Salvini: ‘If I win, I won’t be the only one in charge; there will be a role for Zaia’
The Deputy Prime Minister, appearing as a guest on Bruno Vespa’s programme, reiterates his stance on the budget and pensions at 64: ‘The banks should help’
Key points
Matteo Salvini has chosen Bruno Vespa’s talk show to prepare for the vote that will take place at the Lega congress announced from the stage at Pontida. He has reached out to the northern faction, denying that, should he be re-elected as secretary, he will be a lone figure in charge: ‘The League’s strength lies in the team. Creating a group to tackle the challenges ahead will be crucial.’ Will there be a role for Zaia? ‘For Zaia, but not only him: I will invite everyone who has something to say and something to contribute to join a team that must face and overcome enormous challenges.’
The aim of fortifying one’s position at the congress
Salvini is speaking with the aim of fortifying his position: he knows that the majority of delegates are loyal to him, but he cannot go on endlessly fending off the attacks from the northern regional governors. Least of all on the eve of an election year. Hence the olive branch: even if it is not accepted, it removes one excuse from the equation.
The push for retirement at 64
The recovery strategy is both domestic and external. Although the Government’s path is becoming narrower due to the failure to secure an early exit from the infringement procedure, it has no intention of giving up on its key priorities so easily. Starting with pensions. ‘Italians are currently the ones who retire latest in Europe, alongside the Greeks and Danes: at 67. We cannot afford this for our young people. With 1.6 billion next year, we are allowing people to choose whether to retire at 64, bypassing the Fornero law.’
The call to the banks: ‘Do your bit’
When Vespa asked him about the funding, Salvini replied: ‘Where am I going to find 1.6 billion? By asking the banks for a contribution – they’ll be earning 50 billion euros in fees this year. Those who have more at a time when so many Italians are struggling can give more. And I don’t understand why we should ask pensioners rather than the bankers.”
Schools: ‘Helping children with Italian isn’t ghettoisation’
The Deputy Prime Minister defends the decree-law on education that the Government is set to pass tomorrow in the Council of Ministers. “The aim,” he says, “is for Italian and foreign children to attend school, growing and learning. We have 34,000 classes in Italia where more than a third of the pupils are foreign. If they do not speak Italian, it is a problem for them, for the other children and for the teachers, who cannot teach maths, history or geography. So helping these children to speak Italian – and encouraging their parents to learn Italian too – is something that unites us, that brings us closer together; it is not a ghetto.’ He reserves his harshest criticism for the left: ‘They’d like to have ghetto classrooms. They’re looking for new voters, new slaves, new citizens. This isn’t the Italia I have in mind.’
