The center-right begins to push forward before the sprint for them begins European. All astride the Differentiated Autonomy, friends and enemies in a traffic jam that is becoming more and more chaotic. “They all talk about the law without reading even a paragraph of it.” The senator Mario Occhiutogroup leader of Forza Italia in the Permanent Commission – Constitutional Affairs in the Senate, has no doubts: «None of the protesters must have seen the law that came out of the Senate which, among other things, was also voted by the minority forces of Parliament. The amendments modified the initial structure proposed by Calderoli. No region will be left behind. The State will guarantee the lep for everyone and in the absence of financial coverage, the delegation will not be granted to anyone. Autonomy will not divide Italy, as the left says.” The opposition front, however, is widening. And the latest member is the president of Anci Calabria, Rosaria Succurro, which is certainly not left-wing. «His move is not an escape forward. I believe it is the synthesis of the thoughts expressed by the mayors that he represents and whose requests he collects. A statement from the president of the association of first citizens in Calabria, so to speak.”
The fear of many is that differentiated autonomy could turn into a tombstone on the hopes of resuming essential services in Calabria and in the entire South. A law that risks definitively walling up the stone tomb in which the southern question rests.
Occhiuto smiles, even if he does not rule out that Autonomy has become a populist tool to be used in an electoral campaign that started a long time ago. Moreover, the race for Europe follows the thread of already known candidacies. Succurro will lead Forza Italia, the Lega deputy, Simona Loizzo, should be the spokesperson for the Carroccio. And the back and forth between the two aspiring queens could be the representation of a climate of battle to gain the trust of the population. Occhiuto has no doubts: «To me they all seem like electoral excuses. Starting from the Democratic Party which has always been for differentiated autonomy, it is now against it. Or like abuse of office. I think there will be a national cohesion agreement.”
Now, therefore, they all ride autonomy like absolute evil. Occhiuto tries to explain starting from the new article 4 of the law: «It is clearly written that the transfer of functions can only be carried out after the determination and quantification of the lep on the standard needs and that if greater costs arise (from this determination) it will be possible proceed with the transfer of functions only after the allocation for all regions (including those that do not request autonomy over those functions). I don’t think it’s a penalizing law. Autonomy is a theme that tugs at the heartstrings, especially for those like me who are from the South. In truth, nothing would have changed even if I had been a parliamentarian from the North, out of respect for the principles of national solidarity and social equity which concern all Italian citizens. We cannot ignore that every decision regarding autonomy also implies a reflection on the South and on the southern question. There is no authentic development if part of the country remains behind.”
Read the complete article in the paper edition of Gazzetta del Sud – Cosenza