The influence of the EU on Britain.

Populists will always look for someone to focus blame on to get easy answers but looks like Salvini has been called out on it, both for its gross insensitivity and its factual inaccuracy.

It doesn't help the Italian Government that the media is reporting that Lega's bedfellows in power had specifically called, a number of years ago, for money not to spent on upgrading and improving the bridge, and other key infrastructure.

https://politico.eu/article/giuseppe-conte-danilo-toninelli-5stars-italy-under-fire-after-genoa-bridge-collapse/
https://nypost.com/2018/08/15/italian-party-called-bridge-repairs-waste-of-money-years-before-collapse/
euronews.com/2018/08/14/engineer-warned-in-2016-that-genoa-bridge-would-need-rebuilding
https://aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/italy-bridge-collapse-state-deterioration-notorious-180816052346000.html
https://msn.com/en-gb/news/world/fury-of-victims-families-over-genoa-bridge-collapse-as-it-emerges-italys-governing-populist-party-labelled-safety-fears-a-childrens-fairy-story-five-years-ago-%E2%80%93-but-now-plans-to-fine-contractor-%C2%A3130million-after-38-were-killed/ar-BBLXhhI
https://thelocal.it/20180815/five-star-movement-founder-reportedly-mocked-warnings-of-collapse-of-morandi-bridge

Meanwhile, the EU had offered money for a project to improve the road network in Genoa with a bypass, only for the Five Star Movement to argue against it (see the final paragraphs): https://j105.com/news/world/genoa-italy-bridge-collapse-warnings

PS Can anyone spot the cunningly hidden Daily Mail story?

Chippycafc said:

Just read in the times the italian government is Co blaming the EU fir the tragic deaths in Italy...monetary reasons. Mmmmm.

And the UK government is blaming the EU for the lack of progress in Brexit negotiations. Spot the similarity?

CharltonMadrid said:

It's basically as if the UK government had blamed the EU for Grenfell. Passing the buck of the lowest order.

Don't be so silly man.

Chippycafc said:

CharltonMadrid said:

It's basically as if the UK government had blamed the EU for Grenfell. Passing the buck of the lowest order.

Don't be so silly man.

How is it any different?

randy andy said:

The bridge was operated and maintained by a private firm who collected tolls (and made a pretty profit doing so) to pay for said operation and maintenance. How the Italian politician, you or you mates in the loony Brexit press can try and spin this as anything to do with the EU, let alone their fault, is sick.

People have died and all you and they can think of is how you can get some anti-EU political capital out of the situation.

So the editors of the times are sick are they.....you quote them on a frequent basis when it suits you...That's sick.

Chippycafc said:

randy andy said:

The bridge was operated and maintained by a private firm who collected tolls (and made a pretty profit doing so) to pay for said operation and maintenance. How the Italian politician, you or you mates in the loony Brexit press can try and spin this as anything to do with the EU, let alone their fault, is sick.

People have died and all you and they can think of is how you can get some anti-EU political capital out of the situation.

So the editors of the times are sick are they.....you quote them on a frequent basis when it suits you...That's sick.

To your first point. Quite possibly if they did what you said, I imagine they didn't, they were morst likely reporting what the Italian MP had said.

And regarding your second point, I don't believe I have ever quoted The Times, but I'm happy to be proved wrong.

ShootersHillGuru said:

Chippycafc said:

NornIrishAddick said:

It doesn't help the Italian Government that the media is reporting that Lega's bedfellows in power had specifically called, a number of years ago, for money not to spent on upgrading and improving the bridge, and other key infrastructure.

https://politico.eu/article/giuseppe-conte-danilo-toninelli-5stars-italy-under-fire-after-genoa-bridge-collapse/
https://nypost.com/2018/08/15/italian-party-called-bridge-repairs-waste-of-money-years-before-collapse/
euronews.com/2018/08/14/engineer-warned-in-2016-that-genoa-bridge-would-need-rebuilding
https://aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/italy-bridge-collapse-state-deterioration-notorious-180816052346000.html
https://msn.com/en-gb/news/world/fury-of-victims-families-over-genoa-bridge-collapse-as-it-emerges-italys-governing-populist-party-labelled-safety-fears-a-childrens-fairy-story-five-years-ago-%E2%80%93-but-now-plans-to-fine-contractor-%C2%A3130million-after-38-were-killed/ar-BBLXhhI
https://thelocal.it/20180815/five-star-movement-founder-reportedly-mocked-warnings-of-collapse-of-morandi-bridge

Meanwhile, the EU had offered money for a project to improve the road network in Genoa with a bypass, only for the Five Star Movement to argue against it (see the final paragraphs): https://j105.com/news/world/genoa-italy-bridge-collapse-warnings

PS Can anyone spot the cunningly hidden Daily Mail story?

Love that bit where the EU offered money...don't the Italians pay into the pool then...they were being offered a fraction of their own money back...its like my bank patting themselves on the back for letting me withdraw some of my own money.

You really don’t have any idea do you.

No.....

Chizz said:

Finally he's said something that makes sense!

I am in good company though.

Haven’t bothered posting for ages ... and I know I voted exit ... but this is too funny to ignore.

https://twitter.com/sarahduggers/status/1029514363122659328?s=21

NHS doctor puts Nigel Farage in his place:

https://mobile.twitter.com/doctor_oxford/status/1030122574381023232?s=21

#I've worked out the Brexit master plan.

Leave, become a desperately poor economy, then apply to join, and get every town centre, railway, highway, historic building and hospital re-built a la Poland, Latvia, Spain etc! In a matter of years we will recoup the £3,000 billion, £4,000 billion or however much is the net amount we have paid in since joining.

I knew there must have been some forward thinking by Johnson, Corbyn and the other mad leavers.

A-R-T-H-U-R said:

#according to my drunk neighbour hovering the drinks after a fine bar b q.

You live next door to David Davis?????

The campaign for a referendum on the final Brexit deal has been boosted by a record £1,000,000 donation.

Julian Dunkerton, who co-founded Superdry, said he was making the donation to the People’s Vote campaign because he saw a “genuine chance to turn this around”.

He claimed that, if Brexit had happened 20 years earlier, his brand would never have been a success.