Renzi showcases shamelessly populist style in Italian senate

On the morning after winning his first vote of confidence in the Italian senate, newly appointed Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi began the day in his typically "different" manner. Namely, he sent out a tweet this morning which reads:

"OK Senate, now the House. Then down to serious work. Tomorrow schools, workers, businessmen, mayors in Treviso #therighttime."

It was almost one in the morning when Mr Renzi's nine-party coalition government won its first all-vital vote, 169 to 139. Even if the figure of 169 was well clear of the 155 votes necessary for a minimum majority, observers immediately pointed out that he had polled four votes fewer than his predecessor, Enrico Letta. The implication here is that there could be coalition trouble up ahead.

There was much critical reaction to Mr Renzi’s tone and style in the senate yesterday. Many commentators complained about the fact he had spoken with one hand in his pocket for much of his initial one hour, 10 minute message. Others pointed out that his “off the cuff”, no text speech was not only less than “institutional”, but that it also slowed up the first day’s proceedings.

Italy’s twin parliamentary system requires that the text of a government programme speech be delivered to the “other” house, in this case the Lower House, prior to the would-be prime minister actually going into the other House. Problem was that, this time, there was no text. So the Senate staff had to sit down and transcribe the recorded speech before parliamentary business could continue.

In a speech which was at times shamelessly populist but short on detail, Mr Renzi outlined a government programme that ranged from abolition of the Senate through electoral reform and on to reform of the justice system. Saying he would make “double figure” tax cuts, he also promised that the Italian state would pay all its outstanding debts to thousands of medium and small suppliers.

To the surprise of some, he also said education was "central" to his attempt to get Italy back on its feet, arguing it is vital that Italian society restores "social validity" to the role of the teacher. To make the point, he intends to himself regularly visit schools all over Italy, starting with one in Treviso tomorrow. "Billions not millions" have to be made available for education, initially for the renovation and reparation of school buildings, as well as for teaching itself.

In a comment that is likely to reassure Italy's senior EU partners, he struck a blow against Euro-scepticism in saying Italy must knock its economy into shape "not because Angela Merkel or Mario Draghi tell us to do so", but rather for the good of Italy and for the sake of the children. Rather than complaining about outside influences, Italians needed to understand only they could solve the country's problems, he added.

Reflecting on the dire state of Italy’s economy, he said economic indicators such as 12.6 per cent unemployment and 42 per cent youth unemployment are indicative not so much of a “disaster” as a “total meltdown”.

In an apparent critical reference to the Berlusconi government's all-Italian salvage of crisis-ridden Alitalia back in 2008, at the expense of Air France and KLM, he said a healthy country welcomes foreign investment rather than discouraging it.

Interrupted on several occasions by senators from the M5S protest movement, Mr Renzi said he would have preferred to take office following an election - but that at this moment of crisis that had not been possible.