Posted on 05/17/2020 1:55:57 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
When Covid-19 came to Europe it was Italy that was hit first - and hit hard.
Little help came from its European neighbours in those first weeks in February and March, as hospitals in the north were overwhelmed.
As Italy counts its 31,000 dead, concern is mounting over the economic impact too, and there are signs of a rise in the number of Italians losing faith in the EU.
The Treaty of Rome launched the then European Economic Community in 1957, with Italy a founding member.
"I have changed my mind a little on Europe. We are facing an absolute emergency, and seeing countries turning their backs on each other is really awkward," says Rome real estate agent Marco Tondo, 34.
He is currently receiving nine weeks' redundancy pay from the government at 80% of his normal salary.
According to a survey of 1,000 Italians conducted in April by Tecné, 42% of respondents said they would leave the EU, up from 26% in November 2018.
However, a quarter of that number said they would be prepared to stay in the bloc if Europe approved concrete measures for Italy.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Be great if Italy is the second country to leave the failed and dying EU.
Would that be a bloc of concrete?
Italy was losing faith in the EU long before the virus hit. They are in a love-hate relationship because they are so dependent on the EU for loans and grants. Italy is one of the PIGS of the EU, the welfare state that depends on the richer countries for support.
I certainly hope so!
The Brits had it right.
These mass groups made up of several entities, or countries, never work.
The only mask groupings that are successes are the United States, Canadian provinces, etc.
Italians as a whole can be fickle people. When they had Mussolini and they were winning against the Ethiopians, all was grand. When they started to lose against the Allies, they lost faith in their leader and turned on him.
The European Common Market was a good idea. It removed trade barriers from between the countries. Countries remained who they were.
The European Union is an attempt to wipe out national identities and to fuse several countries into one United States of Europe, in direct competition with the USA.
Italy had a PM who vowed to make Italy Great Again: Matteo Salvini, but the Italian Democrat party conspired to get him kicked out of office. Italy is once again being flooded with people who despise values of freedom, liberty, and respect for the rights of others.
Let’s hope the Italians realize what just happened get out of the EU and vote to Make Italy Great Again.
The EU, helping Communists win since day 1. I hope Italy will leave the EU. #Itaxit?
Italy wants free money, i.e. massive grants instead of loans. Northern European members are balking.
I was in Italy a long time ago, about 2003? All the Italians I talked to hated the EU and the Euro......
First Brexit, then Italeave.
Next, the French Retreat.
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