Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini spoke recently in a public square in the Italian coastal town of Sabaudia. In the midst of the current government crisis, Mr. Salvini’s focus was on the migration crisis, and the recent governmental decree that dramatically increases the penalties imposed on NGOs whose vessels “rescue” migrants and bring them to Italy.
Mr. Salvini’s popularity is at an all-time high, as is that of his party, the Lega.
Notice the woman in the background giving a sign version of the interior minister’s remarks — her emphatic gesticulations and animated facial expressions are as expressive as we expect an Italian to be when speaking, in contrast to the sedate performance by a typical English-language signer.
Many thanks to FouseSquawk for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:
Video transcript:
| 00:00 | Matteo Salvini, the absolute protagonist at Sabaudia. A large crowd at Strapieno Square | |
| 00:05 | for the expected gathering of the leader of the Lega [League]. Foremost is the hot topic | |
| 00:09 | of the government crisis, and the message that arrives in Sabaudia is very clear. | |
| 00:13 | Either they can do things, or the word goes back to the people, | |
| 00:18 | the only owners of the democracy and the ministries in this country. | |
| 00:23 | Much attention is also paid to pensions and the security decree. | |
| 00:26 | To retire after 41 years of work is a sacrosanct right | |
| 00:30 | It is not a gift for anybody. And our objective is to go further. | |
| 00:36 | It has been a beautiful year. I have to say, | |
| 00:40 | I was in my office this afternoon at the ministry looking | |
| 00:44 | at the results of this year, first of all, beginning with | |
| 00:48 | my jurisdiction, for which you pay my salary. | |
| 00:53 | Good. We have reduced by 80% | |
| 00:56 | the disembarkations of immigrants in our country, | |
| 01:00 | We have closed the ports to small boats, to barges, and dinghies, | |
| 01:06 | making some angry, right? It’s a daily battle. Thanks to the security decree | |
| 01:12 | that I officially signed this morning, | |
| 01:16 | if they enter in Italian waters without permission, | |
| 01:20 | their boats will be seized and they will receive up to a million-euro fine. We’ll see… | |
| 01:26 | We’ll see who is first to jump in and break the law. |
Superb man. Rarely would I say this about an Italian but I would be honoured to have him as my PM and neighbour
Agreed, but the “right” to retire after 41 years’ work is increasingly unrealistic in any advanced economy, with increasing life expectancy.
The irony is that many workers doing physically demanding jobs paying low salaries, eg firefighters or garbage collectors, are least able to save for retirement, though likely less able to continue in such work beyond their 60s. Solutions, anyone?