Rose in the Fist
Encyclopedia
The Rose in the Fist was a coalition of parties in Italy.
The RnP was composed of the social-democratic Italian Democratic Socialists
(led by Enrico Boselli
and Roberto Villetti
), the libertarian Italian Radicals
(led by Marco Pannella
and Emma Bonino
) and some independent members gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist
(including Lanfranco Turci, Salvatore Buglio, and Biagio De Giovanni).
RnP was part of the centre-left
coalition of parties The Union
and was one of the main Italian supporters of gay rights, abortion
and euthanasia
.
, based on the political principles of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
(excluding foreign policy, where the Radicals have a pro-American
stance), Tony Blair
and Loris Fortuna
. In November, its official definition was finally announced, and the symbol presented, a red rose
recalling the current emblem of the Socialist International
, the historical logo of the Radicals during the 1970s and the 1980s, and also that of the Italian Democratic Socialists
.
The Radical component of the alliance created some friction with the more Roman Catholic
components of The Union
, such as Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy and UDEUR Populars
. The Socialist component was made up mostly of veterans of the Italian Socialist Party
. There was also the so-called "third component", composed mainly by ex-Democrats of the Left
, such as Lanfranco Turci, Salvatore Buglio and Biagio De Giovanni, gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist
.
In the Prodi II Cabinet
the RnP was represented by Radical Emma Bonino
, Minister of International Trade.
, obtaining 2.6% of votes, and winning 18 seats (9 for SDI, 7 for the Radicals, one for Lanfranco Turci and one for Salvatore Buglio) in the Chamber of Deputies
and no seats in the Senate
.
This was not an encouraging result, indeed a bad one, considering that the Radicals alone scored 2.3% both at the 2001 general election
and at the 2004 European Parliament election
, while the Socialists had an electoral force of 2-3% in regional and local elections.
In particular, it seems that the Radicals lost votes to Forza Italia
in their Northern strongholds (as Piedmont
, Lombardy
, Veneto
and Friuli-Venezia Giulia
), while the Socialists did the same in favour of the Olive Tree coalition in their Southern strongholds (as Abruzzo
, Campania
, Apulia
, Basilicata
and Calabria
). The table below shows how the two parties were not able to secure the favor of their usual voters, so that the Rose in the Fist scored less than Radicals alone in the North and the Socialists alone in the South.
The RnP was composed of the social-democratic Italian Democratic Socialists
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...
(led by Enrico Boselli
Enrico Boselli
Enrico Boselli is an Italian politician. He is currently Vice President of Alliance for Italy, and is the former leader of the Italian Democratic Socialists and the modern-day Italian Socialist Party....
and Roberto Villetti
Roberto Villetti
Roberto Villetti is an Italian politician.A long-time member of the Italian Socialist Party , he was vice-secretary of the Italian Socialists from 1994 to 1998...
), the libertarian Italian Radicals
Italian Radicals
Italian Radicals is an Italian political party which describes itself as a liberale, liberista e libertario political movement .It was...
(led 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...
and Emma Bonino
Emma Bonino
Emma Bonino is an Italian politician, former Member of the European Parliament and current Member of the Italian Senate. She is a leading member of the Italian Radicals, a political party that supports economic and social libertarianism, and human rights...
) and some independent members gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist
Association for the Rose in the Fist
The Association for the Rose in the Fist was a social-democratic association in Italy.It was the so-called "third component" of the Rose in the Fist , composed mainly of the Italian Democratic Socialists and the Italian Radicals...
(including Lanfranco Turci, Salvatore Buglio, and Biagio De Giovanni).
RnP was part of the centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
coalition of parties 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:...
and was one of the main Italian supporters of gay rights, 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...
and euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
.
History
The federation was constituted in September 2005, during a convention held in FiuggiFiuggi
Fiuggi is a comune in the province of Frosinone in the region of Lazio in central Italy.-History:Fiuggi, originally called Anticoli di Campagna, gained fame as early as the 14th century, when Pope Boniface VIII claimed his kidney stones had been healed by the mineral waters from the nearby Fiuggi...
, based on the political principles of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
(excluding foreign policy, where the Radicals have a pro-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stance), Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and Loris Fortuna
Loris Fortuna
Loris Fortuna was an Italian left-wing politician, and former Member of Parliament since 1963.-Biography:...
. In November, its official definition was finally announced, and the symbol presented, a red rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
recalling the current emblem 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 :...
, the historical logo of the Radicals during the 1970s and the 1980s, and also that of the Italian Democratic Socialists
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...
.
The Radical component of the alliance created some friction with the more Roman Catholic
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...
components of 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:...
, such as Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy and UDEUR Populars
UDEUR Populars for the South
UDEUR Populars for the South is a small centrist and Christian-democratic political party in Italy. Led by Clemente Mastella, the party has been at times very strong in Southern Italy, but almost irrelevant in Northern Italy...
. The Socialist component was made up mostly of veterans of the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
. There was also the so-called "third component", composed mainly by ex-Democrats of the Left
Democrats of the Left
The Democrats of the Left was a social-democratic Italian political party and part of the Olive Tree electoral coalition, which merged with a number of centrist and leftist groups to form the Democratic Party on 14 October 2007...
, such as Lanfranco Turci, Salvatore Buglio and Biagio De Giovanni, gathered in the Association for the Rose in the Fist
Association for the Rose in the Fist
The Association for the Rose in the Fist was a social-democratic association in Italy.It was the so-called "third component" of the Rose in the Fist , composed mainly of the Italian Democratic Socialists and the Italian Radicals...
.
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...
the RnP was represented by Radical Emma Bonino
Emma Bonino
Emma Bonino is an Italian politician, former Member of the European Parliament and current Member of the Italian Senate. She is a leading member of the Italian Radicals, a political party that supports economic and social libertarianism, and human rights...
, Minister of International Trade.
Popular support
The federation presented its own lists for the 2006 general electionItalian 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...
, obtaining 2.6% of votes, and winning 18 seats (9 for SDI, 7 for the Radicals, one for Lanfranco Turci and one for Salvatore Buglio) in the Chamber of Deputies
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
and no seats in 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...
.
This was not an encouraging result, indeed a bad one, considering that the Radicals alone scored 2.3% both at the 2001 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....
and at the 2004 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2004 (Italy)
Elections to the European Parliament were held in Italy on 12 and 13 June 2004. Italy's highly fragmented party system made it hard to identify an overall trend, but the results were generally seen as a defeat for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a victory for the centre-left opposition...
, while the Socialists had an electoral force of 2-3% in regional and local elections.
In particular, it seems that the Radicals lost votes 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....
in their Northern strongholds (as Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
and Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
), while the Socialists did the same in favour of the Olive Tree coalition in their Southern strongholds (as Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, Basilicata
Basilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
and Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
). The table below shows how the two parties were not able to secure the favor of their usual voters, so that the Rose in the Fist scored less than Radicals alone in the North and the Socialists alone in the South.
| Rad 2004 | SDI 2005 | Rad-SDI 2006 | |
| Piedmont | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.7 |
| Lombardy | 2.7 | w. OliveTree | 2.6 |
| Veneto | 2.8 | w. OliveTree | 2.3 |
| Friuli VG | 3.2 | no election | 2.7 |
| Abruzzo | 2.2 | 5.2 | 2.9 |
| Campania | 1.2 | 5.3 | 2.8 |
| Apulia | 1.7 | 4.0 | 3.1 |
| Basilicata | 1.5 | w. OliveTree | 3.8 |
| Calabria | 0.9 | 6.8 | 4.3 |