A fresh BUNGA BUNGA nail in the EU coffin?

The result of the Italian General Election was that there was no result – not unusual in Italian elections which always seem to end up hung one way or another, then a Government is pasted together uncomfortably by various coalitions that soon become loose and melt away.

Thus, no overall majority and lots of bargaining and juxtapositioning ahead before there will be a Government and in the meanwhile the country remains in Limbo.

The final outcome was:

Cinque Stella 32.22%

Democratic Party 18.9%

Lega 17.69%

Forza Italia 13.94%

Fratelli d’Italia 4.3%

Free and Equal 3.38%

How is this to be interpreted and how did this result transpire? Well, there may have been no result, but the messages were loud and clear. Bye, bye, Renzi (a very sad blow for Malta) and bye, bye Berlusconi (about time!). The vote was clearly populist, very much anti-Establishment, very much anti-immigration and very much anti-EU.

However, before departing, Signor Berlusconi did provide the highlight of the election (for me) when this feminist protestor showed him a bit of Bunga Bunga as he cast his vote!

What lies ahead?

Brussels will have viewed the result with great consternation and will see another nail in the EU coffin – and Brussels has only itself to blame.

It is all very well bureaucrats being paid millions of euros to decide on the stipulated average size of a European carrot or the required diameter of a Brussels Sprout.

Otherwise, whether a man with a Maltese mother, an Italian father but born in Outer Mongolia and having resided in Tasmania for most of his life should be classed a EU citizen or whether he has to qualify under Schengen Rules, a system which by the way has enabled a load of eastern European criminals to flood most of Europe.

The EU has clearly abandoned Italy and the other Mediterranean states in dealing with immigration where regions far below the economic standard of northern European Union Members have been designated as “having to deal with the problem because it’s in their area”, a massive problem that has also infiltrated Eastern Europe.

For Malta, the outcome may be precarious because of the immigration problem and the agreement that was fashioned with Renzi that all boat immigrants in the Italo-Malta region be landed in Italy.

How will the new Government view this and what action will they take?

We will wait and see.

Wishing all a good day.

ALBERT JEROME FENECH