Photograph courtesy of Flickr user senemkaya

As we walked down a street in the quiet Portici neighbourhood of Naples, a campaign van made its slow journey past the ruins of Herculaneum, megaphone blaring (admittedly unknown) political slogans. Though oblivious to its meaning, it certainly made us think of the vastly different political culture that exists in continental Europe. Later, walking through the historic centre of Naples proper, evident on monuments, natural features and even churches were crude political graffiti of all hues. Swastikas were seen scribbled on the rocks which line the bay of Nalpes, whilst the short distance to the next street took us to a land in which the hammer and sickle and communist manifestos adorned heavily graffitied walls.

The amount of graffiti alone is impressive, but what struck as more interesting was the vast percentage of it devoted to politics. This is obviously a country in which people have their fingers on the political pulse; in which the game of politics is not played out once every four or five years on a dreary Thursday morning. The contrast with Britain - like Italian politics itself - is extreme. Our system, with its weighting towards continuity and moderation, and in which parties compete for the ‘national’ centreground instead of representing particular interests, limits choice and creates a political apathy evident in the low turnouts which blight British elections.

Is it time that Britain stopped resting on its parliamentary laurels and considered seriously the example laid down by its European neighbours? Whilst do we in no way celebrate the strength of Italian fascism (or indeed Berlusconi’s apparent political hegemony), would a system of proportional representation not create an environment of greater political discussion and involvement in Britain? When we see electoral turnouts in excess of 80 per cent occur on a regular basis in Italy, should we not conclude that a system in which moderate parties hold an unassailable monopoly hinders a truer, more diverse operation of politics?

—Kieran and Stuart, Napoli.

Filed under: clarepoliticsonholiday, fascism, graffiti, italy on September 8th, 2008