House of Representatives

Austin, TX (Jan 7, 2008)

The Texas House of Representatives Chamber in Austin, TX. A complicated image because it was rather dark and I wasn’t using any tripod. This is a quite long exposure taken without breathing to avoid any shake... the VR in the new lenses helped in reducing the inevitable blur.

This was the first time I actually entered a State Capitol in the US (strangely enough I never entered the golden dome of the Massachusetts Capitol here in Boston). I was quite impressed by the fact that people can enter and walk freely in the building. It transmits a strong feeling of democracy in the original meaning of the term: “power of the people”. Of course it is mostly symbolic (the fact that you can see the places of power doesn’t necessary mean that the “people” have any real say or knowledge about how this power is administered), but at least there is this background reminder that the political institutions are something the people have the inalienable right to participate in. It is a question of “glasnost”.

While I was there, I couldn’t stop thinking about my own country, Italy. It may surprise many americans, but a perception of US politics which is quite common abroad is of this lobby-dominated political aristocracy very detached from a “sleeping” general population generally uninterested in politics. The main argument that is used in support of this view is the very low voters turnout in comparison with the typical 80-90% turnouts in european democracies.

Then again, seeing all the people (many families with kids) walking around in the Texas Capitol (and more recently, the level of grass root involvement that people like Obama seem capable to rise), challenges this perception. In the last 10 years I have seen many americans which are deeply interested by the politics in their own country, with a strong expectation (albeit often frustrated is what may appear naive expectations) for transparency and honesty from their elected officials. People that can still feel outraged when these expectations are betrayed.

In Italy, with its 2,000+ years of political exercise, generally high voters turnout, people discussing about politics all the time almost as much as they discuss about soccer, these expectations have been betrayed so many times that too many people seem to have lost hope. The government caste is seen as totally detached from society, more as an impediment to progress rather than its driving force. There is very little transparency and italian politicians (regardless to their political orientation) almost seem upset when “the little people” questions their doing. It is like a feudal system in which the political caste operates in a vacuum from society (note that there are no primaries, and the candidates are chosen by party officials based on power sharing agreements).

Public buildings are in theory as free to visit as in the US. While it is not as family-friendly as entering in the Texas Capitol (you need to show your ID and go through some red tape to actually enter), in principle everybody can gain access to the italian places of power. Or can they not?

I was reading yesterday that last week there was a discussion in the Rome city council about the new city regulatory plan. A bipartisan plan that will de-regulate construction permits in the city by transferring the authority from the city council to the local neighborhoods councils. A lot of people are worried about this new plan because it seem to have little provisions to safe-guard the green areas in the city and the areas of historical interests (in Rome, wherever you dig, you get some 2,000 years old ruins surfacing up). A group of concerned roman citizens where thus planning to participate, as spectators, to the discussion in the city council. Well, they weren’t allowed in, without being given any valid reason, while other people more sympathetic to the plan (basically the association of the local constructors) were being allowed access to the council chamber.