Unfortunately, there seems to have been no restriction on the number of possible choices respondents could make, so even the alliance with the UDC convinces a relatively high percentage of respondents (44%) .

Can we interpret Veltroni as the Downsian political enterpreneur who wants to shift the party to the centre whilst the base resists?

Why is Veltroni doing this? Presumably he wants to preserve those other opposition parties – the radical left, the UDC – in order to prevent the centre-right from gobbling up more space along the political spectrum. It seems pretty cautious, and also (implicitly) to assume that the PD faces strong limits to growth which would prevent it from mopping up votes that might otherwise go to the UDC and the radical left.

“the division of the telegiornali. Perhaps in the past it corresponded to a need for pluralism. But what sense does it have today? And how much does it cost? I’m not talking about abolishing Tg1, Tg2 and Tg3. But there are thirteen different bulletins which go on air more or less at the same time, and with the same news items. Why not differentiate them? Why not aim for greater specialization? By creating unitsdedicated to sport, or investigations, or local news, Rai would be acting like a real news group.

“la divisione dei Tg. Forse ha corrisposto, in passato, ad un bisogno di pluralismo. Ma oggi che senso ha? E quanto costa? Non dico di abolire il Tg1, il Tg2 e il Tg3. Ma di fatto ci sono tredici edizioni di telegiornali che vanno in onda più o meno tutte alla stessa ora, e tutte con lo stesso pacchetto di notizie. Perchè non differenziarli? Perchè non puntare alla specializzazione? Creare cioè settori dedicati allo sport, o alle inchieste, all’ informazione locale. Così si comporterebbe come un vero gruppo editoriale.” (IL PCI MINACCIA DI ABBANDONARE LA COMMISSIONE DI VIGILANZA RAI, Repubblica — 15 agosto 1985, p. 2)

This same suggestion – a single news team – has recently been suggested by Veltroni’s party colleague, Claudio Petruccioli. If the division of the TG did not correspond to a need for pluralism in 1985, how much less must it be worth now?

The sheer multiplicity of responses given (Adinolfi opts for the Spanish system) is horrifying though, and definitely doesn’t augur well for quick reform.

1. the position of the government is not necessarily the same as the position of the parties that compose it;
2. the position of the government is not necessarily the same as the position of the largest party in the government;
3. the position of either the government, or the largest party therein, is not necessarily the position of the leader of either of those two groupings

We’ve seen this on electoral reform, where the government (and Vannino Chiti) have a proposal, but Prodi doesn’t want to endorse it until it’s locked-down, and the Democratici have no firm position on it.

Now we see it on reform of Rai. The government, through Paolo Gentiloni, has issued a draft of a reform of Rai, which establishes a foundation appointed by Parliament, the regions, and certain other cultural bodies, which then appoints a “proper” executive board. Prodi’s heir-apparent Walter Veltroni now argues that this is not enough:

“mi chiedo se non possiamo fare un ulteriore passo avanti: abolire il cda della Rai visto che e’ un duplicato della commissione di Vigilanza, in cui esistono le stesse componenti politiche

I wonder whether we might not take a further step, and abolish the board of Rai, given that it’s a copy of the oversight commission, where the same political groupings exist”

The intent – abolish political-broadcaster parallelism – is admirable; the response is a bit stupid. I don’t normally agree with Sandro Curzi, but he’s right to say that a single MD, without board, would hinder Rai. Given that Veltroni explicitly invokes the link, a better response would be to abolish the oversight commission, the Vigilanza. But of course, that would interfere with the dogma of “the centrality of parliament”, and undoubtedly piss off the parliamentarians Veltroni needs in his campaign to become leader of the Partito Democratico.