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Comment by kfk | Hacker News Reader

I was reading somewhere that Poland will overtake Italy in GDP pro capita in 10-20 years. True or not Poland is doing much better than Italy already. I think it’s interesting that a country that was 50 years under a dictatorship was able to take over on a country that has not only had freedom and democracy, but also help and financial support from US and EU. Italy is not hungry for growth and it keeps consuming whatever capital is left. The ban on lab grown meat is basically that, no interest in growth or change, no interest in working for a better future, just nostalgia and protecting the “past”.

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One thing only is needed by this government to make things right: start enforcing payment of taxes. There's a gaping hole in our economy due to the fact that it's too easy to hide and no government is going to tackle the issue for fear of losing consent.

Until then, everything will slowly fail as it is happening already.

Italy was a dictatorship not that far back, and the current government is in power primarily because fascist sympathies were never eradicated in the country.

So yes, you are indeed right.

-- an emigrated Italian.

It's one data point, sure. But it would take more than a passing resistance to lab-grown meat to convince me of some national character flaw. Maybe overstated?

Italy was the lab for modern populism in politics for 20-30 years. The nation is suffering from corrupt politicians like Berlusconi having tight bonds with the mafia.

Don't put this on "the people" who can barely do much if the whole system is undermined by their leadership for decades.

People did elect both Berlusconi and the current government.

Germans also did elect Hitler's party as a majority in the last couple of elections before he assumed power. That's not the point.

The point is that some stakeholders of the political class worked on hollowing out the Italian political system for 2-3 decades. And corruption is an issue in economical growth.

Neither NSDAP nor Hitler as an individual ever got a majority in a free federal-level election. Hitler lost to Hindenburg in a presidential election 1932. In the Reichstag parliament election of March 1933, which was shortly after Hitler was appointed chancellor by Hindenburg, and which one can't really call free at this point due to violent suppression of the political left, the NSDAP still only got 43% of votes. They only got a majority of seats after they managed to remove the KPD seats through violence and arrests, and then quickly made a vote to make the Reichstag irrelevant for making new laws (with help of other parties as they needed a two-thirds majority).

But yes, they were met with little enough resistance from the conservative establishment that they could execute their power grab.

I think we disagree on the problem and I understand I have a strong opinion which might be wrong. But I think that kind of thinking is exactly the issue in Italy. I think if the "people" took responsibility for their actions Italy would not be in this situation. In fact, I think Italy and Italians never took responsibility for terrible stuff like Mussolini and the Holocaust, so from my perspective this is an old, old, problem.

Though the lab grown meat dream in itself represents nostalgia, protecting the past and no interest in change as well (you could very well switch to a more plant based diet)

> also help and financial support from US and EU

Poland had and still having an huge financial support from UE as well.

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