Grazie all’opera volontaria di un nostro sostenitore abbiamo a disposizione una traduzione dei punti del programma della Sinistra Arcobaleno in Inglese, utile per chi non conosce la nostra lingua. Se conoscete persone che possano tradurlo in altre lingue fatecelo sapere, le pubblicheremo tutte.

A proposal for the country

1.Dignity and rights at work: security

Everyday in Italy an average of four people die while they work. Thanks to a law desired by the Berlusconi government it’s possible to work even 13 or 14 hours a day. Often to be able to work it is necessary to give up ones rights. We now have the paradox where work is paid at eastern rates while products are sold at western prices.

The Rainbow Left proposes: a law that fixes the maximum working day at 8 hours and 2 hours maximum for overtime. The immediate approval of the decrees ‘attuativi’ of the Single Text for security at work and therefore more checks, certainty and severity of the penalties for enterprises that transgress.

2.Dignity and rights at work: battle against precarious/temporary work

There are over 4 million precarious workers in our country. That is precarious life, not just work. The Rainbow Left proposes to overcome la “legge 30” (law 30) and impose the full time contact of unlimited duration as the standard, to strengthen “articolo 18” against unjustified sacking, to cancel from the regulations all forms of work “co.co.co”, “co.co.pro” and false “partite IVA” ( VAT numbers ).

3.Dignity and rights at work: salaries, tax and income redistribution

In 2003 workers received 48.9% of national income, in 1972 it was 59.2%. Today employees share of national income has reduced still further. According to data from the Bank of Italy, from 2000 to 2006 prices and tariffs have increased considerably and salaries have remained the same. The Rainbow Left wants to fix by law the minimum hourly wage to guaranty a net monthly income of at least 1000 euro; proposes a automatic mechanism of recovery of annual inflation; proposes to increase tax deductions for employees. The Rainbow Left wants to introduce, as happens in the rest of Europe, social security benefits for young job seekers and for the long-term unemployed, made up of a financial element and a packet of goods and services. The Rainbow Left proposes to reduce the tax on lower income groups, taking it from 23% to 20%, at the same time to increase the tax on non-earned income to 20%, redistributing the gains to workers, immediately implementing what’s planned in this years budget, which directs to them the entire surplus.

4.Secularity: free space for everyone

In the most advanced European countries and not only in Europe, basic personal/civil rights are protected and guaranteed by legislation that protects the personal sphere, respecting the freedom of choice of everyone. Here it is not like that. The Rainbow Left asserts effective equal rights for homosexuals and proposes public recognition of civil unions. The Rainbow Left retains that everyone has the right to decide about their own body and their own life and proposes a law on biological wills.

5.Liberty and female independence

Not even in the 70s has the attack on women’s freedom been so fierce. There are even those who propose a moratorium on abortion calling women “assassins”. The Rainbow Left proposes action so that law 194 is applied, extending all over the country a network of clinics and introducing, at last, the pill RU 486 as a non surgical technique that can be chosen by women. A new law on assisted fecundation to eliminate the unfair limitations of law 40, damaging the freedom of choice of women and constitutional rights for safe-guarding ones health. A regulation that persecutes all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

6.Peace and disarmament

Italy is 32nd in research and development and 7th in defence spending. With the money spent to buy a single Eurofighter one could build 100 kinder gardens. The Rainbow Left considers that article 11 of the constitution should be completely implemented. Italy should no longer participate in missions outside the political and military command of the United Nations. Spending on weapons should be cut and the conversion of the war industry started applying the law 185. We want a law to ban nuclear weapons in our country. We are against the construction of the new military base in Vicenza and a National Conference on military subservience is necessary to debate all the bases for preventive war present on our territory. A new law is needed for cooperation for development.

7.Protect the planet: a pact for the climate

Opposing the effects of climatic changes is fundamental for guaranteeing a hope for the future for mankind. Without adequate countermeasures there will be certain risks for heath and environment. The Rainbow Left refuses nuclear and proposes that by 2020, more than 20% of energy is produced from renewable sources and that emissions be reduced by 20%, a big public/state investment in solar panels on all the roofs of houses and public offices. Water is a public service and as such should be public. The Rainbow Left proposes the renationalisation of water services, an outline law on the management of the ground and an increase in the penalties for environmental crimes and “ecomafie”.

8.The ‘Big Works/Projects’ which the country needs

Big investments are necessary for a different quality of development and good employment. These are our “Grandi Opere”. Securing the territory against seismic and hydro-geological risks. Investments to improve transport services for commuters and mobility in cities new undergrounds, trams and clean energy transport. In the next 5 years 1000 trains for commuters. Useless and damaging projects should be abandoned such as the bridge to Sicilia, the “Mose” in Venice, the TAV (high speed train) in Val di Susa, in favour of urban railways, railway infrastructure in the south and improvement of Alpine passes. Investment in rail, motorway and sea goods transport. Reduction in the production of waste, heavy investment in selective waste collection, real measures for recycling, use of the most modern and advanced technologies.

9.The right to (good) health and social policies, sign of civilisation

Italy directs only 2.7% of GDP to social spending(security). Germany foe example spends 8.3% on social spending. The failure and the crisis of the systems that have introduced the market to health care, are a further demonstration that only a public and universal health sector can answers the needs. The Rainbow Left proposes to bring the spending on the national heath system to European levels, making the ‘Ticket’ and waiting lists a thing of the past, inserting dental cure in the essential area of the health system.

The Rainbow Left proposes a law on non “autosufficienza” financing a national fund for at least 1.5 billion euro, increasing the national fund for social policies and indicating an essential level of service to eliminate the gap between poor and rich regions. The Rainbow Left launches a plan for kinder gardens as the hinge for a network of services for children.

10.The home is a right, not a good

After twenty years of a politics of privatisation and deregulation of the housing market, the cost of renting today reaches 50% of income or even more and the evicted, those unable to pay, have become 70% of the total. Italy spends on social housing a tenth of Europe. The Rainbow Left asserts that there can be no evictions if not on the basis of from ‘home to home’, proposes a national plan for social construction of 1.5 billion euro, that would take Italy to European levels, modify the law 431/98 abolishing unregulated rents. We want to create a fund to help with the renegotiation of mortgages for those who have acquired their first home and risk losing it and eliminate “ICI” (yet another tax) on the first non-luxury home for medium-low income groups.

11.Living together, including, citizenship

There are almost 4 million immigrants in Italy, they account for 6.1% of GDP, paying almost 1.87 billion euro in taxes. They are essential workers for our society, but are excluded from many rights. The current regulations imped legal access to our country, creating a clandestine society and condemning migrants to exploitation and extreme conditions. The Rainbow Left considers indispensable the abolition of the Bossi-Fini law, and the passing of a new law which introduces entry for job seeking, mechanisms for creating permanent status, the right to vote in (local/national) elections, the closure of the CPT, a law for citizenship based on the principle of ‘jus soli’.

12.Education, training, university and research: the true resources for the future

The number of enrolled in Italian schools of all kinds are 7,742,294. The resources dedicated to education and training is 3.5% of GDP and hasn’t increased for several years. In our country the investment in university and research reaches 1.1% of GDP, verses 1.87% in the Europe of 25, 2.7% in the U.S.A. and 3.5% in Japan. The Rainbow Left considers fundamental the secularity of the public school, starting from a rigorous respect for the principle that private schools are free, but not financed by the state. The Rainbow Left proposes the ‘generalising’ of children schools, the spread of full-time or extended-time, the gradual raising of the minimum school leaving age to 18, making the most of the role of the teacher as intellectual educator. The Rainbow Left proposes to increase public investment in advanced training and research, in the space of the next legislature, to reach the average of OECD counties, to renovate the university system and research, also with the recruitment of 3000 young researchers a year for the next 5 years, to extend the right to study, increasing to 20,000 euro the income limit to qualify for a scholarship.

13.Cut privileges, defend democracy

The question of the cost of politics can not be separated from the general conditions in the country. There is a growth in inequality and a growth in privileges. There is also an increase in ‘exchanges’ between business and politics, starting from southern regions but not only. The Rainbow Left proposes the reduction in the number of members of parliament and regional counsellors. The pay of Italian parliamentarians should not exceed the average of parliamentarians in other European countries. A law is needed to subtract from parties the nominations, in the health sector as in other sectors, that forms criteria that administrations must observe to protect the public interest and the principles of merit.

14.Freedom of information, pluralistic, democratic

In the last few years, Italy has been accused many times by the European Community about the lack of pluralism in information. According to the latest U.S. report on the

freedom of the press, our country is placed 61st. The Rainbow Left proposes to repeal the ‘Legge Gaspari’ and approve a true law of system that imposes antitrust ceilings and impedes dominant positions in communications and the culture industry. It is absolutely essential to pass a real law on conflict of interest.