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A view on the future of Venetia

by Paolo L. Bernardini

The PNV aims at creating a free, independent, democratic State, “Venetia”, that will encompass the current Italian Veneto region, plus some other territories formerly belonging to the Serenissima Repubblica di San Marco (697-1797 a.D.), should their inhabitants endorse this ideal and like this new citizenship. Following the model of other European political parties, first and foremost the Scottish National Party, the PNV pursues its ideal (shared by a growing number of Venetian citizens), by going through a legal, non-violent path, that includes, eventually, the calling of a popular referendum, when all the Venetians citizens will be asked to mark with a yes or a no the question box: “Would you like Venetia to become a free and independent State?”.

In order to revamp a languishing, starving Venetian economy, that is currently condemning to closure hundreds of businesses, and to suicide quite a few destitute entrepreneurs, the free Venetia will adopt a substantial reduction of both income and corporate tax. As for income tax, we envisage a flat-tax rate, below 20%, which will be comparable to that of Hong Kong, currently ranked first in the 2009 Index of Economic Freedom (Italy is well below, ranked 74th or something).

At any rate, however, the independence of Venetia is not only a matter of economy and economics. I do certainly believe that the strong reduction of the current, abominable tax rates, will boost not only economy, but life in general, in terms of enjoyment, expectations, and so on. However, I should also point out, that a reduction of those rates do not justify nor meet all the ideals and the creation itself of the PNV, let alone that of a (the) free Venetia.

Let’s “imagine”, maybe listening to John Lennon’s tune, that Mr Berlusconi would abruptly introduce, with a smart move quite out of the blue, a flat tax along the lines suggested by the PNV, all over Italy so far it still exists. Well, this would practically mean the end of Italy, of course. But we are in the realm of imagination, of pure daydreaming. This is not possible, not even the chimera of “fiscal federalism” could be introduced without endangering the same existence of the Italian state. The LEGA people, whose role of traitors of their people is now so evident for everyone, still insist on this point, with the heinous mental reservation that they perfectly know that whatever “fiscal federalism” they talked of will never be introduced, nor is feasible at any rate.

However, let’s for a moment conceive of this scenario. Mr Berlusconi reduces drastically the public expenditure, fires a couple of millions civil servants, introduces substantial increase in the tuition fees of all the schools from first grade to university, privatizes all the public sector. Well, this would mean the “libertarian revolution” through which he poked fun over almost 20 years at an entire nation, too willing to be deceived, for reasons unknown. And one morning, still at dusk, we wake up with a flat-tax of 15%, direct and indirect taxation, all is 15%, even gasoline (so that we would pay less than 50 cents a litre). The world has actually turned flat!

Now, should we still plea for the creation of free Venetia? Should we still fight for it? Should we still endanger our careers and use our money for this ideal?
The answer is “yes”. Definitely yes.
And for a good number of reasons. First of all, the hand that has just given this flat tax, may always in the future withdraw it. Self-determination, on the long term, is much better than servitude, or slavery. There is a great value of truth in the popular saying that is better to be a poor man, but free, than a rich, but slave. A free Venetia might rescue a whole tradition of values that are relatively free of economic weight. A flat tax granted by the Italian government would not mean that the languages of instruction in the school would become English, and Venetian.

Our free Venetia will rediscover many other “non-economic” values which the Italian state has, in vain, tried to suppress, literally to kill, over the last 150 years. Furthermore, the rediscovery of the Venetian tradition will form the basis for another 1000 years of freedom and prosperity. As a defender of globalization, I nonetheless champion the local, indigenous, immovable traditions, be that of Venetia and/or of Liguria as well. To be able to talk again, with their, our own languages, to our ancestors, is not a matter of pure Romanticism: it gives a sense of continuity so much needed in times of global interconnectivity, and, at several levels, global exchangeability of individuals.

It gives a sense of identity, when we run the risk of being simple, uniformed smiling faces on Facebook. No wonder that in this immense social network, groups and individuals tend to cluster together using Gaelic, Venetian, Genoese, along with English. A way to mix the global dimension with the local traditions: the best possible cocktail sold now in the world, under the – rather whimsical – name of “glocal”. The 19th-century international Leviathans, the States (including the USA) play the role of old ghosts in a new house. They still haunt places, but they do not belong anymore to them. So, that’s the reason why so many politicians would like to abolish Facebook. It’s the ghosts’ grudge. They are unable to terrify anymore: they are just embarrassing, unpleasant harassers and inelegant disturbers.

So, there are many extra-economic reasons to champion the independence of Venetia. That said, the flat tax will be a priority, for it will take away one of the most perceivable burdens imposed upon us by the Italian state. The surplus of money in our pocket will unleash a powerful urge to produce and consume, that’s the same. However, this will unleash also the need to go back to our traditions, language, places, to re-discover the past, to restructure hundreds of Venetian villas, most of them still in the miserable conditions described by D’Annunzio and many other writers one century ago.

We will look back in the eyes of the world full of pride. The pride to be rich, and not only in terms of cash. This will be such an advancement, that will be able to sustain the future of Venetia should dire times come back, even when Italy will be over since a while.

The future cannot be really predicted, the past, albeit intangible, it’s there, and can give at least a slight orientation to the future itself. History is something solid. The past, along with present, is something. It lives with us, day after day something. It lives with us, day after day. One, not even a state, can kill what is immortal.

Paolo L. Bernardini
President emeritus
PNV