Good Italy, Bad Italy 9780300188653

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GOOD ITALY, BAD ITALY

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GOOD I TA LY BAD I TA LY

Why Italy Must Conquer Its Demons to Face the Future

BILL EMMOTT

YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW HAVEN AND LONDON

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Copyright © 2012 Bill Emmott The right of Bill Emmott to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. An earlier, Italian-language version of this book was published under the title Forza, Italia: Come Ripartire dopo Berlusconi by Rizzoli in 2010. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press) without written permission from the publishers. For information about this and other Yale University Press publications, please contact: U.S. Office:   [email protected]   yalebooks.com Europe Office:   [email protected]   www.yalebooks.co.uk Set in Janson MT by IDSUK (DataConnection) Ltd Cartoons by Peter Schrank; charts by Adam Meara Printed in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Emmott, Bill.   Good Italy, bad Italy : why Italy must conquer its demons to face the future/Bill Emmott.    p. cm.   ISBN 978-0-300-18630-7 (cl : alk. paper)   1.  Italy—Politics and government—1994- 2.  Italy--Economic conditions—1994- 3.  Italy—Social conditions—1994- 4.  Italy—Economic policy. 5.  Political corruption—Italy. 6.  Global Financial Crisis, 2008–2009. 7.  Berlusconi, Silvio, 1936-  I.  Title.   DG583.5.E66 2012   945.093—dc23 2012007652 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1 2016  2015  2014  2013  2012

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For Carol

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Contents

Acknowledgements

1 Italy’s second chance

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viii 1

2 L’inferno politico

29

3 Il purgatorio economico

72

4 Inspirations from Turin

108

5 Hope in the South

139

6 Enterprise obstructed

184

7 Potential displayed

211

8 Good Italy, Bad Italy

254

Notes

281

Further reading

289

Index

291

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Acknowledgements This must begin with a confession. For all Italy’s undoubted attractions, it is plain that one man has been chiefly responsible for making this old Asia hand become so engaged with and fascinated by his country. His name is Silvio Berlusconi. A more positive influence has been my dear friend Annalisa Piras, who as London correspondent for La7 television and then L’Espresso came to interview me after The Economist   ’s ‘unfit’ cover, and ever thereafter urged me to stay interested and even to write a book. On reading an early, clumsy draft of the first chapter of the Italian predecessor to this book, she observed that what I was really saying was that Italy was divided between ‘la Buona Italia’ and ‘la Mala Italia’. She is now the director and producer of our documentary film on Italy which will shortly be released. Her husband Michael Trow and children Cordelia and Flavia also deserve thanks for tolerating her long absences while we were shooting that film together, a venture which assisted some of the research for this book. My former colleagues at The Economist are next in line for gratitude, for giving me such a wonderful place to work for 26 years until 2006, but even more for doing the

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Acknowledgements

investigation into Silvio Berlusconi that prompted our ‘unfit’ cover in 2001. Those most directly associated with that investigation were Tim Laxton and David Lane, who wrote the main article together, Xan Smiley, then Europe editor, who wrote the leader, and Clive Crook, my deputy editor, who oversaw the issue that week. In addition, Oscar Grut, the company’s legal counsel, and Marisa Pappalardo, our Italian lawyer, gave us essential support as well as fighting the libel cases brought against us by Mr Berlusconi. For the expansion and updating of this book, which was originally published in Italian as Forza, Italia: Come Ripartire dopo Berlusconi in 2010, I received invaluable research help from five Italians then completing Masters degrees at the London School of Economics: Filippo Costa-Buranelli, Eleonora Pauletta d’Anna, Giulia Paravicini-Crespi, Giovanni Cina and Tommaso Giarrizzo. I would like to give thanks to the Rete per l’Eccellenza Nazionale, the ‘Network for National Excellence’, for all the members’ help, enthusiasm and suggestions, but especially to Alessandro Fusacchia, the founding president, to Francesco Luccisano, his successor and my main contact there, and to Sara Callegari, Vincenzo D’Innella Capano, Davide Canavesio, Elena Fenili, Marco Ferrara, Francesca Galli, Marinella Giannelli, Alex Giordano, Eva Giovannini, Serenella Mattera, Morena Ragone, Emilio Roca, Davide Rubini, Daria Santucci, Jacopo Silva and Lorenzo Tortora de Falco for helping with my travels, arrangements and research. Francesco Grillo and his colleagues at his Vision & Value consultancy in Rome were a great inspiration in the ix

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GOOD ITALY, BAD ITALY

hunt for what Francesco calls ‘positive viruses’. Gianni Riotta provided dozens of ideas, as well as generous hospitality, first in Rome and then in Milan. Stefania Giannini, rector of the University for Foreigners in Perugia was wonderfully hospitable and helpful during my stumbling efforts to learn Italian, as was my teacher, Sabrina Cittadini. In addition to all the people who kindly gave up their time to be interviewed by me, I am particularly grateful to the following for their ideas, criticism and assistance: Roger Abravanel, Giuliano Amato, Marco Annunziata, Giancarlo Aragona, Matteo Arpe, Natalia Augias, Paola Bianchi, Luca De Biase, Tito Boeri, Emma Bonino, Ferruccio de Bortoli, Giovanni Brauzzi, Mario Calabresi, Edward Chaplin, Arianna Ciccone, Vittorio Colao, Giulia Crivelli, Mario Draghi, John Elkann, Alessio Falorni, Paolo Fulci, Paolo Gubitta, Daniela Hamaui, James Hansen, Richard Holloway, John Hooper, Paola Lanzarini, Enrico Letta, Riccardo Luna, Bruno Manfellotto, Claudia Millo, Mario Monti, Guido Nassimbeni, Pierleone Ottolenghi, Francesca Paci, Nando Pagnoncelli, Fabio Petroni, Chris Potter, Alessandro Profumo, Yakuta Rajabali, Ignazio Rocca di Torrepadula, Cristina and Enrico Sassoon, Beppe Severgnini, Rachel Shelmerdine, Alessandro Spaventa, Paola Subacchi, Maurizio Viroli and Ignazio Visco. Peter Schrank’s farewell drawing when I resigned from The Economist in 2006 inspired me to ask him to draw the cartoons for this book. Adam Meara drew the charts, using data kindly supplied by Christopher Wilson. At Yale University Press, Phoebe Clapham has been an admirable, enthusiastic and effective editor. My literary agent, Arthur Goodhart, provided as always tireless x

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Acknowledgements

support and persistence in helping me see this project through to fruition. My wife, Carol, as always, deserves the greatest and sincerest gratitude of all, especially for tolerating with such equanimity my frequent and sometimes lengthy disappearances into deepest Italy, both for this book and for the documentary film. Bill Emmott Somerset

xi

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Key figures GDP 2010: €1.5 trn Per person, 2010: €25,600 Average annual % change, 2001–10: 0.25%

ALTO ADIGE VALLE D’AOSTA

FRIULIVENEZIA GIULIA

TRENTO

Treviso

Milan

Turin

LOMBARDY

PIEDMONT

VENETO

GDP per person

Venice

2008, €’000

Parma

Genoa

>30

EMILIA ROMAGNA

25.0–30.0

Bologna

L I GURIA

20.0–24.9

Pisa

Cesena Ancona

Florence TUSCANY