First Scotland, Then Catalonia. And Now? Milan and Venice<br />In a telephone interview, Stefano Bonaccini, president of the region, said of the Lombardy and Veneto votes: "A referendum carried out a few months before national elections<br />that asks voters whether they want autonomy is like asking them whether they like their mothers — because it is a legitimate and just request." But he added that those votes were "clearly an attempt" to drum up support for the Northern League.<br />"They talk about saving money, then spend millions." Calling it a "poll of the people," Mr. Maroni has defended the cost, including some €24 million for electronic tablets<br />that will be used for the vote — a first in Italy — and then donated to schools.<br />The one-question query that will be put to voters in this prosperous northern region of Italy on Sunday is whether they want their representatives<br />to negotiate with the central government in Rome on "particular conditions of autonomy," and on getting greater return on their taxes.<br />17, 2017<br />MILAN — Catalonia has been racked by sound and fury over a drive to secede from Spain,<br />but on a recent morning in Lombardy, which will vote on Sunday on whether to demand greater autonomy from Italy, the mood was distinctly more laid back.<br />"From the South Tyrol to Sicily, passing through Rome, there are separatist movements throughout Italy<br />that are rooted among some of the people who live there." Though Italy was formally unified 156 years ago, "it remains a complex nation," Mr. Rapisarda added.<br />Roberto Maroni said that The more people vote, the greater bargaining power I will have,<br />"It’s economic good sense." Though control of those sectors would give Lombardy substantial autonomy<br />and resources, Mr. Maroni has been careful to say that the vote would not undermine Italian unity.
