Wirarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1943. POLITICAL CHANGE IN ITALY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 October 1943, Page 2

Wirarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1943. POLITICAL CHANGE IN ITALY

IT is a peculiarity of the existing state of affairs in Italy that while the Government headed by Marshal Badoglio and owning allegiance to King Victor Emmanuel is recognised for the time being by the Allies, it appears, on aval able niformation, to be opposed by a very large proportion of the Italian people. Marshal Badoglio has told the Italians that they must hate nothing more to do with Fascism and that the sooner the Germans are driven out of Italy, the sooner will, the .Italians be free There are a great many Italians, however, who believe that the re-establishment of national liberty is contingent, not only on the expulsion of the Germans, but on the overthrow 01. the Italian royal house and the removal from office of its henchman, Marshal Badoglio. . . A settlement of these questions no doubt is impracticable while a great part of Italy—something like three-quarters ol the total —remains in German occupation, but it seems reasonably certain that great political changes will be witnessed as soon as the people of the country are free to express their will. It was reported a few days ago from New York that Count Sforza> an Italian diplomat and politician who has at all times opposed the Fascist regime, intended to leave soon for Italy, ■with the permission of the State Department, that he urged anti-Fascist Italians in America to join him in order to lorm “a. Cromwellian army” to drive out the Germans and that he urged also “a clean sweep of the old authoritarian remnants, including Marshal Badoglio and King Victor Emmanuel.” "While they have for the time being recognised the present Italian Government in consideration of its undertaking to cooperate in extirpating Fascism and expelling the Germans, the Allies presumably are not in any way committed to giving it continuing support. The position was defined by the British Foreign Secretary (Mr Eden) wh’en he said in the House of Commons a couple of weeks ago that . the kind of Government they wanted to see in Italy was one as broadly based as possible, including all elements and. parties of an anti-Fascist character. They would do their best to bring that about, and anyone prepared to help in the fight against Hitler would be welcomed. Measures to constitute a broad-based Italian Government have been in train for some time past. As long ago as the middle of last July, the former Rome correspondent of the “Christian Science Monitor,” Mr Paul Cremona, reported from London that: — Co-operation has been established between the leaders of a new Italian democratic party called “Partito d’ Azione” (Action Party), the Italian Socialist Party, the Italian Liberal Party, and the Italian Communist Party. These four political groups, hitherto bitterly opposed, have now sought to form an anti-Fascist underground front with a two-fold aim, namely, overthrow of the Fascist regime and establishment of a constitutional democratic republic. The Action Party-contends that the “prolonged abdication” of the Italian Monarchy and its complicity with Fascism make a republican regime essential. The programme of the party calls for constant supervision of the Executive by representative bodies, and for an absolutely independent-judiciary. Other proposals are a wide decentralisation of authority on a regional basis, the nationalisation of financial, industrial and insurance combines, with a restoration of free economic initiative to small independent and co-operative enterprises, agrarian reform so that the worker may enjoy ownership of land individually or collectively by collective management of large farms and tire guarantee to all of religious freedom. In the international field, the Action Party promises collaboration with all democracies. The extent to which the party represents the Italian people and can depend on their support should be put to the test in the comparatively near future.