Popular Renzi fails to convince on reforms

Support for Italy’s prime minister Matteo Renzi has risen from 61 to 64 percent since July but support for his government’s reforms is wavering, according to a new survey.

Published: 8 September 2014 16:35 CEST

The survey, which was conducted by Ipsos and published in Corriere della Sera on Sunday, found that almost two thirds of Italians supported Renzi – a three percent increase since July.

Faith in the activities of the government also remained solid, with 58 percent expressing positive views.

But while the prime minister and government have won the hearts of many Italians, his reforms have not proved to be so popular.

Just 42 percent said they supported his plans to boost economic growth, with 46 percent expressing negative views.

Meanwhile, 42 percent supported his reform of public administration and 48 percent expressed positive views about his school reform.

There was good news regarding the new appointment of Italy’s Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, who two weeks ago was appointed EU foreign policy chief, with 49 percent percent of Italians expressing their support compared to just 28 percent of negative reviews.

Since Renzi came to power in February there has been growing scepticism about the former mayor of Florence's ability to deliver against a backdrop of economic figures that make grim reading.

Economic growth has just turned negative for the third time since the financial crisis erupted and sent Italy into a particularly vicious tailspin.

Over that period, the whole economy has shrunk by nine percent. National output is no greater now than it was in 2000. Industrial production has fallen to levels last seen in 1980.

At the end of August, Renzi held a back-to-work cabinet meeting, billed as the first of what the prime minister says will be 1,000 days of reform designed to free the country from the dead of institutional inertia and lay the foundations for a renaissance of the moribund economy.

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The strike comes after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama — who is close to Meloni — called a top RAI editor to complain about a television report into Italy’s controversial migration deal with his country.

The Usigrai trade union called the strike from May 6 to May 7 saying talks with management had failed to address their concerns.

It cited numerous issues, including staff shortages and contract issues, but in first place was “the suffocating control over journalistic work, with the attempt to reduce RAI to a megaphone for the government”.

It had already used that phrase to object to what critics say is the increasing influence over RAI by figures close to Prime Minister Meloni, who leads Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.

However, another union of RAI journalists, Unirai, said they would not join what they called a “political” strike, defending the return to “pluralism” at the broadcaster.

Funded in part by a licence fee and with top managers long chosen by politicians, RAI’s independence has always been an issue of debate.

But the arrival in power of Meloni — leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, who formed a coalition with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and the late Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia — redoubled concerns.

Tensions erupted at the weekend amid accusations RAI censored a speech by a leading writer criticising Meloni ahead of Liberation Day on April 25, when Italians mark the defeat of Fascism and the Nazis at the end of World War II.

Both RAI’s management and Meloni have denied censorship, and the premier posted the text of the monologue on her social media.

In another twist, Albania’s premier confirmed Thursday he called senior RAI editor Paolo Corsini about an TV report on Sunday into Italy’s plans to build two migration processing centres on Albanian territory.

Rama told La Stampa newspaper the report was “biased” and contained “lies” — adding that he had not raised the issue with Meloni.

The “Report” programme claimed the costs of migrant centres, which are under construction, were already “out of control” and raised questions about criminals benefiting from the project.