During the last few years, there has been an increase in debates about the future of the European Union, partly as a result of Brexit. For long, public awareness of the EU was small. It was perceived as a distant bureaucracy with a lack of connection with regular citizens. This had an important effect on the European Parliament elections, which in many countries have impressively low turn-out. They were seen as an election of minor importance and parties had difficulties to mobilize their electorate. In Britain, this lack of enthusiasm for European integration was combined with public distrust, which increased as a result of the crisis that hit world economies from 2008 onwards. There are multiple reasons for this specifically British type of Euroscepticism and analysists have pointed out every possible one of them. Geography and history certainly play a big role in it. Britain’s longstanding good relations with the United States and other countries from its former empire certainly influence its self-perception as substantially different from its continental neighbours. Additionally, its strong economy and its significant role in the world have contributed to the idea that Britain does not need the EU. Apart from all this, there is a concept in the British special political system that has certainly affected the Brexit debate: parliamentary sovereignty.
Change everything without changing anything: promises and failures in Italian politics
The “Contract for the government of change” is the project for a government subscribed by the League of Matteo Salvini and the Five Stars Movement led by Luigi Di Maio. The current prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has been selected by both politicians to serve as an executor of the contract. However, to reach the result Italy had to get through three tough months, in which politicians had to overcome veto positions, to compromise and to deal with alliances. Eventually, an admittedly populist government was formed, formally led by Conte but substantially directed by Di Maio and Salvini, in which the management of power requires a constant mediation between different parties, opinions and priorities.