Italy's Senator Menapace Endorses LaRouche's Call for a New Bretton Woods Conference, and a Referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty

March 15, 2008 (LPAC)--In a statement just released to us, Italian Senator Lidia Menapace calls for a new Bretton Woods agreement, and for a referendum on the European Union's Treaty of Lisbon, as only alternatives to a collapse of civilization amidst the unfolding world economic collapse. Sen. Menapace, a former Resistance fighter, is a historic figure of Italy's movement for civil and women's rights, and is again running for a Senate seat as a candidate for the Rainbow Left coalition (Sinistra Arcobaleno), in the forthcoming general elections of April 13-14.

Her statement says, "Italy, like the rest of the world, is facing the most serious economic and social crisis since that of Weimar Germany. Now as then, there are two possible solutions: to defend and guarantee the social state and the victories earned by workers, by creating a new financial and credit system which revives the real economy and penalizes financial speculation,-- that is, the New Bretton Woods promoted in the United States by the economist and Democratic leader Lyndon LaRouche, modeled on that of Franklin Roosevelt. Or else, to give in to austerity measures and wars imposed by new forms of dictatorship.

"The Lisbon Treaty which Italy is being asked to ratify, promises to resemble a dictatorship which will cancel not only our national sovereignty on economic policy, but also our Constitution. It further risks transforming the European Union into an aggressive military pact. This is why there are people's initiatives underway in various European countries, such as in Austria, for a referendum on this treaty. According to the German constitutional scholar Prof. Schachtschneider, Lisbon abrogates the neutrality clauses of many countries' constitutions. Thus, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Finland and Malta would be forced to modify the nature of their systems, or remain outside of Europe. It would be better to keep open the possibility of attempting to construct a Europe which is neutral (which doesn't mean disarmed, but, for example, where it is impossible to possess atomic weapons or any nuclear armaments).

“Among the ‘footnotes’ which haven't been read by our Members of Parliament, the Treaty re-introduces the death penalty (which we have already struck from the Italian military code).

Furthermore, it puts an end to national sovereignty over economic policy, which would signify the end of the social state. I join those who believe that a debate on these drastic measures is indispensable before the treaty is ratified."

Senator Lidia Menapace
Defense Commission
Candidate of the "Rainbow Left" (Marche region)