The Italian Referendum

The year 2016 will be marked by three important referendums. First there was Brexit in the UK, then there was the Colombian referendum (in which voters rejected a peace deal with the Farc) and now it's the turn of the Italian referendum.

On Sunday 4th of December millions of Italians will be called to the polls to vote yes or no. The question: do you approve the following changes to the constitution - overcoming perfect bicameralism, reducing the number of MPs, reducing costs, eliminating a public entity and modifying the section concerning regions, provinces and municipalities? 
I'm not going to go into the technical details, as it's all rather complicated unless you're a constitutional expert. I also won't say which way I voted (as an Italian abroad I've already voted by post).

What troubles me is the meaning that has been attributed to this referendum and the stakes involved.

This was (and supposedly still is) a referendum about whether to change the Italian constitution. On the one hand, the yes camp argue that these changes are necessary and that they will lead to real progress. On the other hand, the no camp argue that the constitution is not the problem and that the proposed new text is confusing and badly written.

However, this referendum is being seen by many as a test for prime minister Renzi's government. It is also seen in the context of a growing anti-establishment trend, which started with Brexit and was reinforced by the election of Donald Trump in the US presidential election. All sorts of doomsday scenarios are being painted: a no vote could destabilise the country's economy, spark another banking crisis and eventually threaten the survival of the Eurozone. 

Of course, Renzi is partly to blame for this. Like Cameron with Brexit, Renzi turned the referendum into a personal matter when he announced that he would stand down if yes did not win. He later seemed to realise his mistake and backtracked, only to change his mind again: if no wins, he will resign - or so he says. Unlike other politicians, Italian politicians have a history of holding onto power till the bitter end.

According to the Financial Times, a no vote could lead to Italy leaving the euro and to the failure of up to eight Italian banks.

The Economist, meanwhile, is sending slightly mixed messages, with one article titled "Why Italy should vote no in its referendum. The country needs far-reaching reforms, just not the ones on offer". In another article the Economist warns that "the risk ((of a no vote)) is not so much instability as immobility: that months, even years, will be spent on yet more wrangling over the mechanics of politics and that Italy will not get the reforms it needs".   

German finance ministre Schaueble hopes that Renzi will be successful and said that he would vote for him. The point, however, is that this is not a vote for or against Renzi.

Whatever the press and the politicians may say, however catastrophic the consequences may or may not be, the yes or no vote is not a judgement on the government and it is not about whether to leave the EU or the Eurozone. This is a referendum about the constitution. Nobody really knows what will happen. If no wins, as the polls predict, the consequences may not be as dramatic as some suggest. To cite the Economist again: "If, though, a lost referendum really were to trigger the collapse of the euro, then it would be a sign that the single currency was so fragile that its destruction was only a matter of time".

Post-Brexit family reunion

Once again our Anglo-Italian-German family (with Austrian and Swedish connections) was reunited. The location was a 1950's villa with stunning views over Lake Garda and the special occasion was my parents' 40th wedding anniversary.

As might be expected, Brexit was one of our main topics of conversation after "Where is the best pizzeria?", "Where is Leo hiding now?" and "Have they emptied the bin/taken away the rubbish?" (more on recycling later). My Gran's favourite topic of conversation as always was Andy Murray, followed by Brexit.

I've heard about people falling out with other family members, friends and colleagues over Brexit, but in our family we all agree on two things:

1) The referendum was a bad idea from the start.
2) Brexit doesn't mean Brexit.

As time goes on and no clarity emerges, there is a possibility that Brexit can still be avoided, at least we hope so. After all, there is a legal argument that the government is not constitutionally entitled to trigger article 50 without approval from parliament. 

So far, nothing has really changed in our family, except for the fact that the pound has lost value against the euro, so holidays in Italy and Germany are now more expensive for our UK based members. 

Even the waiter serving us "coppe gelato" in the village of Montinelle couldn't resist a political observation: "Britain has never been the same since Margaret Thatcher left". Eyebrows were raised, coughing sounds were made and giggles were stifled, but I'm not sure the waiter noticed.

The truth is nobody really knows what will happen. It's all a giant mess (or an Eaton Mess) and it will take years to sort out.

It's even worse than sorting out the rubbish in Manerba del Garda. After one week most of us (except for me, as I did a crash course on recycling on the first day) still didn't know where to throw the serviettes or the tea bags away!

Rubbish collection is a serious and complicated business. Each day of the week, between 8pm and 4am, your rubbish needs to be left outside your house or taken to the nearest street corner. Monday is organic waste (biodegradable bags in brown bin) and other rubbish (black bags no bin), Tuesday is paper (in paper bags or cardboard boxes only, no bin), Wednesday is organic waste again, Thursday is glass and metal (blue bin only, no bags), Fridays is plastic (transparent bags no bin). 

Confused?

Or you could do as my uncle suggested: dump everything into the bins on the beach, which is kind of how I feel about the Brexit ballot papers.

Meanwhile we are all back in our respective countries of Italy, Germany and the UK, except for my brother who's currently on a business trip in India.  

Looking forward to the next European reunion...

My life in the EU

Yesterday I was shocked, sad and angry. Today I am still angry with the people that have voted to leave, but I am mostly sad. I am sad for the 48% of the British population that wanted to remain and I am especially sad for the young people that could not even vote and that will never experience life in the EU.
I was born in the UK and I grew up in Italy in a British/Italian family. I spent most of my summers as a child in the UK.

I studied at a British university and most of my friends were undergraduates, Erasmus* students, PhD students and postdocs from the EU. 

I studied at a French university for a year, as an Erasmus student from a British university, and met lots of lovely people from the EU, including the UK. In France I also met my German husband, by the way.

When I finished my degree I moved to Germany, where I worked and spent my free time with lots of Brits living and working in Germany.

I then moved to London, where I studied and worked with young people from the EU that were living, studying and/or working in the UK.

Now I live in Berlin, which is also the home of thousands of Brits.

My life would not have been the same without the EU. I would not have met most of my friends. I would not have met my husband and I would not have a son that can speak three languages.

I am sorry for the young generation living in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland may choose a different path) that will not be able to have the same wonderful experiences. They will never know what it meant to be part of the European Union.

*The Erasmus Programme is an EU exchange student programme that has been in existence since the late 1980s. Its purpose is to provide foreign exchange options for students from within the European Union and it involves many of the best universities and seats of learning on the continent.