89% Of Venetians Vote For Independence From Italy, Will Withhold Taxes To Rome
Inspired by Scotland's hopes for independence and hot on the heels of Crime'a 95% preference for accession to Russia, 89% of the citizens of Venice voted for their own sovereign state in a ‘referendum’ on independence from Italy. As The Daily Mail reports, the proposed ‘Repubblica Veneta’ includes the five million inhabitants of the Veneto region and has been largely driven by the wealthy 'who are tired of supporting the poor and crime-ridden south' (Venice pays EUR71bn in taxes and receives only EUR21bn in services and investment). The ballot appointed a committee of ten who immediately declared independence from Italy. Venice may now start withholding taxes from Rome. Wonder why the US, Europe, and Japan have not announced the referendum "illegal" and announced sanctions yet?
Venetians have voted overwhelmingly for their own sovereign state in a ‘referendum’ on independence from Italy.Inspired by Scotland’s separatist ambitions, 89 per cent of the residents of the lagoon city and its surrounding area, opted to break away from Italy in an unofficial ballot.The proposed ‘Repubblica Veneta’ would include the five million inhabitants of the Veneto region and could later expand to include parts of Lombardy, Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia....Wealthy Venetians, under mounting financial pressure in the economic crisis, have rallied in their thousands, after growing tired of supporting Italy’s poor and crime ridden Mezzogiorno south, through high taxation....Campaigners say that theRome government receives around 71 billion euros each year in tax from Venice - some 21 billion euros less than it gets back in investment and services....The ballot also appointed a committee of ten who immediately declared independence from Italy.Venice may now start withholding taxes from Rome....Campaigner Paolo Bernardini, professor of European history at the University of Insubria in Como, northern Italy, said it was ‘high time’ for Venice to become an autonomous state once again.‘Although history never repeats itself, we are now experiencing a strong return of little nations, small and prosperous countries, able to interact among each other in the global world.’‘The Venetian people realized that we are a nation (worthy of) self-rule and openly oppressed, and the entire world is moving towards fragmentation - a positive fragmentation - where local traditions mingle with global exchanges.’...'We are only at the Big Bang of the movement - but revolutions are born of hunger and we are now hungry. Venice can now escape.’
So how long will it before Barosso, Van Rompuy, Obama, Abe and th rest declare this referendum "illegal" and seek sanctions against the people of Venice...
Venice Votes for Independence
Venetians have voted overwhelmingly for independence from Italy, in a referendum organized by separatist parties. The referendum is by no means binding, since it was organized entirely by parties in the Veneto region without the encouragement of the Italian government in Rome. Nonetheless, the fact that 89 percent of the residents of Venice and the adjacent Veneto region voted for independence makes an impressive political statement.
There was a time when Venice ruled the Adriatic, and extended its influence throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, through the Dardanelles and Bosporus to the Black Sea. Long before the creation of the modern-day state of Italy in the 19thcentury, in the Middle Ages the independent city-state of Venice managed an empire of commerce that linked Western Europe with the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world, and Eastern Europe.
These memories of past glories are ones to conjure by for supporters of the referendum. Indeed, supporters of the cause of independence have explicitly drawn the link between the prospect of an independent Republic of Veneto and the historic city-state of Venice. Carried out online
by local parties favoring independence, the survey gained the participation of two million denizens of the Veneto region, and 89 percent voted in favor of the region gaining independence from Italy as the new Republic of Veneto, with Venice as the capital.
by local parties favoring independence, the survey gained the participation of two million denizens of the Veneto region, and 89 percent voted in favor of the region gaining independence from Italy as the new Republic of Veneto, with Venice as the capital.
The party responsible for the vote is Indipendenza Veneta, a separatist party arguing that Venice and the Veneto region should seek independence because of the manifold problems with the Italian government. Indipendenza Veneta charges that the Italian government has been unable to put an end to corruption, has poorly managed the recession, which has hit Italy hard, and has proven incapable of establishingmore efficient governance in southern Italy in particular.
governance in southern Italy in particular.
According to corruption watchdog Transparency International, corruption is a very costly problem in Italy, with Italy’s own Court of Auditors giving an estimate of itscosts at 60 billion euros every year. Italy has a short statute of limitations, which means that some cases expire prior to any verdict being reached. In addition, the executive branch of the Italian government has a considerable amount of power over the legislative, which allows the former to operate with little accountability. There are also no regulations on corporate donor contributions to politicians and political parties.
at 60 billion euros every year. Italy has a short statute of limitations, which means that some cases expire prior to any verdict being reached. In addition, the executive branch of the Italian government has a considerable amount of power over the legislative, which allows the former to operate with little accountability. There are also no regulations on corporate donor contributions to politicians and political parties.
The bill is already provoking incendiary sentiments on Twitter, with jubilant supporters of Venetian independence clashing with Italians who disparaged the idea of Venetian independence, finding it to be completely insane. In any event, the referendum is not binding: it was entirely the work of local independence parties. The president of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, said that the bill will have to gain the support of the regional council before it can be sent to the Italian parliament in the capital city of Rome.
, with jubilant supporters of Venetian independence clashing with Italians who disparaged the idea of Venetian independence, finding it to be completely insane. In any event, the referendum is not binding: it was entirely the work of local independence parties. The president of the region of Veneto, Luca Zaia, said that the bill will have to gain the support of the regional council before it can be sent to the Italian parliament in the capital city of Rome.
Memories of Venice’s storied history run deep in the city that maintained its independence until the coming of Napoleon in 1797, and have certainly proven strong enough to kindle a vote for independence. The vote still has a long way to go if the Venetian separatists are to achieve their goal of an independent state, but it is a clear indication that for many in the historic Veneto region, an independent Venice does not have to remain the preserve of history.
By Michael Schultheiss
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