At the moment people from Milan, thanks to the Northern League and Arcore are first, but Emilia Romagna is becoming more and more crowded, for both political sides. Romano Prodi, Gianfranco Fini, Pierferdinando Casini, Pierluigi Bersani: the Italian executives live permanently in Emilia Romagna. This region will have to face Milan, that does not count much. There are some ministers from the South of Italy but their role is not important.

 

There is also a Sicilian delegation

with two ministers – Justice and Environment – and the second office holder, the President of the upper chamber (Angelino Alfano, Stefania Prestigiacomo, Renato Schifani), but their voice is just the countermelody of those who make decisions. Scajola from Liguria is more present than Alfano, but not because he’s better, but because Alfano’s latitude is less: to administer justice with magistrates on one side and the Prime Minister on the other side is like being on a knife’s edge, with the risk of weighing more than necessary and losing balance. Moreover Sicilians are not very compact.

 

People from Lombardy instead really count. Thanks to Maroni and Bossi, the province of Varese is the cradle of the Northern League and is competing with Emilia Romagna for the executives of the country. People from Piemonte, Rome and Sardinia are now behind. Sergio Chiamparino, mayor of Turin, is the most loved mayor in Italy (together with Tosi in Verona) and represents an important benchmark for the democratic party, but he is nothing compared to those from Varese and Emilia Romagna. Does “territory” count for something? In theory no, a part from the desire by the Northern League for secession, but the roots determine choices, initiatives and the aspect of the leaders’ actions.

 

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute