Northern Italians are more rational than those from 'il Sud'.

Sort of the Italian equivalent of the Swiss!

Tom

I thought that was Ireland?

Tom

Same thing in the end.

Tom

I have yet to have anyone properly explain to me what this 'Liberal elite' is, who it is and how I'm part of it. Using 'elite' anything is a huge, rational thinking cop out.

Moderate voices are the 'victims'. Having a polarised view is the problem.

Sorry to bring bad news, but Russia's meddling has indeed disproportionately influenced the landscape. See the El Pais link posted earlier. Brexit was influenced by the Troll Factory. Trump claims otherwise...

What a private company gets up to isn't really up for discussion. Politicians demonising minorities in society ought to be.

Weeeell as Authoritarian dictatorships yes, but slightly differing perspectives and objectives. Shoot me, I don't like either.

Some interesting stats to come out of the Italian election.

Unlike in the EU referendum in the UK, da yoof voted for the Eurosceptic Five Star Movement. Also, more women voted for the far-right Lega Nord than men.

But if you cherish diversity, you have to accept that there are polarised opinions within that breadth of diversity.

According to some ex-commies I was speaking to Monday, the Lega is no longer viewed as far-right, and hasn't been since Bossi left.

Tom

Same objectives on many issues actually, but sing different songs and wave different flags and therefore mortal enemies.

What were your understandings of the move towards the far right? Impotence? Anger? Poverty? Immigrants? Facebook? (not joking)

They haven't really, it's more that the right has moved left, and the left more left.

But yes, refugees are a very big part of the problem, and socialism isn't working.

Also, the EURO is seen as a big part of their problems.

Tom

Thanks for your answer. Did you mean to say Capitalism isn't working?

There's a Wikipedia entry for "liberal elite" but it doesn't seem to say who coined it or who has been using it most.

BBC: 43 hits
The Mirror: 53 hits
The Independent: 189 hits
Telegraph: 245 hits
The Times: 491 hits
Daily Mail: 602 hits
The Express: 928 hits
The Guardian: 2,130 hits (funnily enough)

"Not working"

Maybe because those in the under 55 demographic were Italian women using social media more than men? Social media was disproportionately influenced by radical populist foreign media. Maybe fears have been stoked, rather than concerns over GDP and the EU? It was a one theme election.

My eternal problem with these 'stats'...

100 people vote in an election.
The election is a secret ballot.
You can see from the attendance sheets that 50% of the voters were women and 50% were men.
The winner of the election received 50% of the total number of votes.
What percentage of women and men voted for the winner?
How can you prove this?

"I think diversity is wonderful, just as long as they don't live near me and don't go to the same school as my children"

-Progressive Leftist

People in Italy had enough of years of "bad governments" both from left and right wings and gave a good amount of their votes to nationalist and populist parties: M5S and Lega.

They were the only two parties that focused their campaign on very basic topics: EURO, Immigration and "get rid of the old establishment". Also a lot of financial improvement promises have been made, some of them completely unrealistic, but people usually don't get it

M5S has won basically everywhere in the South, where economic conditions are worst and people are usually more keen to "switch" party from time to time in favour of the promises that are made.
(side note: this has been going on for 150 years, is not something due to Italy joining EU or other recent factors. It's just the way it is. - link in Italian)

Lega has won mainly in the North, leveraging slogans against (unregulated) immigration.

While I understand these arguments are valid, IMHO, there is a broader issue going on at global scale, with the arise of nationalist and populists parties that are coming up to react to the deteriorating conditions of some of the economies in the Western World: Brexit in UK, Trump in US, Independents and Podemos in Spain, and ultimately Lega and M5s in Italy.

It's not something affecting just Italy.

The key point is not about "staying/leaving EU" or "allow/get rid of immigrants", but is how to mantain a sustainable economy in the context of a globalized world, with (almost) free movements of people and - especially in Italy - an establishment who hasn't understood all of the above.

my 2 cents.

Sounds more like your uncle to be fair OMG!!!! Does this mean your uncle's a progressive leftist?