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FOCUS ON ITALY

With this issue we shift our FOCUS... to Europe and the 'changes'
which  are  being  reported in Italy. What follows is a statement
released recently by the Commission For  International  Relations
of the Italian Anarchist Federation...

 Today Italian political institutions swirl around the  emmerging
concept   of   'nuovo'  or  'newness'.  In  reality,  behind  the
smokescreen of propaganda,  we  find  a  process  which  aims  at
replacing  a  political class not up to the demands of the Europe
of the coming milenium.
 The political changes which are emmerging from this period  are,
in  Italy,  symptomatic  of  a  crisis at the heart of the ruling
class which has been knocked off course by a  concomitant  series
of  circumstances:  the impossibility of continuing to hold power
against a background of corruption and public debt, the emergance
of  new  groupings  capable  of  bringing  together  the  various
dissatified groupings, the  non-existance  of  a  new  generation
which  would  have  rubber stamped the formal substitution of the
old political class which has  now  been  left  behind,  the  new
international  situation,  following the fall of the Berlin Wall,
which has brought to the fore once again the strategic importance
of Italy for its American ally.
 These changes came rapidly  to  a  head  after  the  legislative
elections  of 1992 followed by the administrative elections of 93
which saw, in practical terms, the elimination of the old  forces
of   political   government,   forced  into  a  rapid  change  of
physionomy, name and politics and  the  ditching  of  the  former
political  elite  in  order to render themselves more politically
acceptable to the electorate on the 27th March.
 The most obvious phenomenon of this  change,  from  a  political
point  of  view,  was  the  notable  emmergence  of the Lega Nord
(Northern League) as a federal  expression  of  various  regional
leagues  (Lombardy,  Venice, Piedmont etc.) which obtained a high
degree of success by leaning on existing discontent born  of  the
conflict  with  central  power  coming  from  Rome and expressing
itself in the slogan, 'Roma ladrona, la lega  non  perdona'  (The
league  will not forgive the Roman thief - bit more catchy in the
original Italian you will agree Trans.)
 The League's  political  programme  brings  forth  new  elements
compared  with  past political programmes which have always had a
centralist approach to state power. Firstly,  state  organisation
on  a federal basis is proposed leaving the northern regions with
power over the central and southern regions, the old power  bases
of the ruling political bureaucracy.
 The strength of  the  League  is  essentially  grounded  on  the
lower-middle  and  middle classes of the north who want to escape
heavy taxation  - due essentially to the national debt - and  the
movement  of public expenditure towards southern regions which do
not and cannot enjoy for  historical,  political  and  geographic
reasons the developmental advantages of the north.
 To the benefit of this  breakthrough  by  the  Northern  League,
brought  about  at the expense of the principal historic parties,
there appeared a process of clarification and denunciation at the
initiative of a group of milanese magistrates who led, for a year
and a half, a campaign against the old political class, abandoned
by   its   US   ally   which  had  heretofore  upheld  it  as  an
anticommunist/soviet umbrella.
 Those most  representative  of  this  group  (Craxi,  Andreotti,
Forlani,  De Michelis, Gava etc.) were completely eliminated from
the political scene and killed off by corruption  scandals,  acts
of  theft  and  criminal  activities  (Mafia,  Camorra etc.) Such
accusations had been set forth for years by anarchists and  other
elements of the radical left with no effect.
 The fate of the Communist  Party  was  a  little  different.  It
stormily  split  into two groupings, the one moderate (Democratic
Left) taking the majority and keeping to the opportunism  of  the
past,   the   other   radical-stalinist   (Party   of   Communist
Refoundation) a minority representing the internal stalinists  of
the  former  party  which  drew to itself other marxist groupings
including the trotskyists. These parties survived  the  juridical
onslaught  despite their having compromised themselves with local
power  in  the  'red'   areas   and   despite   their   important
participation  with  central power during the period of 'historic
compromise' of Eurocommunism when  it  defended  the  state  from
attacks by the revolutionary left. A position that could not have
lasted without the advantages of financial irregularities.  Today
these  parties  present  themselves  as  a  barrier  against  the
defeatism of the League and it is not by chance that they enjoy a
high  degree  of  support from the bosses class in the industrial
groupings and elements within progressive catholicism.
 About two months ago a new grouping appeared, Forza Italia,  led
by Silvio Berlusconi, a member of the masonic group known for its
mafia intrigues and for its call  for  a  reorganisation  of  the
state along authoritarian lines.
 Berlusconi (one of the richest  men  in  Italy)  was  successful
thanks  to the support of the old political class (notably Craxi,
former leader of the socialists) who allowed him an open field in
editing  TV  broadcasts  (He owns three TV stations, a newspaper,
various  periodicals,  financial  companies  and  other  economic
interests).
 This new force puts itself forward as bridge between the  League
and  the Fascist Party (the MSI now the National Alliance) in the
South in order to create a right wing alternative of  a  Peronist
style  to  the  left  coalition  or  progressive alliance (Social
Democrats, Greens, various Catholic groups,  Socialists)  and  in
the centre the residue of the former political establishment: the
Christain Democrats including  the  new  Popular  Party  and  the
Italian Pact...
 Given its need for experienced politicians the Forza Italia  has
not hesitated to seek allies from the old political scene such as
Casini, Mastella, Piro - leaders who had seen better days or less
scrupulous opprtunists like the radical Pannella.
 In reality all the political programmes are  very  similar  with
regard to the economic situation: whereas the left and the centre
insist on maintaining a minimum of social ownership and the right
represents  the  law of the market and economic liberalism as the
solution to all evils, the League represents  the  real  populism
that  couls  throw a spanner in the works. One must remember that
the last government, that of the former govenor of  the  Bank  of
Italy,  Ciampi,  in his attack on workers in both the private and
public sectors had the  support  of  the  PDS,  the  League,  the
centre,  the  socialists  (with Berlusconi's support). Beyond the
propaganda the old formula pillage public resources  for  private
interest  and pass private debt on to the State is the tune being
sung by most competitors for power.

THE UNIONS

 During the election period, the biggest unions were in  a  hurry
to sign agreements with the bosses which would freeze wages. This
was  the  case  in  the  biggest   companies   (FIAT,   Olivetti,
Montedison,  Pirelli  etc.) Such agreements penalised workers and
created a climate of confidence among the middle classes and  the
enlightened middle classes of the left notably within the PDS.
 A consequence was a drawing together of the establishment unions
and  these groupings, aided by the Cooperative League (of popular
origin) which today represents a colossal economic body. This  is
seen  as  a  good  thing  by those bosses who want a docile trade
union but capable of controlling the class struggle.  Never  mind
the workers...
 Other components of the world of work, small but grassroot (such
as  the  USI, CUB, CIB, COBAS, SLA etc.) express their opposition
and continue  to  mobilise  and  build  a  veritable  syndicalist
alternative opposed to traditional unions like the CGIL, CISL and
the UIL.
 From this viewpoint we can discern the inability of  the  League
to  conquer  one  corner of the world of work. The League's union
(SAL) created with this in mind is of no significance.
 Other elements of  the  right  have  ignored  the  problem.  For
example the Forza Italia have leant on traditional fascist unions
like CISNAL who shows  itself  incapable  of  organising  workers
other than fascists.
 This lack of a mass base may prove  the  achilles  heel  of  the
Right  Alliance  despite  everything the left has done to hand it
victory on a plate.

THE 21ST CONGRESS OF THE ITALIAN ANARCHIST FEDERATION

 The 21st congress of the FAI took place in the historic town  of
Milan. A congress which has survived - not by chance - whilst the
political situation of the Italian state is more than ever at  an
historic  turning-point, with the return of a more muscular right
supported by the local middle-classes  fired  up  with  an  anti-
mediterranean  racism and a weakened left today reunited with its
extreme incapable of maintaining the popular support on which its
influence  was  based. From all of this we can conclude that only
anarchists have social propositions which can hope to bring about
a revolutionnary change in society.
 It is in these conditions and after exhaustive analysis that our
comrades  discussed  the  social  investments  which anarchists -
federated or otherwise - need to make (the congress was  open  to
all  groups  who  wish  to  work  with  the federation). Thus the
question of the communes which  the  Italian  Anarchist  Movement
commonly  refer to as 'libertarian municipalism' was discussed at
length as it is a question  of  choosing  strategies  with  goals
chosen  by  anarchists which can complement those which have been
adopted by comrades working in syndicalist terrains. With  regard
to  the  world  of  work,  it  was  correctly  re stated that the
struggles must be pursued  outside  of  the  establishment  union
framework,  as has always been the case in Italy in particular in
the grass roots on the shop floor.
 Finally it was re stated that since anarchists have  no  country
there  is  a  need  for global organisation and development; as a
consequence, urgent calls were made for the strengthening of  the
International  Relations Committee of the FAI and support for the
activities of the IFA (International Anarchist Federation).

SECRETARIAT OF THE INTERNATIONAL SECTION OF  THE  FAI  Reproduced
from LML 18th May 94