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| Europe |
| Venice Votes to Cut Ties with Italy in Online Poll |
| 2014-03-22 |
| [An Nahar] Italians in Venice and its surrounding region have voted in an online poll in favor of breaking away from the rest of the country and forming their own state. Over two million residents of the Veneto region took part in the week-long survey, with 89 percent voting in favor of independence from Italia. The online vote, organized by local independence parties, is not legally binding but aims to galvanize support for a bill calling for a referendum. Twitter lit up with excited separatists sparring with disparaging Italians from other regions who described the poll as "total madness". Supporters say the new Republic of Veneto would be inspired by the ancient Venetian republic -- a rich economic, cultural and trading power which existed from the seventh century until its fall to Napoleon in 1797. The result was announced in Padua to a couple of hundred pro-independence campaigners who cheered and waved Venetian republic flags. The Indipendenza Veneta party behind the bill says the separatist movement is fueled by the government's apparent inability to stamp out corruption, protect its citizens from a damaging recession and plug waste in the poorer south. The poll on plebiscito.eu asked inhabitants of historic cities such as Treviso, Vicenza and Verona whether -- if the new republic was created -- they would want to keep the euro and belong to the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... But the region's president Luca Zaia told foreign journalists this week that the referendum bill -- which must be approved by the regional council before it goes before the parliament in Rome -- "still has some way to go". Critics protest that an attempt to split from Italia could be unconstitutional. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Italians pay taxes? The way the Greeks do? |
| Posted by: Barbara 2014-03-22 20:14 |
| #6 Tired of paying taxes to support Sicily and Napoli. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2014-03-22 15:53 |
| #5 ...Veneto province. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-03-22 12:52 |
| #4 ..actually, its Vento province. It's like walling up Illinois (maybe not a bad idea come to think of it, but given they refuse to put a real border fence up with Mexico, most unlikely). One of the more self sustaining and productive regions of the country (sort of more like Texas). Contains two American-NATO bases, Caserma Ederle in Vicenza and Aviano AFB in Pordenone. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-03-22 12:51 |
| #3 so, Italy, build a wall around the land side of Venice and require Visas to visit. Slap tariffs on exports of power, food, commerce. Remove all security and protection. Let them have all the fun of being an autonomous state. Actions have consequences |
| Posted by: Frank G 2014-03-22 11:38 |
| #2 Meanwhile, NOAH Fans, o'er in the former Yugoslavia ... * VOICE OF RUSSIA > SERBS CALL BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA AN "ARTIFICIAL STATE", WANT CREATION OF SERB REPUBLIC. IIUC, 'tis will be a SECOND SERB SOVEREIGN STATE. * GROONG > [News.AM = Izvestia] RUSSIAN MP SUGGESTS RENAMING CRIMEA, to its ancient ethno-historical name "Tavrida". * SAME > IFF RUSSIA CAN RECOGNIZE THE CRIMEA AS A SOVEREIGN STTAE, IT SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR KARABAKH. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-03-22 01:47 |
| #1 Well, there goes Treaty of Saint-Germain and the Armistice of Villa Giusti. Almost made their centenial, just 4 years short. |
| Posted by: Flavising Dark Lord of the Gepids 2014-03-22 00:49 |