Born in 1982 (he recently turned 43), but a long-standing politician despite his young age: senator and regional secretary of the Democratic Party. Nicola Irto explores various topics in this interview.
Senator Irto, how can you see Calabria from Palazzo Madama?
«I prefer to see it and experience it up close. I return to the area, I interact with the citizens, I listen to their voices, I gather their needs. Unfortunately, in Parliament and at Palazzo Chigi the centre-right does not see Reggio and does not see the South. Structural measures from the State are lacking and everyone knows that there is a need to reduce the gaps between the South and the North. But the Meloni government is supported by the Northern League, as confirmed by the blind and deaf insistence on differentiated autonomy, rejected by the Council”. The sen. Nicola Irto, regional secretary of the Democratic Party, loves to plan the future (it will be a professional deformation given that he is an architect) and for this reason he always starts from a very realistic analysis.
The most obvious problems in Calabria?
«To begin with, the administration of the Calabrian health service continues. To overcome it, the previous situation must be eliminated, given that since 1999 the Region has had fewer state transfers compared to the health needs of the residents: we are at over 3 billion less, starting from 1999. In the latest budget law, then, a part of some interventions, no resources have been allocated for Calabria: neither for the hiring of interns, nor to fill the health deficit, nor for roads, mobility, the high-speed railway, businesses, work and the fight against the ‘Ndrangheta. Indeed, precious resources for development and cohesion have been taken away, proving a fact: the current government considers Calabria a reservoir of votes. A year full of problems has come to an end and another with the same load will begin.”
On New Year’s Eve Reggio showed its best face by entering the homes of Italians, but 2024 also said that it is the last city in Italy for quality of life.
«The ranking concerned the entire province, not the city. It is true that various territories have objective difficulties, which cannot be denied and for which we propose concrete solutions. But it must also be said that these statistics are based on parameters that often do not take into account relevant aspects of southern realities: the beauty of the places, the sense of community, the humanity of the people. The promotion of the territory is very important, but at the same time the big issues must be resolved: from the lack of water throughout the region to the health disaster and socio-economic marginality. The right uses the spectacle to postpone the solution to problems indefinitely. This is why we need a new government, which has the will and ability to address the new southern question, which is then linked to the desertification of the territories, therefore to the loss of jobs and services: schools, healthcare…».
Considering that you always won in the last local elections (Cosenza, Vibo, etc.), will it be easier to win in Reggio or the Region?
«Yes, the victory in the provincial capital cities confirms what I was saying: we always beat the right, when we are united and focus on quality and change. Which means constant dialogue with civil society, regeneration of politics, collaboration, trust, credibility, democratic methods and objectives. The right, on the other hand, thinks of power for power’s sake.”
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