Autonomy, Gesmundo’s strategy «Demonstrating is fine, but I say no to the struggle between North and South»

What exactly are you aiming for?
«Let’s start from a crucial aspect: we don’t want to create an opposition between North and South. It would be harmful, not for the South but for the country. This is not the time to talk about differentiated autonomy. Now we need to think about investments to ensure that the South, as we often say, represents the driving force behind Italy’s growth».

Maybe it’s the idea of ​​northern industrialists, not northern governors.
«You cannot compete in Europe with statelets the size of Lombardy and Veneto. We have to pool resources, North and South, to compete as a country system. EU funds and Pnrr money must be used intelligently. I remember it: the purpose of the Pnrr is to reduce the gaps. I wonder what the differentiated Autonomy can be used for at this time when we need to move in another direction. And so is presidentialism.”

You may not like it, but presidentialism is a legitimate form of government.
“However, the two objectives were mixed, in a political exchange played on the skin of the country: the Autonomy challenged by the League, the presidentialism demanded by FdI as a counterpart”.

And what doesn’t work?
«The institutional set-up is changing here. And I’m not just thinking of presidentialism: if additional powers on 23 subjects are assigned to the Regions that request them, the physiognomy of the country changes. The Regions become something else. In the meantime, there is no mention of the real urgencies which are development, poverty, inequalities. This is why I consider the discussion on Autonomy out of place».

Why, apart from the protests, does politics seem inert?
“Both parties and coalitions are in trouble. See the Democratic Party: two dem-led Regions, Emilia and Tuscany, have joined the path towards Autonomy. But see also the right. Minister Fitto, at our congress, said this: “My dialect prevents me from being in favor of initiatives against the South”. But then we saw the applause in the council of ministers ».

So?
«Then we cannot think of entrusting this matter only to politics. MPs should be at the forefront of defending Parliament’s prerogatives. Which instead has been ousted: the bill on autonomy provides that the Chambers can only approve or reject the agreements between the state and the regions, without the possibility of intervening ».

Several politicians have intervened on the point.
«I have heard Bonaccini, Emiliano, De Luca reject the Autonomy project as it was conceived. Well, I ask them to raise a levee and a barrier against this initiative. And we also turn to the mayors to help identify and solve the real problems that are troubling Italians».

Someone puts forward the hypothesis of boycotting Northern products. What do you think?
«Not to oppose, nor to boycott, would not make sense. And then what should we expect? That someone boycotts southern products? No, we don’t have to split the country, we have to put businesses online, innovate, improve our competitiveness. All together”.

The honorable Northern League Rossano Sasso proposes regional competitions to hire teachers. What is your idea of ​​him?
«Healthcare and education are two key subjects for the unity of the country. Without unified management, there is a risk of having 21 health systems. And covid has shown us the risks, when one governor was a Dad and the other wasn’t. Public education and culture built the unity of Italy. Sasso, despite being southern, embraces an unacceptable line for party reasons. His idea would screw up the national contract and bring back the wage cages, with different salaries depending on the Region. He evidently would like everyone to go and teach in Belluno because they pay more. Earn more and live as an emigrant».

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