Padanian Animals are back

Today, the Italian President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, delivered a very pro-european speech in front of the European Parliament. While he was prasing the euro as an achievement of the Union, some member of the Northern Ligue, the secessionist party of the North of Italy, interrupted him shouting against the Euro and Europe and waiving their padanian flags. After some moments of tension, they were accompanied out of the parliament.

Padanian animals are back. It is a dying animal, which would make use of the dirtiest strategies in order to attract attention on its stinking corpse.

The context can help understanding the reasons of this behaviour. National elections will be held in April/May 2006. The Northern ligue has customarily attacked the central Roman government to win votes in its electorate. Being in a governmental position at the moment, this strategy cannot work very well. Thus, the main target has become the European Union, and in particular the Euro.

Attracting a deeply xenohobic and ignorant electorate from the wealthy North, North-East, the Norther Ligue is a deeply populistic party, which resorts to violent and vulgar attacks.

As said before, padanians are dying animals. Their charismatic leader, Umberto Bossi, had last year a debilitating stroke, which keeps him away from the political scene. Likewise, the head of their coalition, Silvio Berlusconi, is in a very weak position after five years of disastrous ruling. Berlusconi himself promised few days ago a campaign of personal attacks and insult against the left.

This is the first of many populist, demagogic, events that will take place between now and the future elections. And it is higly regrettable.