Italian president to Salvini and Di Maio: Don’t get drunk on power

by host October 12, 2018

October 12, 2018

The Italian press was all about reading between the lines.

Il Fatto Quotidiano covered a speech made by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in which he told school children at the Quirinale that the country’s constitution protects independent authorities (such as those overseeing the budget) and warned against the excesses of power. The speech was interpreted as a rebuke to Deputy Prime Ministers Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini.
La Stampa came to the same conclusion about the speech, noting that while Mattarella didn’t expressly mention the two populist leaders, it was difficult to see the comments as anything other than a criticism of their response to criticism of their budget.

The pressure piled higher for Theresa May, not just on Brexit but also on welfare.

The Guardian said May is facing a “revolt” in parliament after Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey admitted the universal credit benefits scheme could leave some people worse off.
The Daily Mirror labeled the scheme a “robbery,” while the New Statesman said it will be just as much of a “nightmare” for May as Brexit.
The Times said May is also facing a revolt from the Brexiteers in her Cabinet if she doesn’t put a time limit on keeping the U.K. in the EU customs union.
Sky News reported the dispute over the Irish backstop had MPs from the DUP, on whose support May relies to stay in government, calling for a new prime minister.

Newspapers in Germany crunched the polling data in the buildup to Sunday’s Bavarian election.

Tagesschau reckoned the center left and right were at historic lows, while things were looking up for the Greens and support for the far-right AfD remained stable.
Deutsche Welle said voters had lost trust in the leaders of the grand coalition.
Bild said the Greens were in second place nationwide.
The tabloid also reported that three Germans had died in flooding on the Spanish island of Mallorca this week.

President Emmanuel Macron’s delay in choosing a new interior minister remained the focus of much of the French press.

Le Monde said Macron and his PM, Edouard Philippe, were engaged in an “unprecedented fight for influence” over who should succeed former Interior Minister Gérard Collomb.
Le Monde reported on Macron’s speech at the summit of Francophonie in Armenia, where he said French should be “a language of renewal” and that “many of the wounds of colonialism were starting to heal.”
France Info reported that the wrangling at home delayed Macron’s arrival in Armenia, forcing him to miss a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.