General / Off-Topic Italy Voted No in Constitutional Referendum. It's Only a Matter of Time for Italy to Leave the European Union

[Cosmo]

Italy Voted No in Constitutional Referendum. It's Only a Matter of Time for Italy to Leave the European Union

Matteo Renzi, an unelected, EU appointed yes man, staked his career on getting a "Yes" vote in the Italian Constitutional referendum. Well, the Italian people have had the fortitude and good sense to throw a spanner in the works, and this leaves the EU, Euroland and the Italian Banks up a gum tree.

The populist 4 Star Movement rises as the europhile prime minister Matteo Renzi lost the referendum. It's only a matter of time for Italy to leave the European Superstate.

Renzi to Resign Following Devastating Loss in Italian Referendum

Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi will resign following his loss in Italy’s constitutional referendum.

The Euro has fallen to its lowest price since March 2015.

As polls closed for the Italian referendum, initial indications suggested the government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was set to lose.

Just after midnight local time in Rome, the Prime Minister conceded defeat and signalled his intention to resign on Monday.

The vote, if it had succeeded would have shifted the power of the Italian senate and concentrated more power in the parliament. It was a plan that has been described as “authoritarian” by critics from opposition parties.

The populist 5 Star Movement (M5S) and their leader Beppe Grillo have been the most vocal and are expected to receive a boost from a “No” victory.

A “No” result is likely to spark calls for a fresh national election in which many predict a possible victory for Mr. Grillo’s movement.

M5S has promised the Italian public another referendum on leaving the euro currency as the economy in Italy continues to falter.


With Eurosceptics on the rise, 'Quitaly' may only be a matter of time after Brexit

5 December 2016

A Europhile Prime Minister resigns after losing a high-stakes referendum. The markets panic as Eurosceptics rejoice. Italy's current drama is looking an awful lot like what followed Britain's vote for Brexit.

Matteo Renzi's national rejection in this weekend's referendum is a huge victory for anti-establishment forces like Beppe Grillo's Five Star movement, which is now clamouring for an early general election in order to capitalise on the prevailing public mood.

The vote has struck terror into Europe’s ruling elite less than six months after Britain voted to leave the European Union, with policymakers feverishly insisting that it cannot be compared with Brexit. Might this be because they know anti-EU sentiment is on the rise in Italy, and fear the prospect of following Britain out of the bloc's exit door?

 

[StiTch]

"Quitaly"...I'm creasing man, I am creasing...

 

[Rob At Work]

Quitaly!..... LOL

 

[Patrick_68000]

After Cameron, Hollande, Obama, Renzi, a page turns, although if there is still Merkel who represents herself for a fourth mandate

 

[Ian Skippy]

I am not entirely sure what the Italian people want, to be honest. Is there anyone who sincerely believes the Italian economy is in any kind of shape to do anything at all without massive EU support? I suspect this is more of a good news story for people in Germany/Netherlands/Belgium and such countries than it is for the Italian people. It would also leave them stuck with all the refugees, as there would be zero reason for the EU to help them with it.

ps. any article with 'the elite' or 'superstate' in it cannot be taken serious. But hey, we're talking populism so who cares.

 

[FuzzySpider]

I am not entirely sure what the Italian people want, to be honest. Is there anyone who sincerely believes the Italian economy is in any kind of shape to do anything at all without massive EU support? I suspect this is more of a good news story for people in Germany/Netherlands/Belgium and such countries than it is for the Italian people. It would also leave them stuck with all the refugees, as there would be zero reason for the EU to help them with it.

ps. any article with 'the elite' or 'superstate' in it cannot be taken serious. But hey, we're talking populism so who cares.

Anyone linking or referencing Breitbart can't be taken seriously quite frankly.

 

[Ian Skippy]

Anyone linking or referencing Breitbart can't be taken seriously quite frankly.

Ah, didnt even see it was a link. Good point.

 

[Adept]

Italy voted on constitutional reform, not on the EU. Their system of government is quite broken. What has it been, 60 governments since the end of WW-II now? Since they rejected the reform, the gridlock will continue.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I am not entirely sure what the Italian people want, to be honest.

First line in the article: "Matteo Renzi, an unelected, EU appointed yes man, staked his career on getting a "Yes" vote in the Italian Constitutional referendum"

I don't know why politicians always think they're popular enough to carry the vote, but almost always the public votes: "Screw you buddy!" and it becomes about the politician, not the EU.

 

[Jason S]

I am not entirely sure what the Italian people want, to be honest. Is there anyone who sincerely believes the Italian economy is in any kind of shape to do anything at all without massive EU support? I suspect this is more of a good news story for people in Germany/Netherlands/Belgium and such countries than it is for the Italian people. It would also leave them stuck with all the refugees, as there would be zero reason for the EU to help them with it.

ps. any article with 'the elite' or 'superstate' in it cannot be taken serious. But hey, we're talking populism so who cares.

Italy is in a poor state and needs help, but largely due to it losing its ability to devalue its currency.

 

[Cosmo]

Anyone linking or referencing Breitbart can't be taken seriously quite frankly.

Lol people linking to the CNN, The Guardian and other pro-establishment shills can't be taken seriously.

Italy voted on constitutional reform, not on the EU. Their system of government is quite broken. What has it been, 60 governments since the end of WW-II now? Since they rejected the reform, the gridlock will continue.

It's more than that, EU policies have hurt Italian businesses. Italy has 36.4 % youth unemployment in October 2016. North-European EU countries don't want to keep bailing out Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece who haven't paid back a the billions of euros they already received.

Italy gets flooded by illegal immigrants from the Middle-East and Africa who largely travel to more prosperous North-European Countries due to the open-borders policy in the EU. People don't want the EU to impose immigrant resettlement quotas per country. The birthrate of Italians in Italy is very low. A country which can't manage its own borders and immigration policy is not a country.

The Eurocrats in Brussels are overpaid elitists and out of touch with the common people of Europe. EU member countries have become puppets of the unelected EU Commissions. The de facto EU president Juncker was never elected by the people in the EU. It cannot survive without legitimate support and accountability from the people of Europe.

Unemployment Statistics in the EU

In October 2016, 4.169 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU-28, of whom 2.939 million were in the euro area. Compared with October 2015, youth unemployment decreased by 350 000 in the EU-28 and by 171 000 in the euro area. In October 2016, the youth unemployment rate was 18.4 % in the EU-28 and 20.7 % in the euro area, compared with 19.9 % and 22.2 % respectively in October 2015. In October 2016, the lowest rate was observed in Germany (6.9 %) and the highest were recorded in Greece (46.5 % in August 2016), Spain (43.6 %) and Italy (36.4 %).


The de facto EU President Jean-Claude Juncker is drunk and slaps leaders. Are you kidding!!! Juncker acts like the Emperor of Europe and gets a tax-funded salary fit for royalty. The EU is finished.

Jean-Claude Juncker drunk and slaps leaders

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, was slapping EU leaders, calling Hungarian PM 'dictator' in front of the press at the EU-Eastern Partnership summit in Latvia.

[video=youtube;XPgiI46FCDU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPgiI46FCDU[/video]

 

[Boomer Kay]

EU President Jean-Claude Juncker acts drunk and slaps leaders. Are you kidding!!! He gets a tax-funded salary fit for a royal emperor. The EU is finished.

Eh.
Juncker makes about 300k a year, which is so far below any industry leadership position, it's not even funny. It's more in-line with a somewhat successfull medium company.
The Queen of England makes 44million a year.

Can you do at least some basic factchecking to the best of your abilities, before you start posting?

the lowest rate was observed in Germany (6.9 %)

Oh, really? Merkel must have done something right.
But you go ahead and democratically elect buffoons like bungabunga Berlusconi.
If Juncker and Merkel want to slap those morons into the last century, I'll forge them an iron glove, if I have to.

 

[Cosmo]

Eh.
Juncker makes about 300k a year, which is so far below any industry leadership position, it's not even funny. It's more in-line with a somewhat successfull medium company.
The Queen of England makes 44million a year.

300k per year from tax payers + tax exceptions. An industry leader doesn't force people of a country to pay his or her salary. These overpaid eurocrats would not have this level of lavish salaries in the real world outside the public sector.

Are Eurocrats in it for the money?
Jun 22nd 2010, 16:03 BY CHARLEMAGNE

ARE EUROPEAN officials in it for the money? In these days of government austerity drives and pay cuts for national civil servants, expect to hear this charge repeated again and again.

The newly elected British coalition government has been making all manner of friendly noises towards the EU, but has picked a fight over a European Commission request for a 4.5% increase in the EU's administration budget next year, to cope with the extra workload caused by the Lisbon Treaty.

I am told a recent meeting of EU ambassadors "easily swatted away" a request for a 5% rise in the budget of the Committee of the Regions, an EU assembly for local government officials that serves no obvious purpose at all, beyond swelling the egos of assorted mayors, regional councillors and the like, and boosting the profits of Brussels hotels. I have no doubt the committee's members and staff are proud of their consultative papers on green growth, regional perspectives on youth policy and the like, but the blunt truth is that the outside world would not notice if their gleaming, glass, wood and steel headquarters was detached from the Rue Belliard and catapulted into orbit.

There is still lingering bitterness among the same ambassadors about a successful raid on the EU budget by the European Parliament, which is riding high at the moment after securing hefty new powers under Lisbon. After brief resistance, the national governments buckled in May and agreed to a plan by MEPs to increase their office allowances by €1,500 a month and add 150 extra posts to the Parliament's payroll. The parliament is not finished, however, as it is now pushing for still more money in 2011, to hire another 236 new staff and hand each MEP a further increase of €1,500 a month in their office allowances for assistants.

British Eurosceptics have been having a fine time, meanwhile, with the revelation in the Daily Telegraph that at least 1,000 officials earn more than David Cameron, the British prime minister (and that 31 research assistants in the European Parliament earn more than £70,000 a year, or more than a member of the British parliament).

Cue Nigel Farage, a British MEP from the UK Independence Party, who has issued a statement saying:

"Just as people's wages are falling and unemployment is rising, the man in the street should be appalled at the amount of money that these EU officials are being paid, many for pretty menial tasks. People should be appalled to learn how much money, many of these EU bureaucrats earn. For example, an EU civil servant with a few years experience and two children (at level AD 10) has a net take home pay of 8,810 per month. Out of his gross pay, he has only had to pay 570 euro in tax and to compound the insult, he does not have to pay VAT on a car or household goods. For a fantastic health insurance scheme, the EU bureaucrat has only to pay only 1.7 % of his salary, a measly 134 euro. No wonder many of these people are screaming for "more Europe". What they really want is "more money" for themselves. The EU is a racket perpetuated by EU officials to keep themselves in the life to which they have become accustomed - it has got to stop."

Also the EU still wastes lots of tax money with Strasbourgh. The monthly move of EU parliament from Brussels to Strasbourgh has costed nearly 2 billion pounds since the start.

[video=youtube;BjahBNA451Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjahBNA451Y[/video]

 

[Boomer Kay]

Cue Nigel Farage, a British MEP from the UK Independence Party, who has issued a statement saying:

Oh, Nigel Farage.
Now that must be legit.

Btw, did you take it to the streets and get Berlusconi properly prosecuted by italian law & order for his atrocious decades of running that country into the ground?
Or do you believe because he's "really, really rich", he's some kind of godlike "duce" and was just held back by to nasty socialists and their ideas of social equality? Hey, his party is named "Forza Italia", if that's not patriotic, I don't know...

 

[Lianachan]

Oh, Nigel Farage.
Now that must be legit.

Astonishing news about him. This, when he should be getting flogged through the streets.

 

[Boomer Kay]

Astonishing news about him. This, when he should be getting flogged through the streets.

Well

Person of the Year (called Man of the Year until 1999[1]) is an annual issue of the United States news magazine, Time, that features and profiles a person, a group, an idea, or an object that "for better or for worse...has done the most to influence the events of the year".

He's in good company:
Adolf Hitler (1938)
Joseph Stalin (1939 and 1942)
Ayatollah Khomeini (1979)



Oh, and I know who'd get my vote as "people of the year 2016", if it was an election:
Residents of Flint, Michigan who blew the whistle on lead-poisoned water

(did I mention I held the european record for some game in the official, now discontinued Nintendo Club Magazine back in 1980something? I had my 15 minutes of "who's that guy and why is he 50k points ahead of me" before I grew a beard ;P - mad skills, baby, the maddest )

 

[Adept]

Italy is in a poor state and needs help, but largely due to it losing its ability to devalue its currency.

Nope. It's not that. It's the overly large and complicated two chambered parliament.

 

[Sunleader]

Quite the nice Company indeed.
Most of the Contenders on this Title are Despots or otherwise known to have more than just a bit of dirt on them lol.


As for Italy leaving the EU. I would say Dream on.
No Offense. But for those who have not Realized it. The Referendum was about an Constitutional Reform. Not about EU Membership.
In the Public Eye it was about the Politic of Renzi. Which got Crushed here.

Unfortunately for both the Pro as well as the Anti EU Parties. This Result is pretty Bad.
Because it does not mean that Italy will Leave the EU. It means that Italy might soon adopt an Policy which goes back to overspending thus resulting in another Financial Crisis.
Under this Aspect it might be better for the EU if Italy was to Leave. As then they would at least go Bankrupt by themselves and not damage the EU by it.
Unfortunately they wont do us this Favor. It will likely be another case like with Greece. A new Government will go in with Trumpets and Drums Sounding. Waste Billions by dragging out Negotiations of Condition that the other side cannot Possibly agree to anyways.
And then like Greece cave in while blaming the Establishment for it.....


I wish the EU would start to really Override the Independence of its Memberstates lol.
If the EU had just half of the Authority and Power of the National Politics that the Anti EU Factions always claim it to have.
We not have this constant Trouble with Populists costing the Community Money by thinking that they should Rule their Country alone should make all Decisions in the EU.......




By now I am somehow starting to hope that the EU Breaks Apart.
Each Generation needs its War.
Something our Grandparents told us for Decades.
And I think its high time we have ours. As apparently the World has Forgotten how Precious Peace is.
Maybe this Time Germany Wins *gg* All Good things are three after all.

 

[Rob At Work]

Well



He's in good company:
Adolf Hitler (1938)
Joseph Stalin (1939 and 1942)
Ayatollah Khomeini (1979)



Oh, and I know who'd get my vote as "people of the year 2016", if it was an election:
Residents of Flint, Michigan who blew the whistle on lead-poisoned water

(did I mention I held the european record for some game in the official, now discontinued Nintendo Club Magazine back in 1980something? I had my 15 minutes of "who's that guy and why is he 50k points ahead of me" before I grew a beard ;P - mad skills, baby, the maddest )

Angela Merkel - 2015

 

[Boomer Kay]

Angela Merkel - 2015

& 2017

As soon as we agreed that the true issue of "Europe" is some whiney clowns who believe in their respective national superiority, buy them their little uninhabited island off the coast of norway (populate the waters around it it with sharks that have lasers on their head) and let them find out they have more in common amongst themselves than with the rest of their respective countries.