by Eric J. Lyman
ROME Dorance Armstrong Jr. Cowboys Jersey , Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Italian lawmakers have been urged to reform electoral law after the country's highest court ruled Wednesday that the current law is unconstitutional.
In theory, it means the current Italian government -- including the prime minister, the council of ministers, and the parliament -- are all illegitimate, though in practice the ruling dramatically ratchets up pressure for lawmakers to reform the system.
The existing law was ruled unconstitutional for two main reasons: the bonus seats it gives the winning party in the lower house of parliament are seen as contrary to the fairness doctrine in the constitution, and that the system could prevent voters from picking their specific representatives.
The legitimacy of the law had been previously questioned when it led to the inconclusive national election results in February this year, critics said. It resulted in a hung parliament divided among three mutually incompatible blocs -- the center-left alliance led by Bersani, the center-right coalition led by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and comedian Beppe Grillo's anti-establishment Five-Star Movement.
None of them were strong enough to govern alone without working majority in Senate under the current electoral law. The result was a two-month stalemate that resulted in the compromise government Letta leads.
The majority of Italians also believe the electoral system should be overhauled, according to a poll conducted Monday by local firm Opinioni.
The process of political reform has moved at a slow pace because some parties, especially the smaller political parties, fear that changes could erode their political presence.
However, the court's ruling shows that change is likely to come sooner rather than later.
"Now there is no more room for excuses from anyone. We have to move, quickly, to change the law," said Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Angelino Alfano.
The political reform process also means lawmakers will have to take their focus away from trying to fuel the country's economic recovery, which is just getting started.
The government and many economists believe the Italian economy will show positive growth this quarter and in 2014 as a whole, though some warn the recovery could easily get off track.
Despite not having a motorway linking to Plymouth directly, all the transport links to and from Plymouth are excellent. This is due to several historical factors not least the importance of Plymouth as a strategic military location for the Royal Navy.
Getting to and from Plymouth:
The main road into Plymouth is the A38 which, in the easterly direction, connects Plymouth to the national motorway system, the M5, at Exeter. Carrying on northward on the M5 at Bristol you can then either continue northwards on the M5 to Birmingham or use the M4 going west into Wales or head east on the M4 towards London. Heading west out of Plymouth on the A38 you quickly cross the border into Cornwall and would eventually reach Bodmin Moor where the A38 terminates. From here you could join the A30 all the way down to Penzance and Lands End beyond it. The A386, which runs across Devon from Plymouth to Bideford, can also be used to reach the A30 at Launceston.
Plymouth has several railway stations in and around it. The main station for Plymouth is located very close to the city centre. Plymouth railway station is on North Road at the northern end of Armada Way. From here you can get direct trains into the midlands and the north as far as Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow, taking about 9 hours) on Virgin trains or using First Great Western trains into London, Paddington station, which takes about 3 hours. Devonport railway station is close to the Devonport naval base in the west of Plymouth and there is a Dockyard station nearby for the civilian docks. About 1 mile further on westwards is a suburban station at Keyham. St Budeaux Victoria Road is where the railway line splits heading west across the River Tamar to Saltash and Penzance or north, on a branch line, to Gunnislake. The branch line is known as the Tamar Valley Line.
Plymouth has a small airport that operates daily services to other UK airports namely; Bristol, Jersey, Cardiff, Leeds-Bradford and London Gatwick. The flight operating company is Air Southwest, which offer prices that are highly competitive. The Plymouth to London service takes about 1 hour and its well worth considering as a means of transport to or from Plymouth. The airport is also used by cargo planes.
National Express coach services operate out of the main Plymouth bus station on Exeter Street. Journey time from Plymouth to London Victoria is about 5 ? hours on a direct journey. However, the coach service is considerably cheaper than even the most competitive train or air fares. There are direct services to Scotland but be warned! The service linking with Edinburgh takes 15 hours!
You could arrive in Plymouth from continental Europe on a Brittany Ferry, who run services to and from Plymouth. Their 'Ro-Ro' ferries operate to Roscoff in France and Santander in Spain from the 200m West Wharf at Plymouth harbour.
There has been a passenger ferry across the River Tamar since the thirteenth century.
So, you could arrive in Plymouth by boat having used the Cremyll Ferry, which journeys between Admirals hard at Stonehouse in Plymouth and Cremyll, or the Torpoint Ferry, which is a chain ferry capable of carrying motor vehicles between Torpoint and Devonpoint on the lower River Tamar. There are several other seasonal ferries that operate to cater for the tourist trade, crossing Plymouth Sound at various points. eg between Plymouth and Kingsand, Cawsand, Saltash and finally Calstock. There is also a water taxi service between the Barbican and Mountbatten.
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