Italian PM blasts immigration-'obsessive' Salvini as League's election bid falters

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Italian PM blasts immigration-'obsessive' Salvini as League's election bid falters

By Gavin Jones

 

FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte reacts to Italy's ruling coalition breakdown, speaking to journalists at an impromptu, late evening news conference at government house in Rome, Italy, August 8, 2019. REUTERS/Alberto Lingria

 

ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Thursday accused his far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, of disloyalty and being obsessed with blocking immigration, intensifying the open warfare in the ruling coalition.

 

The renewed political turmoil threatens to derail preparations for the 2020 budget in the autumn, as Italy attempts to rein in its huge public debt, the highest in the 19-nation bloc after Greece's.

 

Conte, who does not belong to any party, used the case of a migrant rescue boat refused entry to Italy's ports by Salvini as an opportunity to settle scores with the leader of the co-ruling League party, which last week put forward a motion of no-confidence in his government.

 

In the shock move, which seemed aimed at capitalising on his popularity, Salvini said his alliance with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement was no longer workable and called for a new election that could see him crowned prime minister.

 

However, the gambit has not gone to plan.

 

5-Star and the opposition Democratic Party (PD) have stalled any debate of the League's no-confidence motion and many of their politicians are now openly discussing forming a coalition among themselves to sideline Salvini.

 

The 5-Star Movement has been hurt by its tie-up with the League, halving its voter support since the two parties joined forces in June last year, according to opinion polls. The League has overtaken it to become Italy's most popular party.

 

In an open letter to Salvini, Conte said he had convinced six EU states to take in the migrants aboard the Open Arms charity ship and accused him of "disloyal collaboration" by misrepresenting Conte's own position.

 

Conte said Salvini aimed to exploit the immigration issue for electoral gain rather than seeking solutions with Italy's partners.

 

"I understand your faithful and obsessive concentration on addressing the issue of immigration by reducing it to the formula of 'closed ports'. You are a political leader and you are legitimately intent on constantly increasing your support ...," he wrote.

 

Salvini shot back at a news conference outside the southern Italian city Caserta.

 

"Yes, I am guilty of having an obsession with the safety of Italian citizens, and an obsession with fighting human traffickers and NGOs who are accomplices to human traffickers. Sixty million Italians pay my salary for this obsession."

 

PD DEAL?

With the prospect of a 5-Star/PD government looking increasingly plausible, the League's Agriculture Minister Gian Marco Centinaio said on Wednesday he did not rule out trying to patch things up with 5-Star.

 

"I would never close the door completely," he said in a radio interview.

 

Salvini said on Wednesday the League "will do whatever we can to prevent a trickster's deal between 5-Star and the PD".

 

But in a hard-hitting Facebook post on Thursday, 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio said there was no turning back after Salvini's move to pull the plug on the coalition.

 

"Now he regrets it, but the damage is done. Everyone creates their own destiny. Good luck!," Di Maio wrote.

 

League Cabinet Undersecretary Giancarlo Giorgetti, Salvini's closest aide, acknowledged in an interview in La Repubblica daily on Thursday that the party could now end up in opposition.

 

"We could have held on to our government posts and now we risk looking stupid, but we posed a political issue," Giorgetti said, referring to the policy gridlock which had bogged down the government amid constant bickering between the two parties.

 

Salvini, who has dominated Italian politics over the last year thanks to his "man-of-the-people" persona and popular hard-line on immigration, now seems in difficulty and less determined to bring down the government.

 

In a television interview with Sky Italia on Thursday he said Italy needed a new election "or constructive ministers." Some observers interpreted the remark that he would be happy to settle for a reshuffle in the euro zone's third largest economy.

 

However, many 5-Star politicians now seem more tempted by a deal with the PD. Lower house deputy Giuseppe Brescia said on Thursday it would be "absurd" to try to resurrect the coalition after the League had unilaterally tried to sink it.

 

(Reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Alison Williams)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-16

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[Nigel Garvie]

Here is a country that elected Mussolini, Berlusconi, and now the sick populist Salvini (Another Putin puppet), who makes Farage look almost human. Is there no education in Italy, how can voters possibly be that thick?

[usviphotography]

You are a political leader and you are legitimately intent on constantly increasing your support ...," he wrote.

 

A telling quote by Conte and sums up the Eurocrat mindset perfectly. A politicians who actually serves the people of his nation, as Salvini does, and is reward with ever increasing popularity, is seen as doing something wrong in their minds.  

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, Nigel Garvie said:

Here is a country that elected Mussolini, Berlusconi, and now the sick populist Salvini (Another Putin puppet), who makes Farage look almost human. Is there no education in Italy, how can voters possibly be that thick?

It sounds like you are the one who needs educating - as to why millions of Italians are banning "progressive" lefty leaders and turning to strongman Salvini to repel a migration invasion Italy simply cannot afford.

 

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/06/the-invasion-of-italy/

[Chomper Higgot]

8 hours ago, usviphotography said:

You are a political leader and you are legitimately intent on constantly increasing your support ...," he wrote.

 

A telling quote by Conte and sums up the Eurocrat mindset perfectly. A politicians who actually serves the people of his nation, as Salvini does, and is reward with ever increasing popularity, is seen as doing something wrong in their minds.  

Conte, Eurocrat?

[simple1]

8 hours ago, usviphotography said:

You are a political leader and you are legitimately intent on constantly increasing your support ...," he wrote.

 

A telling quote by Conte and sums up the Eurocrat mindset perfectly. A politicians who actually serves the people of his nation, as Salvini does, and is reward with ever increasing popularity, is seen as doing something wrong in their minds.  

Salvini tried to destroy his coalition partner in a grab for power. The tactic has misfired and he's now trying to reverse course. Salvini is aligned to the enemy of the EU - Putin - as are many on the far right.

[Chomper Higgot]

7 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

It sounds like you are the one who needs educating - as to why millions of Italians are banning "progressive" lefty leaders and turning to strongman Salvini to repel a migration invasion Italy simply cannot afford.

 

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/06/the-invasion-of-italy/

Having lived and worked in Italy for a number of years I have some admiration for you even attempting to condense the complexities of Italian politics into some form

of understandable reasoning.

 

I’d admire your effort more if you were not so comically predictable in your ‘go to’ conclusion.

[Scott]

Racist, inflammatory post reported and removed.  

 

[bert bloggs]

Salvini cares about his people ,while the left let all the dross in to destroy their country's .

cue the usual few dissenters .

the western civilization is slowly being torn apart .

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Having lived and worked in Italy for a number of years I have some admiration for you even attempting to condense the complexities of Italian politics into some form

of understandable reasoning.

 

I’d admire your effort more if you were not so comically predictable in your ‘go to’ conclusion.

Bet the Italians miss you.

[Deli]

Having lived in Italy for decades, I 1st witnessed the initially slow illegal immigration from Africans, mainly men, of course. Their only motive was an easier life, as they didn't come from war zones. They were kind of tolerated and even tried to integrate. But too many were following and the Government did not react, the Mafia too started taking profit and making it a business, until today. They were followed by Albanians, ex -Yugoslavians, Romanians and some gypsy tribes. Shit hit the fan already. For too many years Italy has been overrun lately by boat people from North Africa, as Italy is the 1st Western country to reach.

WHY don't these "Rescue Boats" go to North African safe countries like Tunesia, Marocco, etc. to unload the people ? Well, I guess everybody knows the answer. People in Italy are sick and tired of always more and more immigrants, as the tax payers don't want to see their hard earned money going to support these immigrants, when at the same time a pension doesn't allow people to survive.  Household even without this burden is in deep shit already for ages and also a Salvini will no live long enough to change this. But at least he listens to the people and tries to protect his country. I wish him best of luck, he needs it.