Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
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Peter, more a social cleansing experiment really.
Alexander, I think you'll find the Mayor and the Mafia in Sicily are the same thing
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
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i read that alex, mentioned it briefly on barry's blog.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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David, the mayor of Palermo is known for his stance against the Mafia.
His reference was to the economic situation, and one could suppose he knows what he's talking about, so it is rather worrying.
Adding to that, the Italian share market has crashed 9% since last Friday, while Spain is now likely to ask for a massive State bail-out far exceeding the 100 billion euro payment they just got.
Civil unrest in Spain is just about round the corner, with regular street protests.
Of-course we're all hoping the tinder-box won't ignite.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
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Alex I agree entirely re Spain, it's a disaster that ordinary people can't grasp.
My point re Sicily was partly tongue in cheek but don't underestimate the underlying power in southern Italy, the economy is non existent and so many youngsters rely on organised crime for an income.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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Howard, when last on Barry's blog, I mentioned Louis XVI. He didn't seem to like it.
But one can't really suggest to the crowds: if you can't afford bread, eat cake.
Mari Antoniette tried it out, and it didn't go down well.
G. Osborne tried out something in his last budget, with pastry tax, and us Brits were not amused.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
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i do beliuve ms,antoniette got the chop.
queen victoria wasnt amused either but thats in the past.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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David, while organised crime in Italy brought in staples of money to the leaders of these rings, who paid their subordinates with a part of the income, the people who they took the money from, such as owners of restaurants and bars, and local businessmen in return for "protection", have or are going bankrupt.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
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Correct Alex, though I'm not sure how that relates to potential civil war in Sicily - who's fighting who?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
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i saw a programme on the box about 15 years ago about sicily, they have wonderful trunk roads, motorways and flyovers that rarely see traffic.
italian taxpayers money goes down there for no good reason, expect sicily to be cut off.
there is the potential for civil war but cannot find the article now.
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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Sky mentioned that Sicily has 5 billion euro of debts; this is a debt owed by the Sicilian region, and is separate from the Italian national debt.
Spanish regions have similar situations of debt, which are, again, separate from the Spanish national debt.
In Britain, we don't have this situation of regional debts.
So if in Italy, or Spain, the State were unable to pump cash into local regions that cannot pay their debts, these regions may see their local administrative system starting to collapse, so the local people would all look to their respective central government for help.
If the national treasury in Italy or Spain can't find the cash, then it's either Germany pays for all and everyone, or the break-up of the national unity in Italy and Spain.
Or a change in the system to prevent a state collapse.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
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I have no doubt that Europen economies will collapse, but that is a different thing to civil war. Northern Italy is very wealthy, south of Naples there's olives and grapes and not much else apart from organised crime, that is growing in strength as people feel the pinch
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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I'm not sure if northern Italy still is that wealthy.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
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It is Alex I go there 2/3 times a year. They moan all the time about popping up the south which as you say is in trouble
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
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david
the northern league have never been taken that seriously but we are in desperate times now and cutting off sicily is a serious option for a government that wants to be seen as cutting waste.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
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Off at tangents now Howard, but I have no doubt the govt would happily cut off Sicily
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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The principality of Filettino, not far from Rome, broke away from Italy last year.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
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The point being?
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
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Just checked it out on the Web. Owing to austerity measures, the Italian government decided to sack many small municipal councils, merging smaller areas with larger ones.
This lead to a loss of identity, of public sector employment and of community engagement.
The result being, that one municipality broke away 3 September 2011 and declared independence.
Guest 714- Registered: 14 Apr 2011
- Posts: 2,594
Hardly civil war though is it
