many Italians admire Berlusconi and men like him - strange as it may seem to people from other countries.

Italian politics and society is polluted with some very nasty right wing groups who appear from the You Tube clip to be part of this movement.

The groups find popular support, maybe not for kicking people's heads in, but by tapping into xenophobia and racism which is miles more prevalent and acceptable there than it is in Britain.

Maybe it wasn't in The Guardian claig because that paper and others report on protests in Rome and other major cities and feel that covers the general issue.

Not everything is a dastardly conspiracy by the Left. Or Right, for that matter.

'Maybe it wasn't in The Guardian claig because that paper and others report on protests in Rome and other major cities and feel that covers the general issue.'

Or maybe they are not as progressive as they pretend and don't want people to hear about workers striking. This was reported on the EuroNews TV channel and is all over blogs and conspiracy sites, but does not appear to be in our mainstream press.

Does anybody actually know anything about this? My father is heading for Sicily by car at the moment knowing nothing about it, and the only info I can find appears to be cut and pasted blogs.

The leadership of this country isn't 100% pure on the ethical front. If you knew my background you'd understand why I have a visceral loathing of the far right. BUT in this case gven the issues recently in our country with the banks, the met and the media phone tapping scandal, MP's expenses etc, I can't help wondering if it's being kept out of the pages of the mainstream media, & th bbc out of fear.

The stated aims of this protest seem so reasonable that I wonder if the corrupt elements within our own system fear it catching on? It's the very simplicity of the campaign that appeals to me.

I can't find anything about it on teh BBC site either. Incredibile.

I have found a page by the Canadian government which has issued some travel advice about Italy and mentioned disrupted fuel supplies and possible food shortages etc.

'Strikes

Nationwide transportation strikes are scheduled to start on January 26, 2012. Taxi and truck drivers, as well as public transit, maritime transport and railway service employees are expected to take part in the strikes. Gasoline industry workers, including tank truck drivers and gas station employees, are also planning to go on strike, which could have a considerable impact on the availability of basic goods and food supplies. Ensure you have enough supplies for the next few days, including gas, food and medication. Plan alternate travel arrangements and regularly check with transportation providers for any schedule changes. Monitor local news and follow the advice of local authorities.'

www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=136000

Not sure if the disruption is still going on or if it is all over now.
Italian papers are probably the best place to look.

I think it's all over now. Can only find articles about it from about 25 January.

claig why on earth would any British paper or broadcaster not want to talk about strikes either from the political perspective of the Daily Mail or The Guardian?

bochead why do you think the foreign press would be afraid? Genuine question.

Sorry for the 'sucking eggs' bit of my post, well, that was most of it .

I realised you knew but just went off on one. My excuse is that I don't usually find this topic on general sites so when I do, I'm away. I'm not Italian but have lots of friends and business partners there.

claig

Italian papers are probably the best place to look.

Considering who controls the Italian media, I find that highly unlikely.

There are all sorts of protests here in Italy at the moment, the reason why it hasn't been reported is that the BBC and press in the UK in general usually covers very little of what happens in Europe, imho.

malinois, our papers have an excuse for dumbing us down and noit telling us what is going on in the world, but Italian papers would have to report it or they would lose all credibility as it is going on in their country and bloggers and twitter etc. would ensure that the news got out.

There are plenty of newspapers here, not just those who belong to Berlusconi .
Il Fatto Quotidiano is pretty much independent, largely funded by its readers' subscriptions, for instance.

which belong, sorry.

limitedperiodonly, I think bochead is saying that our press would be afraid, not foreign press. The reason is that they don't want these type of things to catch on as they create instability.

OP - looks like those protesters are using their democratic rights to good use and good on them. I wish indeed it could happen here.

But it won't.

Us Italians have always been quite big on protests, to be honest.

Hi Frnaca- what are they saying about Sicily in the independent Italian press? Does it look as though it's going to be difficult to find petrol etc there? Or hotels open?

We already can't find petrol down in the south. We were without for 3 days last week and there were no eggs,milk, or fruit and veg in the shops.

It was very exciting in a sort of Armageddony kind of way. Queues of traffic miles long with sofas strapped to their roof heading for the mountains and people rushing round shouting "quick, tell me, are there any tomatoes?" (there were 4 pineapples and a box of walnuts as it happens but no tomatoes)

palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2012/02/03/news/sicilia_tornano_i_forconi_nessuno_ci_ha_ascoltati-29191463/

This is what was published today in La Repubblica. There is a new protest that's been delayed of about 4/5 days.
I would very much doubt that hotels will be closed. I think the only real problem at the moment is the bad weather. If your dad is driving at the moment, I hope he is aware that central Italy has been snowed in, so lots of problems around Bologna/Roma. Especially for trains, but possibly also on the autostrada on the Appennini.

I see what you mean franca - I'm not for demonstrations everyday but I'm all for peaceful demonstrating where people feel they are not listened to and marignalised - and that's something that we don't do here but instead let rip on MN.

Duchesse, in the article it is said that the movement is just planning to block trucks going to Northern Italy won't create probs in Sicily. This is going to happen in 4/5 days.

Giveit, I love peaceful demonstrations, I've done loads!

claig The British press is the foreign press to an Italian or indeed any other nation.

HTH

ps Touched by your idea that the British press wouldn't want to create instability in Britain. Have you seen the kicking Dave's been getting in the Telegraph lately?