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Marta Collot – Potere al Popolo
Looking at the behavior of the Italian media and journalists in recent days, the impression is discouraging. In the space of a few hours they have all gone from sharp criticism – more often than not “regardless” – of the former government and all political forces, to absolute adoration of the new Sun King.
The analysis of facts has disappeared. There is only the great wisdom of the President of the Republic Mattarella, who was able to ensure the second commissioner of Italy in 10 years and who did so without a blow, and in the background the breath of relief of the senior leaders of the European Union.
Newspaper speculation has a hard time overcoming thirty years of habit of a “politics” made of chatter, gossip, “indiscretions” snatched from spokesmen of spokesmen…
In that world – which ended on Tuesday, February 2 with the appointment of Mario Draghi, and therefore with a commissioner who works to eliminate and overcome the current political class – everything was theoretically possible, because every “event” was the result of an interweaving of low-level aspirations and vetoes, stories between lovers who pretend to quarrel.
The difficulty of getting out of that logic is clearly visible in the contortions of the same journalists in the talk shows, who speculate on matters of minimal importance or question themselves on what to do about issues that, if they have been discussed directly in Brussels for years, by now “Italian politics” can happily forget.
In this slavish tide of amateur journalism and low-grade politicians, the few seconds granted to Marta Collot (former candidate for Potere al Popolo for the region of Emilia Romagna, last year) were a breath of fresh air for those who do not want to accept the “new order” with resignation and passivity.
We report his few words, which were aired in the transmission of Tuesday on 9 and 16 February, in the general dismay of many in the studio who had come to adore and please the new head of the executive.
Episode of February 9, 2021
Presenter – “Marta Collot, let’s talk about Mario Draghi: do you like him as much as all Italians do?”
Marta – “Absolutely not. Despite the fact that he has been sanctified -embarrassingly in my opinion- by all the media in recent days, I actually believe that those who take sides today and say that Draghi can represent an improvement for the working classes are either in bad faith or will suffer a bitter disappointment….
In my opinion Draghi represents an enemy of the exploited, of the precarious, of the unemployed. My opinion is not made up in the air but is given by facts. What has Draghi done concretely in recent years?
We remember all the privatizations of the 90s, and especially the consequences of the privatization of Autostrade (that is, the more than 40 deaths in the collapse of the Morandi bridge two years ago in Genoa). We remember the role of Draghi, with the letter written together with President [of the ECB] Trichet, who in fact imposed policies of austerity, social massacre, privatizations, precarization of the labor market, which made a social massacre especially for the youth and the most fragile groups.”
Presenter – “So tell me, what is your idea of this ruling class?”
Marta – “The ruling class has demonstrated a general failure, it is seen today in the management of a pandemic crisis.
The 92,000 dead shout vengeance but the thousands of unemployed shout vengeance. Shouting vengeance is the fact that this is a political class that has shown itself to be a servant of Confindustria, that has been unable to manage [the demands of] its business class…. we remember during the first quarantine all the companies that tried to defraud the state with false layoffs, that tried to circumvent Ateco codes…”
Episode of February 16, 2021
Presenter – “Vaccinations: Draghi was put in charge of the government to speed up this process. What do you think?”
Marta – “Well I would say that it is really a mystification to say that Draghi was put there to vaccinate people…. Draghi was put there to commission Italy, to carry out a clear and outlined political project that originates in the EU. And among other things, he is supported by the entire parliamentary arch.
With respect to the issue, in my opinion, which is fundamental, that after a year since the outbreak of the pandemic we are still managing Covid in emergency terms: we deliberately chose the path of living with the virus, which is a criminal and deadly path, as evidenced by the thousands and thousands of deaths.
And then another issue that I have not heard mentioned at all: the issue of income. The point is that today we are in this situation but there are political responsibilities behind it, 30 years of policies of privatization, cuts and deregulation of the labor market.
We find ourselves in a dramatic situation, where it would certainly serve to make targeted lockdowns where they are needed, but guaranteeing income to all those who find themselves without work in this situation, often without access to the few crumbs that have been made available with aid.”
All of Marta’s videos are available on her facebook page facebook