Italian Radicals
Encyclopedia
Italian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale
, liberista
e libertario political movement (liberista means economic liberal
or, better, libertarian
in the American
sense; libertario, here, denotes a form of social liberalism
concerning moral issues, with some ideological connection with historical left-libertarianism
).
It was founded on 14 July 2001, with Daniele Capezzone
as the original party secretary, replaced in 2006 by Rita Bernardini. The party intends to be the Italian section of the Transnational Radical Party
, that is to say the continuation of the Radical Party founded in 1955 by the left-wing of the Italian Liberal Party
and re-launched in the 1960s by Marco Pannella
.
The Radical Party having become a transnational NGO
working at the UN
level, which by statute does not participate in national political elections, its Italian members organised themselves into the Pannella List
(Lista Pannella) between 1992 and 1999 and into the Bonino List
(Lista Bonino) until 2001, when they re-established themselves as a party.
The Radical Party had historically been considered as the strongest left-libertarian
political movement in Italy (often proposing itself as the most extreme opposition to the Italian political establishment), but, when Silvio Berlusconi
entered the political arena in 1994, the Radicals, then organised into the Pannella List
, decided to support his policies (meant to introduce libertarian economical principles), albeit critically and without becoming directly involved in his centre-right governmental cabinets, in the hope of a "liberal revolution" as opposed to the conservative and statist
political establishment represented both by established centre-right and centre-left parties.
The twisted relationship between the Radicals and Berlusconi, whose allies included social-conservative
groups opposed to the Radicals, soon ended up, although never stopping the Radicals from being vocally critical of the policies supported by the left. As a result, since 1996 the Radicals have not been part of any major coalition. In the 1999 European Parliament election
, the Bonino List
won 8.7% of the vote, but Radicals were not able to convert that success into more influence in the political arena. From 2001 to 2006 Radicals were not even represented in the Italian Parliament, while for the previous five years they had only one Senator.
In 2001, after a crushing defeat in the general election
(only 2.3% of the votes and no seats), the Radicals re-organised themselves as "Italian Radicals" and elected young Daniele Capezzone
as secretary. This was a big shift from the electoral lists formed by Radicals since 1989, when they decided to transform their party into the Transnational Radical Party
, as it meant that the Radicals understood that they needed a more stable organization if they wanted to preserve their role in Italian politics.
The second important step concerned alliances. During the run-up to the 2005 regional election
, the Italian Radicals took the unprecedented step of asking at the same time to join both the centre-right House of Freedoms
and the centre-left The Union
, regardless of their respective political platforms. The request was turned down by both coalitions, but was a signal that the Radicals had understood that isolation was no more affordable.
In November 2005 the Italian Radicals established an alliance with the Italian Democratic Socialists
(SDI) and became de facto members of The Union coalition for the general election
of 2006. The symbol and name of the new alliance was Rose in the Fist
, the former symbol of the Radical party in the 1970s and 1980s and the current symbol of the Socialist International
. This decision led to a split by those Radicals who were more keen on an alliance with the centre-right: this group, led by Benedetto Della Vedova
, launched the Liberal Reformers
and joined the House of Freedoms, eventually merging into Berlusconi's The People of Freedom
party.
In the election the list scored only 2.6%, much less than the electoral sum of the two parties before the alliace (Radicals alone took 2.3% in the 2004 European Parliament election
). The Radicals lost voters in their strongholds in the North to Forza Italia
, while the Socialists lost ground in the South, where they are more popular, to The Olive Tree parties (see electoral results of the Rose in the Fist). After the election, Emma Bonino was sworn in as Minister of European Affairs and International Trade in the Prodi II Cabinet
.
In November 2006, after a row with Marco Pannella
, who remains the real leader of the party behind the scenes, Daniele Capezzone was forced to leave the post of secretary and was replaced by the rank-and-file member Rita Bernardini. Since then Capezzone, although not leaving officially the party, became very critical of the government led by Romano Prodi
and formed his own political association named Decide!
, much closer to the centre-right than to the centre-left. Later on, Capezzone entered Forza Italia and became spokesman of that party.
In November 2007, the Rose in the Fist was finally disbanded as the SDI merged into the modern-day Italian Socialist Party, and the Radicals were at a new turning-point of their history. In the run-up of the 2007 party convention, Marco Pannella declared that the party should "give absolute priority to economic, liberal and libertarian reforms rather than civil struggle to Vatican power, prepotency and arrogance", which were at the centre of the 2006 electoral campaign with the Rose in the Fist. This did not mean anyway a reconciliation with the centre-right, as some pundits suggested, and in fact the Radical decided to stay in the centre-left camp.
In the forthcoming election
the Radicals stood for re-election in list with the Democratic Party
(PD). Under the agreement with PD's then-leader Walter Veltroni
, six deputies and three senators were elected. After the election, Bonino was appointed Vice President of the Senate
and she, along with the other eight Radical MPs are members of the Democratic Party's caucuses.
In June 2008 Bernardini, Coscioni and Zamparutti, all three elected to the Italian Parliament, were replaced by Antonella Casu, Bruno Mellano and Michele De Lucia respectively, as party leadership roles and elected office are incompatible according to the party constitution. In November 2008 the new leadership was confirmed by the national congress, after a row between Pannella and Bonino.
In the 2009 European Parliament election
the Italian Radicals ran separately from the PD as the Pannella-Bonino List
. Receiving 2.4% of the vote, they failed to return any MEPs. In November Mario Staderini was elected secretary in place of Casu.
Emma Bonino ran for President in the 2010 Lazio regional election
but was defeated by Renata Polverini
.
agenda, whereas most other parties either support the Catholic Church
or are ambivalent.
They are vocal supporters of human
and civil rights
, which they consider to include abortion
, same-sex marriage
, euthanasia
, artificial insemination
, stem cell
research, abolition of capital punishment
all around the world and legalisation of soft drugs
. This put the party at odds with the mainstream centre-right parties, while their strong support of libertarian
policies, the free market
, liberalization
s, privatization
s, low tax
es and privately-funded health care
put it at odds with many areas of the centre-left.
In foreign policy
, the Radicals are instinctively and staunchly pro-American
, pro-European
and were in favour of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
in 1999. They also propose an American-style reform of Italian political system, including presidentialism
, competitive federalism
and first-past-the-post voting. Despite being a small party, they are also keen supporters of a two-party system
.
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, liberista
Liberism
Liberism is a term for the economic doctrine of laissez-faire capitalism first used in English by the Italian-American political scientist Giovanni Sartori....
e libertario political movement (liberista means economic liberal
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
or, better, libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sense; libertario, here, denotes a form of social liberalism
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
concerning moral issues, with some ideological connection with historical left-libertarianism
Left-libertarianism
Left-libertarianism names several related but distinct approaches to politics, society, culture, and political and social theory, which stress equally both individual freedom and social justice.-Schools of thought:...
).
It was founded on 14 July 2001, with Daniele Capezzone
Daniele Capezzone
Daniele Capezzone is a centre-right Italian politician.He currently is the spokesman for the People of Freedom.From July 14, 2001 to November 4, 2006, he was secretary of the Italian Radicals, a liberal, pro-market economy, libertarian movement associated with the Transnational Radical Party...
as the original party secretary, replaced in 2006 by Rita Bernardini. The party intends to be the Italian section of the Transnational Radical Party
Transnational Radical Party
The Transnational Radical Party is a political association of citizens, parliamentarians and members of government of various national and political backgrounds who intend to use nonviolent means to create an effective body of international law with respect for individuals and the...
, that is to say the continuation of the Radical Party founded in 1955 by the left-wing of the Italian Liberal Party
Italian Liberal Party
The Italian Liberal Party was a liberal political party in Italy.-Origins:The origins of liberalism in Italy came from the so-called "Historical Right", a parliamentary group formed by Camillo Benso di Cavour in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sardinia following the 1848 revolution...
and re-launched in the 1960s by Marco Pannella
Marco Pannella
Giacinto Pannella, better known as Marco Pannella is an Italian politician.He is the historic leader of the Italian Radicals...
.
The Radical Party having become a transnational NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
working at the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
level, which by statute does not participate in national political elections, its Italian members organised themselves into the Pannella List
Pannella List
Pannella List was a strongly libertarian Radical electoral list active in the 1990s in Italy. Its long-standing leader and standard-bearer was Marco Pannella, who had been the historical leader of the Radical Party from 1963 to 1989....
(Lista Pannella) between 1992 and 1999 and into the Bonino List
Bonino List
Bonino List was a strongly libertarian Radical electoral list active in the 1990s and the 2000s in Italy. Named for Emma Bonino, a leading Radical who had been member of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999 , after the unsuccessful "Emma for President" campaign, it was the successor of the...
(Lista Bonino) until 2001, when they re-established themselves as a party.
Road to a new party
Left-libertarianism
Left-libertarianism names several related but distinct approaches to politics, society, culture, and political and social theory, which stress equally both individual freedom and social justice.-Schools of thought:...
political movement in Italy (often proposing itself as the most extreme opposition to the Italian political establishment), but, when Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
entered the political arena in 1994, the Radicals, then organised into the Pannella List
Pannella List
Pannella List was a strongly libertarian Radical electoral list active in the 1990s in Italy. Its long-standing leader and standard-bearer was Marco Pannella, who had been the historical leader of the Radical Party from 1963 to 1989....
, decided to support his policies (meant to introduce libertarian economical principles), albeit critically and without becoming directly involved in his centre-right governmental cabinets, in the hope of a "liberal revolution" as opposed to the conservative and statist
Statism
Statism is a term usually describing a political philosophy, whether of the right or the left, that emphasises the role of the state in politics or supports the use of the state to achieve economic, military or social goals...
political establishment represented both by established centre-right and centre-left parties.
The twisted relationship between the Radicals and Berlusconi, whose allies included social-conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
groups opposed to the Radicals, soon ended up, although never stopping the Radicals from being vocally critical of the policies supported by the left. As a result, since 1996 the Radicals have not been part of any major coalition. In the 1999 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 1999
The European Parliament Election, 1999 was a European election for all 626 members of the European Parliament held across the 15 European Union member states on 10, 11 and 13 June 1999. The voter turn-out was generally low, except in Belgium and Luxembourg, where voting is compulsory and where...
, the Bonino List
Bonino List
Bonino List was a strongly libertarian Radical electoral list active in the 1990s and the 2000s in Italy. Named for Emma Bonino, a leading Radical who had been member of the European Commission from 1995 to 1999 , after the unsuccessful "Emma for President" campaign, it was the successor of the...
won 8.7% of the vote, but Radicals were not able to convert that success into more influence in the political arena. From 2001 to 2006 Radicals were not even represented in the Italian Parliament, while for the previous five years they had only one Senator.
In 2001, after a crushing defeat in the general election
Italian general election, 2001
A national general election was held in Italy on May 13, 2001 to elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. The 14th Parliament of the Italian republic was chosen....
(only 2.3% of the votes and no seats), the Radicals re-organised themselves as "Italian Radicals" and elected young Daniele Capezzone
Daniele Capezzone
Daniele Capezzone is a centre-right Italian politician.He currently is the spokesman for the People of Freedom.From July 14, 2001 to November 4, 2006, he was secretary of the Italian Radicals, a liberal, pro-market economy, libertarian movement associated with the Transnational Radical Party...
as secretary. This was a big shift from the electoral lists formed by Radicals since 1989, when they decided to transform their party into the Transnational Radical Party
Transnational Radical Party
The Transnational Radical Party is a political association of citizens, parliamentarians and members of government of various national and political backgrounds who intend to use nonviolent means to create an effective body of international law with respect for individuals and the...
, as it meant that the Radicals understood that they needed a more stable organization if they wanted to preserve their role in Italian politics.
The second important step concerned alliances. During the run-up to the 2005 regional election
Italian regional elections, 2005
The Italian regional elections of 3–4 April 2005 were a major victory for the centre-left The Union coalition, led by Romano Prodi. The centre-right coalition, governing in the national government, was defeated in all the regions it held, except for its strongholds in Lombardy and Veneto, whose...
, the Italian Radicals took the unprecedented step of asking at the same time to join both the centre-right House of Freedoms
House of Freedoms
The House of Freedoms , was a major Italian centre-right political and electoral alliance led by Silvio Berlusconi. It was initially composed of several political parties:*Forza Italia *National Alliance...
and the centre-left The Union
The Union (political coalition)
The Union was an centre-left coalition of political parties in Italy. It was led by Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy from April 2006 to April 2008, and former President of the European Commission.-Parties:...
, regardless of their respective political platforms. The request was turned down by both coalitions, but was a signal that the Radicals had understood that isolation was no more affordable.
The Rose in the Fist
Italian Democratic Socialists
The Italian Democratic Socialists were a small social-democratic political party in Italy. Led by Enrico Boselli, the party was the direct continuation of the Italian Socialists, the legal successor of the historical Italian Socialist Party...
(SDI) and became de facto members of The Union coalition for the general election
Italian general election, 2006
In the Italian general election, 2006 for the renewal of the two Chambers of the Parliament of Italy held on April 9 and April 10, 2006 the incumbent prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the center-right House of Freedoms, was narrowly defeated by Romano Prodi, leader of the center-left The...
of 2006. The symbol and name of the new alliance was Rose in the Fist
Rose in the Fist
The Rose in the Fist was a coalition of parties in Italy.The RnP was composed of the social-democratic Italian Democratic Socialists , the libertarian Italian Radicals and some independent members gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist The Rose in the Fist was a coalition of...
, the former symbol of the Radical party in the 1970s and 1980s and the current symbol of the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
. This decision led to a split by those Radicals who were more keen on an alliance with the centre-right: this group, led by Benedetto Della Vedova
Benedetto Della Vedova
Benedetto Della Vedova is an Italian politician, formerly the leader of Liberal Reformers, a minor liberal and libertarian party, and currently member of The Liberal Part, a liberal faction within the centre-right People of Freedom party.-Biography:His political experience began in 1994 with the...
, launched the Liberal Reformers
Liberal Reformers
Liberal Reformers was a minor libertarian political party in Italy led by Benedetto Della Vedova, a former President of the Italian Radicals.-History:...
and joined the House of Freedoms, eventually merging into Berlusconi's The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
party.
In the election the list scored only 2.6%, much less than the electoral sum of the two parties before the alliace (Radicals alone took 2.3% in the 2004 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2004
Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
). The Radicals lost voters in their strongholds in the North to Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
, while the Socialists lost ground in the South, where they are more popular, to The Olive Tree parties (see electoral results of the Rose in the Fist). After the election, Emma Bonino was sworn in as Minister of European Affairs and International Trade in the Prodi II Cabinet
Prodi II Cabinet
The Prodi II Cabinet was the cabinet of the government of Italy from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008, a total of 722 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 21 days...
.
In November 2006, after a row with Marco Pannella
Marco Pannella
Giacinto Pannella, better known as Marco Pannella is an Italian politician.He is the historic leader of the Italian Radicals...
, who remains the real leader of the party behind the scenes, Daniele Capezzone was forced to leave the post of secretary and was replaced by the rank-and-file member Rita Bernardini. Since then Capezzone, although not leaving officially the party, became very critical of the government led by Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
and formed his own political association named Decide!
Decide!
Decide! was an Italian libertarian political association led by Daniele Capezzone.The group was sometimes also referred to as Decidere.net, in reference to its official website. It was one of the founding members of Silvio Berlusconi's The People of Freedom party...
, much closer to the centre-right than to the centre-left. Later on, Capezzone entered Forza Italia and became spokesman of that party.
In November 2007, the Rose in the Fist was finally disbanded as the SDI merged into the modern-day Italian Socialist Party, and the Radicals were at a new turning-point of their history. In the run-up of the 2007 party convention, Marco Pannella declared that the party should "give absolute priority to economic, liberal and libertarian reforms rather than civil struggle to Vatican power, prepotency and arrogance", which were at the centre of the 2006 electoral campaign with the Rose in the Fist. This did not mean anyway a reconciliation with the centre-right, as some pundits suggested, and in fact the Radical decided to stay in the centre-left camp.
Within the Democratic Party
Italian general election, 2008
A snap general election was held in Italy on 13 April and 14 April 2008. The election came after President Giorgio Napolitano dissolved parliament on 6 February 2008 following the defeat of the government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi in a January 2008 Senate vote, and the unsuccessful tentative...
the Radicals stood for re-election in list with the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in Italy, that is the second-largest in the country. The party is led by Pier Luigi Bersani, who was elected in the 2009 leadership election....
(PD). Under the agreement with PD's then-leader Walter Veltroni
Walter Veltroni
Walter Veltroni, Knight Grand Cross, is an Italian writer, journalist and politician, who served as the first leader of the Democratic Party within the centre-left opposition, until his resignation on 17 February 2009. He served as Mayor of Rome from 2001 to 2008.-Biography:Walter Veltroni was...
, six deputies and three senators were elected. After the election, Bonino was appointed Vice President of the Senate
Italian Senate
The Senate of the Republic is the upper house of the Italian Parliament. It was established in its current form on 8 May 1948, but previously existed during the Kingdom of Italy as Senato del Regno , itself a continuation of the Senato Subalpino of Sardinia-Piedmont established on 8 May 1848...
and she, along with the other eight Radical MPs are members of the Democratic Party's caucuses.
In June 2008 Bernardini, Coscioni and Zamparutti, all three elected to the Italian Parliament, were replaced by Antonella Casu, Bruno Mellano and Michele De Lucia respectively, as party leadership roles and elected office are incompatible according to the party constitution. In November 2008 the new leadership was confirmed by the national congress, after a row between Pannella and Bonino.
In the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Italy)
European elections to elect 72 members of the European Parliament representing Italy were held on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2009, as decided by the Italian government on December 18, 2008...
the Italian Radicals ran separately from the PD as the Pannella-Bonino List
Pannella-Bonino List
Pannella-Bonino List is a libertarian and progressive electoral list formed by the Italian Radicals.Named after Marco Pannella and Emma Bonino, the list was the continuation of Pannella List and Bonino List and its candidates were mainly members of the Italian Radicals...
. Receiving 2.4% of the vote, they failed to return any MEPs. In November Mario Staderini was elected secretary in place of Casu.
Emma Bonino ran for President in the 2010 Lazio regional election
Lazio regional election, 2010
The Lazio regional election of 2010 took place on 28–29 March 2010.Piero Marrazzo of the Democratic Party , who was elected President in 2005, seemed a strong candidate for the centre-left in 2010, being the most popular of the possible candidates and the winner in most head-to-head contests with...
but was defeated by Renata Polverini
Renata Polverini
Renata Polverini is an Italian politician and trade unionist. She is currently president of the Lazio region and was formerly Secretary General of the General Labour Union .-Biography:...
.
Ideology
The Italian Radicals are an atypical party for Italy and they are typically viewed as leftist by right-wing people, and rightist by left-wing people. Among other things, they are the only Italian party with a clear anti-clericalAnti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes religious institutional power and influence, real or alleged, in all aspects of public and political life, and the involvement of religion in the everyday life of the citizen...
agenda, whereas most other parties either support the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
or are ambivalent.
They are vocal supporters of human
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, which they consider to include abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
, stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
research, abolition of capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
all around the world and legalisation of soft drugs
Hard and soft drugs
Hard and Soft drugs are terms to distinguish between psychoactive drugs that are addictive and perceived as especially damaging and drugs that are believed to be non-addictive and with fewer dangers associated with their use...
. This put the party at odds with the mainstream centre-right parties, while their strong support of libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
policies, the free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
, liberalization
Liberalization
In general, liberalization refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy. In some contexts this process or concept is often, but not always, referred to as deregulation...
s, privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
s, low tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es and privately-funded health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
put it at odds with many areas of the centre-left.
In foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, the Radicals are instinctively and staunchly pro-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, pro-European
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and were in favour of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
in 1999. They also propose an American-style reform of Italian political system, including presidentialism
Presidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
, competitive federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
and first-past-the-post voting. Despite being a small party, they are also keen supporters of a two-party system
Two-party system
A two-party system is a system where two major political parties dominate voting in nearly all elections at every level of government and, as a result, all or nearly all elected offices are members of one of the two major parties...
.
Leadership
- Secretary: Daniele CapezzoneDaniele CapezzoneDaniele Capezzone is a centre-right Italian politician.He currently is the spokesman for the People of Freedom.From July 14, 2001 to November 4, 2006, he was secretary of the Italian Radicals, a liberal, pro-market economy, libertarian movement associated with the Transnational Radical Party...
(2001–2006), Rita Bernardini (2006–2008), Antonella Casu (2008–2009), Mario Staderini (2009–present) - President: Benedetto Della VedovaBenedetto Della VedovaBenedetto Della Vedova is an Italian politician, formerly the leader of Liberal Reformers, a minor liberal and libertarian party, and currently member of The Liberal Part, a liberal faction within the centre-right People of Freedom party.-Biography:His political experience began in 1994 with the...
, Rita Bernardini and Luca CoscioniLuca CoscioniLuca Coscioni was an Italian economist and politician.- Education and university career :He was a Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Viterbo who engaged very actively in the social and political spheres with the political organization Radicali Italiani and with the Luca...
(2001–2003), Luca CoscioniLuca CoscioniLuca Coscioni was an Italian economist and politician.- Education and university career :He was a Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Viterbo who engaged very actively in the social and political spheres with the political organization Radicali Italiani and with the Luca...
(2003–2006), Maria Antonietta Coscioni (2006–2008), Bruno Mellano (2008–2010), Silvio Viale (2010–present) - Treasurer: Danilo Quinto (2001–2003), Rita Bernardini (2003–2006), Elisabetta Zamparutti (2006–2008), Michele De Lucia (2008–present)
- President of the National Committee: Werther Casali (2004–2010), Marco Revelli (2010–2011), Giulia Simi (2011–present)