Time to open a new reformist season in Italian politics

Sir, Geoff Andrews (July 31) correctly identifies the roots of Italy’s political troubles. However, he fails to ask why, almost two decades after the “Clean Hands” anti-corruption movement, Italy’s political class has so blatantly failed to reform itself. The issue of how to select candidates to office, and how distorted such selection is, is deeply rooted in Silvio Berlusconi’s recent sex scandal. Like in the old days of the post-war “First Republic”, public offices are a way to reward loyalty and exchange favours, with the only difference being in the number of young women co-opted into politics. Noemi Letizia, the 18-year-old aspiring model at the centre of Mr Berlusconi’s divorce row, expected the prime minister to “fix her up” as an MP. She is not an isolated case, but epitomises a practice that is deeply engrained in the political system. As a result, people are reluctant to be genuinely engaged in the political debate, and the circulation of ideas from and to civil society – the “bread and butter” of democracy – is much more limited than in other democracies. Of course, it does not help to have the prime minister presiding “over a regime built through his media empire”. But one cannot be too complacent here. Recent examples have shown how the use of alternative media can make the opposition heard even in undemocratic regimes. We should stop analyising where we are and how we came here and make some concrete proposals on how to reform Italy's political discourse and rejuvenate its political class. Back in 1994, when Mr Berlusconi started his political career, a new electoral system and the dismantling of the old parties ensured that new people from both coalitions were voted in office, symbolically marking the end of the “First Republic”. That was the beginning of a brief reformist season. Unfortunately it did not last and Italy's politics – and society – was soon back to the usual mixture of corruption and illegality. Perhaps it is time to re-start from then.

Paola Subacchi,

Research Director - International Economics,

Chatham House,

London SW1,

UK

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad194730-808e-11de-bf04-00144feabdc0.html