Want to sort out the Neopolitan trash problem Mr Prodi?
12 viewsHere’s a suggestion:
1. Send in the army. Get them to tidy up, placing all the mess in large trucks and transporting it to rubbish dumps in other parts of Italy.
2. While the soldiers are sorting out the mess, impose 9pm to 6am curfew, enforced by the army. Anyone caught out and about is arrested, held for the night, fined, and then sent home. Cars and scooters etc, are confiscated. They will be released upon payment of another fine.
3. Keep tabs on the total cost of the operation - soldiers time, trucks, fuel etc, and then hit everyone in Naples with an ICI surcharge. Income from fines may be used to lower the cost of the surcharge.
Only a suggestion, but, you never know, it may even enhance the rather poor reputation that Italy’s politicos ‘enjoy’ at the moment.
This Naples thing is likely to turn Italy in to laughing stock for the rest of Europe. It’s a national embarrassment. Pure and simple.
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Sending the army in on national soil is something that only George W would be tempted and/or foolish enough to do! I think it’s called Marshall Law and unless you’re W or Musharaff, you don’t play with that kind of fire.
Besides, it would take the miracle of San Gennaro to make #3 work in Naples! Aaahahahaha!!!
But besides the laughs, you’re absolutely right. This is what makes the South the laughing stock of Italy, and Italy the laughing stock of Europe. Very sad.
Oddly enough, Gege’ Bau, back in the UK, can’t remember when, the UK gov sent the army in while there was a national fire brigade strike. All the soldiers did was to put out fires, with their antiquated fire tenders.
This did not end the strike, but it did, er, water down the problem. Nobody in the UK got up tight about sending the army in. It was a pretty shrewd/furbo move, in my book.
Probably to furbo a move for for Mr Prodi’s bunch to even think of, sadly.
As for getting the Naps to pay up, with a little furbizia, there are ways in which the Neopolitans could be made to pay up.
How about an Ecopass, Milan style, where payments are made by direct debit - no bank account, bye bye car. And the system could be managed from the north.
I’m sure others may be able to come up with even more creative ways to ensure the unruly Neopolitans make a fair contribution to society….
All the best,
Alex
Problem is, Alex, it’s not the Neopolitans’ unruliness that causes this mess (literally and figuratively) - it’s the indemice corruption that starts in the government offices of Naples, winds its way down through the various pubbliche (and not-so-pubbliche) amministrazioni of the Mezzogiorno, back up again through the halls of Montecitorio and the Vatican and, before heading home again to the sunny South, pays a visit to the movers and shakers in, yes, your own home town, Milano. The unruly Neopitans would like nothing better than to live garbage and crime-free!
I didn’t know about the UK sending in the troops to bust a strike. See, in the U.S. it’s theoretically illegal to use military troops on domestic soil. That’s why we have the national guard - which is now doing busy guarding Halliburton employees for W and Dick in Iraq instead of keeping citizens safe back home. But that’s another story.
OK, Gege’ Bau, I agree the Neapolitans are maybe not as unruly as I am making out - certainly none of those from Naples are the slightest bit unruly - quiet and thoughtful, would be a better description.
I guess, as you say, that the root of the problem is the corruption, which nobody thinks is corruption - just the normal way of doing things in the Living Museum. It would help if the dear old Pope would make a stand on this, but well, the Vatican is known for being rather, er, flexible. I really do believe that the RC church likes to be headquartered in Italy because of the ‘flexibility’ which exists here.
Maybe the Vatican should move its global HQ to somewhere like Canada or Switzerland;-)
Oh, and as you may have seen from my most recent post - they are considering sending the troops in! Wow!
As for the National Guard, perhaps you can explain what they are. Army, police, militia or what? Seems like a funny set up to me. Sort of give the politicians an excuse to use military force on their own doorstep, without using the ‘real’ military. Odd, but then most countries have their idiosyncrasies.
Regards,
Alex
Well I’m glad that the government is finally coming to its senses and paying attention to your advice!
The dear old pope will never take a stand on this or any other related problems, because the dear old pope’s dear old employer, the RC church, has too many interests in maintaining the status quo.
I would be a very, very happy person if the vatican would move its headquarters out of this country. It would be the solution to so many problems here.
The National Guard is a sort of quasi-military force that’s supposed to be called in for problems of “domestic emergencies” such as floods, earthquakes, typhoons, cyclones, locust plagues… political unrest… Since George went on his insane spree in Iraq, our regular army has been stretched to its limits and so he’s sent the Reserves there. Result: when there’s a real emergency at home (remember Katrina?)… helloooo!
Well yes, it is idiosincratic… but then so much about america is. I’ll spare you the facile comment regarding the idiots that are running the place!
The dear old pope may take a public stand on this (after all, he must keep up appearances!), but he’ll never do anything to really change the situation. After all, the organization he works for, the RC church, is too ingrained in the mechanisms of corruption. It would be against his intersts to encourage change.
I wholeheartedly agree that the vatican should pack itself up and hightail it out of here. It is one of the main reasons why Italy was, is and will remain an underdeveloped country. But I doubt Switzerland or Canada would want them. Why would they?
The National Guard is the reserve unit of the regular army and air force - they are the state militias. They’re supposed to be called out during states of emergency, like hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. These days, since the Resident-in-chief decided to go play in his big Iraqi sandbox, stretching the U.S. military beyond its limits, the guard has actually had to be sent overseas. Not quite kosher, but that doesn’t bother W and his playmates. That’s why when things like Katrina happen, there’s nobody around to really do much - they’re all ‘over there’.
Hi Gege’ Baus,
Yes, I’m happy to see that dear old Prodi has been reading my blog!
I tend to agree with you about the RC church…
Ever wondered why there has not been an Italian Pope for so long??
And, as you say, life is far too cushy here for the RC, church, and, as you say, I’m not sure if any other country would want it on their doorstep. But, moving to another country may restore ‘faith’ in the RC church.
And thanks for doubly comprehensive explanation re the National Guard.
All the best,
Alex