Some thoughts on the tragedy that hit Genova. Here's Salvini implying that it’s the EU’s fault because it constrains spending First, the obvious: it’s tragic that even in tragedy Italian politicians, across parties, immediately started blaming someone else
Some of the specifics:
1) the EU has given the green light to some €10bn on infrastructure spending, including in Genova repubblica.it/economia/affar… If anything, the EU has highlighted the need for Italy to spend on infrastructure ec.europa.eu/info/sites/inf… (ht @politicoryan)
1) the EU has given the green light to some €10bn on infrastructure spending, including in Genova repubblica.it/economia/affar… If anything, the EU has highlighted the need for Italy to spend on infrastructure ec.europa.eu/info/sites/inf… (ht @politicoryan)
2) So why wasn’t infrastructure in Genova upgraded? The need for development in Genova has long been debated, and there was a specific project on the table. Risks to the Morandi bridge raised years ago ingegneri.info/news/infrastru… & ilsole24ore.com/art/notizie/20…
3) M5S has long been against the development project. Here it calls the risk of the bridge falling “a fable” movimento5stelle.it/listeciviche/l… Here’s Grillo attacking development plans and more from the M5S here in Genova’s local council huffingtonpost.it/2018/08/14/tra… 
4) And here is the current M5S infrastructure minister earlier this month saying that all major infrastructure projects, including Genova, should be paused and reassessed ansa.it/liguria/notizi…
The tragedy isn’t the fault of one party. But it speaks to deeper problems
1) In the M5S: it built much of its popularity on the back of protest movements (anti-vaccines, no high-speed rail, no infrastructure projects, no CETA and so on) - but in gov't you cannot just oppose
1) In the M5S: it built much of its popularity on the back of protest movements (anti-vaccines, no high-speed rail, no infrastructure projects, no CETA and so on) - but in gov't you cannot just oppose
2) Spending on road maintenance dropped 12% in the first 5 months of this year (quattroruote.it/news/industria…). Italy has one of the lowest levels of road works, and the highest costs per KM, in Europe (europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes… & public.tableau.com/profile/claudi…)
Want an example? Visit Rome. It is literally falling apart. There are holes in the city.
3) Italy’s political class – across parties – need to stop blaming others for its failures: migrants, the EU, the euro (Italy is the only euro nation to see per-capita GDP drop since 1998: so maybe it ain’t the currency) are all excuses used to hide failures that are homemade.
