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Italy’s top chef threatens to emigrate if ‘No’ side wins referendum

Italy's top chef and over 80 other celebrities including tenor Andrea Bocelli and Oscar-winning director Paolo Sorrentino backed PM Matteo Renzi's constitutional reform bid on Sunday.

Published: 21 November 2016 09:36 CET

Italy's top chef threatens to emigrate if 'No' side wins referendum

Italian chef Massimo Bottura. Photo: AFP

The prime minister has bet his political career on the reform, which would dramatically reduce the powers of the upper house of parliament, but is set to lose the December 4th vote according to the latest polls.

Massimo Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana in Modena was named the world's best restaurant this year, said in an interview on the Corriere della Sera website that he might leave the country if the reform is defeated.

“If the 'No' wins I'll be tempted to abandon everything and move abroad. I'll thank my country, which has given me so much, I'll close up shop and re-open in New York,” said Bottura, whose restaurant has three Michelin stars.

He blamed low morale in a country where the prevalent opinion was “it can't be done in Italy”.

“If that logic wins, it's over,” he said.

Over 80 well-known figures also signed a petition calling for support for the “Yes” camp, including World Cup-winning footballer Marco Tardelli and Turkish-Italian film director Ferzan Ozpetek.

The proposed constitutional reform is considered by supporters to be the most important in the eurozone country since World War II.

It is aimed at increasing political stability in a country which has had 60 governments since 1946, by streamlining parliament and the electoral system.

But critics say it would strip Italy of vital democratic checks and balances put in place after World War II.

The referendum has become a vote of confidence in the centre-left prime minister who took office in early 2014 and experts say the fate of his administration hinges on the outcome.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Italy's upcoming referendum

Swiss decision to purchase US fighter jets could force second referendum

Swiss fighter jets. Photo: JOE KLAMAR / AFP

Switzerland’s government on Wednesday backed the purchase of 36 F-35A fighter jets from Lockheed Martin to replace its fleet and five Patriot air defence units from fellow US manufacturer Raytheon.

Switzerland’s current air defence equipment will reach the end of its service life in 2030 and has been undergoing a long and hotly-contested search for replacements.

“The Federal Council is confident that these two systems are the most suitable for protecting the Swiss population from air threats in the future,” the government said in a statement.

‘No Trump fighter jets’: Swiss don’t want to buy American planes

The decision will now be put to the Swiss parliament — and also risks being challenged at the ballot box, with left-wingers and an anti-militarist group looking to garner enough signatures to trigger a public vote.

The F-35A was chosen ahead of the Airbus Eurofighter; the F/A-18 Super Hornet by Boeing; and French firm Dassault’s Rafale.

For the ground-based air defence (GBAD) system, Patriot was selected ahead of SAMP/T by France’s Eurosam.

“An evaluation has revealed that these two systems offer the highest overall benefit at the lowest overall cost,” the government statement said. Switzerland is famously neutral. However, its long-standing position is one of armed neutrality and the landlocked European country has mandatory conscription for men.

“A fleet of 36 aircraft would be large enough to cover Switzerland’s airspace protection needs over the longer term in a prolonged situation of heightened tensions,” the government said.

“The air force must be able to ensure that Swiss airspace cannot be used by foreign parties in a military conflict.”

Long path to decision

Switzerland began to seek replacements for its ageing fleet of fighter jets more than a decade ago, but the issue has become caught up in a political battle in the wealthy Alpine nation.

The Swiss government has long argued for the need to quickly replace its 30 or so F/A-18 Hornets, which will reach the end of their lifespan in 2030, and the F-5 Tigers, which have been in service for four decades and are not equipped for night flights.

In 2014, the country looked set to purchase 22 Gripen E fighter jets from Swedish group Saab, only to see the public vote against releasing the funds needed to go forward with the multi-billion-dollar deal.

Bern launched a new selection process four years later, and a referendum last year to release six billion Swiss francs ($6.5 billion) for the purchase of the fighters of the government’s choice squeezed through with 50.1 percent of voters in favour.

During the referendum campaign, the government warned that without a swift replacement for its fleet, “Switzerland will no longer be in a position to protect and even less defend its airspace by 2030”.

Currently, the fleet does not have the capacity to support ground troops for reconnaissance missions or to intervene against ground targets.

Meanwhile Switzerland’s current GBAD system is also old and lacks the capacity to meet the widening spectrum of modern threats.

The military currently relies on a range of Rapier and Stinger short-range missiles that have been in service since 1963.

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