a page of history ............. 
Reflections on democracy after
tangentopoli
Alberto Giarrizzo
Today at 15:22
The scandal known as Tangentopoli and the long process that ensued, as many will remember, sprang at random from a story of innocent bribes , orchestrated in a big way from a modest figure of the underworld Milanese, Mario Chiesa that, at that time director of the Pio Albergo Trivulzio. A character, this Mario Chiesa (lovingly called by his friends Mariotto), recently jumped to the headlines because of its yet another round of bribes, to confirm what is still valid, the moral of ancient wisdom: the leopard, but not vice.
In the collective imagination, Tangentopoli became famous because it seemed to stop the malpractice of a certain policy cialtronesca of pure and single-sided compromise, based on the pursuit of personal interests turbid, to the benefit of a very small elite of powerful men of the party (remember the CSO, which stands for: Craxi, Andreotti, Forlani), the apparatus of bureaucrats and unscrupulous businessmen and foragers of the system. Thank Tangentopoli, said the journalists, set permanently the so-called First Republic, and in its place, came to life and space an Italy brand new, made of a new leadership, new parties and a social conscience rooted and widespread finally directed to comply with the rules and judgments on the merits, the claim of morality in political and administrative.
disappeared from the political scene of post-war historical parties, the Christian Democrats at the same Italian Socialist Party. The PDS infant, born of necessity after the historic fall of the Soviet bloc and the consequent place of Bolognina, no longer having any kind of antagonists, highly spun and found himself at the mercy of itself, more and more screwed embarrassing rhetoric, which on the one hand, to unmark the new party and muttering some distinction between the communist tradition franking Italian and the Soviet Union, the other to reassure the public that the PDS would be the right alternative for Italy, miraculously survived the disaster because the courts. Not so. People do not bite and the PCI / PDS / DS (sequence of confusing acronyms confused by substitutes) remained the only rhetoric, the absolute and inconclusiveness self-referentiality of its oligarchy, liens still quite evident in the newborn PD. Downstream of this article
process and before the current state of Italian politics, I would not say that Tangentopoli corresponded to a victory for our democracy. Tangentopoli was the victory of an institution of the State, the Judiciary, at another institution: the Parliament of the Republic. The Judiciary is undeniable, played its role, the prosecution, but did so with efficiency and ways hitherto unknown and, I might add, still far from the daily experience of an ordinary citizen. Those who have had to do with justice, knows how much bureaucracy, red tape, mess-ups of notable lawyers and downtime required to arrive at a decision that, in most cases, never satisfies anyone, just because of Biblical times that are used to get there. From this point of view, was more Tangentopoli a fierce showdown between the state apparatus, that a democratic rebirth. Faced with the inaction of the electorate, the Judiciary has decided to take its course, like an avalanche, when it starts up no obstacles and slide downstream with fury. And then, apart from Sergio Cusani and some other recruiter, who's really paying for one's sins to the State? Craxi? Arnaldo Forlani? Cirino Pomicino? At first dedicated early streets and squares. To the other ... are calm and serene to conduct their business and are also more regrets. Shakespeare would say: much ado about nothing.
In a mature democracy, the change occurs always and only through the work of popular sovereignty. By the electorate after the events of Tangentopoli, has never been any substantial disruption of the Italian political class. For the historical parties and high-sounding names were replaced by others of the time, chosen from the second lines, and the zealous busybody lackeys of the old barons (the new champion of the Old Democratic revival, and a clear alternative to two-party mold cerchiobottista is Pierferdinando Casini, historical racks of Arnaldo Forlani). The people remained at the window watching, and is still standing on the sidelines, to side with hotly in favor of judges and support in the meantime, with obvious contradictions and bad faith, the old way of thinking and doing politics. The only people continue to participate, when and where one gets an advantage.
Tangentopoli has given us a country split in two and made daily torn quarrelsomeness institutions of the two contenders. Until we understand that democracy is we, each of us, with the quality of our efforts, our participation and responsible way we work with our choices, the fight will go forward and the country drifting inexorably. The quality of a democratic country can not be judged by the severity of the body and its systems, and judicial sanctions, but the manner in which the community and their representatives interpret, conform and obey the laws that they themselves are given.
Comments:
Augusto Montaruli
Tangentopoli could be the beginning of a new republic, a new phase of democracy in Italy. But the "descent into the field" of ducetto Arcore made it all coem back sooner, if not worse, but worse. Add to that the end of ideologies and the phenomenon of personalization of the parties.
E 'urgent need a fresh start and go down in the field values \u200b\u200band ideas.
Nino La Rosa
Correct synthesis of 21 years of history home.
Optimistically I agree that "The quality of a democratic country can not be judged by the severity of the body and its systems, and judicial sanctions, but the manner in which the community and their representatives interpret, conform and obey the laws that they themselves are given "in the hope that younger generations are consistent with that fact.
Kathy Corleone
Augusto @ in my ideas, proposals and lack nn concludes that well-thank Alberto for his always polite and interesting thoughts, writing: "Tangentopoli has given us a country split in two and made daily torn institutional quarrelsomeness the two contenders. Until we understand that democracy is we, each of us, with the quality of our efforts, our participation and responsible way we work with our choices, the fight will continue and the country drifting inexorably. The quality of a democratic country can not be judged by the severity of the body and its systems, and judicial sanctions, but the manner in which the community and their representatives interpret, conform and comply with laws they themselves have given. "
ends well , I said ... I might add that this "gave us" I would interpret it as a "gave us" our country the perfect synchrony agriculture policies with a design that is even before obvious signs Tangentopoli.La history, I think, is nn jumps.
Piero Sampiero
Dear Alberto, I am partly agree with you in pointing out how the change of partial and incomplete, not everything is done except indirectly through the work of the people, but only the intervention of eg a branch order state.
But the judiciary has taken action to make up for gaps in democracy. How could a corrupt regime utoriformarsi?
was simply impossible. So a credit must be ascribed to clean hands for allowing the worst part of party politics was put on the corner of life policy. Unfortunately
tares of the system there and the people can not obtain a series of reforms to ensure a substantive democracy, the rule of law and limits the dictatorship of the majority as the sacrifices of the corridor.
