[Tubby Isaacs]

You'll be amazed that the poor South voted massively for the people who've done this shit.

Added hilarity for lefty liberal elites in Emilia-Romagna being big beneficiaries of the policy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/artic ... keep-taxes

Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been accused of “splitting the country” after parliament approved a controversial bill granting regions more power, which critics say will increase poverty in the south.

The “differentiated autonomy” bill, sought by the wealthy rightwing-led Lombardy and Veneto as well as the leftwing Emilia-Romagna, gives regions more power over how their tax revenues are collected and spent, and over public services such as health and education.

[kreuzberger]

Giorgia Meloni seems to be having quite the month. Last week, she was unceremoniously and quite publically given the elbow for being too far-right by the granddaughter of the actual Benito Mussolini, il actual fucking Duce.

She kicks off this week over breakfast with a self-avowed progressive leader who wants to pick her brains regarding the policies which shore up her sieg-heiling coalition.

It's only the sixteenth of the month.

[Philip Marlow]

It certainly seems to be entirely above board and exactly the sort of ethical alternative to the Rwanda plan that we need.

[Youngian]

Ghadaffi's EU bankrolled forces were very efficient in keeping refugees out of Libya as a transit country by shooting those who entered. It was Europe's dirty little secret with Tony Blair leading the charge.

[Philip Marlow]

Always fun to recall Ghadaffi’s five minutes as a semi-rehabilitated figure.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Ghadaffi's EU bankrolled forces were very efficient in keeping refugees out of Libya as a transit country by shooting those who entered. It was Europe's dirty little secret with Tony Blair leading the charge.

What charge?

[Philip Marlow]

Can’t answer for Youngian but Ghadaffi - not entirely a stupid man whatever else he was - cottoned on pretty quickly to the fact that being useful by way of the Global War on Terror could be beneficial to his own regime.

To whit:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/11/dis ... bout-libya

The most unconscionable aspect of this cooperation between Blair’s and Gaddafi’s governments involved extraordinary rendition, the unlawful practice of kidnapping Libyan opposition figures and returning them to Libya – predictably to torture – in exchange for Libyan intelligence on other global terrorist suspects. Evidence also suggests that the UK provided intelligence to Gaddafi’s regime on Libyan opposition figures living in the UK.

[Youngian]

The charge toward wooing Ghadaffi in exchange for favours like contracting out border control. Which the Libyan leader successfully delivered.
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Securit ... ant-crisis

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I see. I don't recall it being a 'charge', though.