Share

January 20, 2021An hour to read largely the same speech made yesterday in the House, a few additions and adjustments.

Giuseppe Conte addressed his communications to the Senate and confirmed that he wanted to present himself with his head held high.

He attacked Iv again for the opening of the crisis and the disrupted attacks, and launched an appeal to the willing.

He also returned to the electoral law, and it is here that one of the adjustments is found: reaffirming the proportional, the premier recognized the primacy of Parliament.

Moreover, in the wake of criticism, Conte today enriched his commitments to the South;

and he corrected the request for help from the senators of all political forces, underlining the value of ideas and projects, rather than numbers.



After his speech, the debate in the Chamber began

(here the diary of the crisis).

His reply followed, then the explanations of vote and, finally, the final vote on confidence.



Having collected the absolute majority in the Chamber

, the "narrow road", feared by Nicola Zingaretti, who finds himself in front of Giuseppe Conte and which is concretized in the objective of going beyond a quota of yes to trust, passes through the Senate today.



In the meantime, here are the salient points of the Prime Minister's speech in the Senate, which began with 

the memory of Emanuele Macaluso

, who passed away today: "A great protagonist of political and cultural life":



In the 29 points of my government's program there were vision and strong ideal drive, a clear investment of trust;

Covid a hurricane that is engulfing our society.

First in the West, we were forced to introduce measures restricting the rights of the person;

the majority managed to demonstrate great responsibility;

we are aware that more substantial resources are needed for refreshments.

Parliament will be the one to improve the provision;

the Revenue Agency has disbursed more than 3 million transfers from the Budget decree.



And again: if the South does not run, Italy does not run;

we record a 6.7% increase in enrollments in southern universities;

major works are not blocked, contracts increased in 2020;

we will continue to give great attention to the disabled, to the most vulnerable people and their families;

the government must live up to its task;

it is complicated to govern with those who continually undermine the political balance of the majority;

Italy remains in tradition: the pillars are the EU, Biden's USA, dialogue with China based on our values;

we will work with the Biden administration, there is a tight common agenda;

the vaccination plan is proceeding quickly but we strengthen therapies and testing;

a proportional electoral law is needed to avoid instability;

we need people who recognize the importance of politics;

if the needs of citizens are marginal, there is a risk that they will lead to anger or violent confrontation;

mostly only pro-Europeans, no to nationalists and those with sovereign aspirations;

numbers are important, it is a fundamental step, but quality of the political project is needed;

I leave delegation to the Services, but we avoid controversy about the men and women of intelligence;

with today's vote the institutions regain the confidence of citizens;

let us put behind us the grave act of irresponsibility that has thrown us into uncertainty;

if you trust me I'll be there.





These are the key passages of Conte's reply at the end of the debate in the Chamber. In the same minutes, the news had come that the meeting of the Italia viva group in the Senate will confirm the abstention from tonight's vote on confidence:



Structural interventions are not made with crises, the future of our children is at risk;

school is central to the country's agenda;

great effort on school building, 10 billion more after season of cuts;

5 million students in attendance;

Covid curve worries but school goal in attendance;

from July single child allowance, Bonetti project;

it is not true that Italy is the country with the worst GDP fall: we hit first, but GDP Spain and GB worst;

confirmed a 9% GDP drop in 2020, also thanks to refreshments;

it is not true Italy, a country with fewer refreshments;

the demographic decline is a very serious problem, but it cannot be addressed by bringing down the government;

Europe is asking for structural reform on justice;

delays on Cig, but inherited complex system;

Conte remembers Borsellino, mafia virus is worse than covid, the defense of legality is in the government's DNA;

choice Iv is not the best for the country's interest;

contradictory not to accept the Recovery for the Mes;

Recovery draft resulting from meetings with ministers, including IV;

to Iv: you have never found closed doors;

with your sortie lost 40 days;

you have chosen aggression and attack;

Recovery blocked by IV, nobody holds truth;

if the numbers are not there, the government goes home;

work for the end of the term agreement;

if there is trust, we will work to strengthen the team. 



Conte's speech

"In past years we have experienced the shattering of representation, new parties have emerged in a new and irrepressible way, if we want to recompose the picture it is not possible to do it with a law that forces different sensitivities in the same shell. This artifice would lead to instability and precariousness. Rather, it is necessary to contribute to pursuing an instrument that can fully deploy the ability to favor the democratic representation of all the forces that perhaps recover disheartened citizens from absenteeism. Obviously then these forces will have to make high-profile programmatic agreements to generate governments based on clear programs and a solid and fruitful perspective ".



With these words in his speech in the Senate, the Prime Minister traces the political path for his desired majority of M5s-Pd-Leu and pro-Europeans for this legislature, for the next electoral campaign and for the future of Italian politics.



The majority was introduced into the legislature from 1992 to 1994. The premier of the time were Giuliano Amato and Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

In the subsequent majority elections in 1994 FI, Lega, An and Ccd won, but broke their alliance in less than a year.

Since then, the majority has allowed a stable five-year term only from 2001 to 2006 with center-right governments, continuously led by Berlusconi.

The other legislatures with the majority have always seen changes of premier and majorities, as in the case of Conte I and Conte II.



Conte's speech this morning largely echoed the text yesterday morning in the Chamber.

The premier cites Mattarella, the Biden presidency and also Elsa Morante with the novel 'Arturo's island' to underline the novelty of Procida, capital of culture 2022.



Conte sees the danger of social "anger" and "violent clashes": " a Government and willing parliamentary forces, aware of the difficulties we are going through and the delicacy of the tasks, we need women and men capable of shunning selfishness and chasing away the temptation to look at the useful person. We need people willing to recognize the importance of politics. Politics is the noblest of arts and knowledge, if addressed to the well-being of citizens. When politics disappears, these instances risk being on the sidelines or, worse, leading to anger or violent confrontation ".

For this reason Conte also asks the Senate for the vote of M5s, Pd, Leu and pro-Europeans.



"We ask - says Conte at Palazzo Madama - clear support, transparent support, which is based on convinced adherence to a political project. Of course the numbers are important, today they are even more so. This is a fundamental step in the institutional life of the our country and the quality of the political project is even more important ".



The closure against Italia viva remains: "In recent days there have been continuous demands, continuous relaunches which, however, not coincidentally, are focused on clearly divisive issues with respect to the various sensitivities of the majority forces. Hence the accusations, at the same time of inaction and of to run too much, to centralize powers and not have the ability to decide. I assure you that it is complicated to govern with those who continually undermine a political balance patiently reached by the majority forces ".



Segre in the Senate chamber, applause and senators standing up

Senator for life Liliana Segre, who will vote for confidence in the government, entered the Senate

chamber,

greeted by applause and by the parliamentarians who stood up to pay homage to her.

Pier Ferdinando Casini greeted her from the microphone during his speech after the communications of Prime Minister Conte in the Chamber.



[Xframe]   



At the end of the debate, the reply from the Prime Minister.