Society & Culture
In this episode, we catch up with some renovations happening at the villa and Paul’s adventure in local small town Italian politics. Topics we cover: • How we added three new bathrooms upstairs • How we saved a lot of time and money by using existing sewer pipes instead of adding in new ones and new construction to our first floor • How Paul loves using Farrow & Ball paints • Paul’s explanation between dyes and pigments • Impressionist paintings • One villa guest who stayed with us, Natvar Bhavsar who used pigments in his painting • Paul’s adventure in politics • Three strange rules (strange to us) that exist in Italian elections • First off there were 290 candidates for 17 city council seats • One reason is each of the parties, of which there are many, they have to nominate a certain number of people in order to be considered a “list” or a “party” • All these parties then form coalitions, there were three this election nominating three men for mayor • The next rule that was strange was the fact that you have two votes for city council, and if you want to use both votes, one has to be for a man and one for a woman • While understanding the thinking behind this, it seems like a strange law • In a national election, you are voting for a party, not for a person • In Italy, people always lament about how people here get jobs not so much based on merit, but on who they know, etc. • However, when it comes to politics, most people don’t seem to be voting based on merits, but on the fact they are voting for their cousin, or their brother-in-law, or their neighbor, etc. • The election outcome • Why the one left wing coalition is not throwing his support behind the other left-wing coalition • What it will take for Paul’s party to win in the runoff election • Paul’s speech during the election • Steven’s surprise in the passion and dedication people showed for a small town election, holding debates and getting very fired up • How some of the people during the debates were spitting on the other candidates • How the whole town almost shuts down a few days before the election • There is a 48 media blackout before the election • What the incumbents did to win the election • The results of the election for Paul • How because there are so many candidates running, a guy who got 2% of the vote got elected to city council • Why this seems so confusing for us coming from a two party system • NOTE/UPDATE: Paul’s party did not win in the runoff election • Why Paul decided to run • How Paul uses Facebook to influence the government here Some more about Italian politics • Italy is run through a Parliamentary Republic with a multi-party system. • Italy has been a Parliamentary Republic since June 2, 1946 when the monarchy was abolished • Executive power is held by the Council of Ministers which is led by a Prime Minister • Legislative power is held by two house of parliament primarily, and secondarily by the Council of Ministers which can introduce bills and holds the majority of the parliament • The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative and headed by the High Council of the Judiciary Paul's Speech: