‘Little England Beats Great Britain’: Italian Media Coverage of the EU Referendum 2016

Italy, as one of the founding members of the European Union, has always been one of the most pro-European countries, signing up, mostly uncontested, to treaties and policies which has put in train 'the ever closer union'. In recent years, with the rise of anti-European political movements from the Lega Nord to the various incarnations of Berlusconi's parties, to the more recent political formation of Cinque Stelle, the media and public debate has shifted the balance towards a more critical stance towards the European Union, in particular, since the introduction of the common currency in 2002. Nonetheless to date, two thirds of Italian people continue to be in favour of the Euro and of staying in the European Union. In Italy, as it has been the case in other European countries, the press and media aligned to progressive parties of the left and centre-left camp have predominantly voiced their support to the Remain campaign, while Berlusconi's media, aligned to the right and centre right parties and coalitions have supported the Brexit campaign. This has contrasted sharply with the media coverage and actual constituency of the referendum campaign in the UK, where this left/right divide did not align neatly to either Remain or Brexit. This chapter will explore and analyse the coverage of Brexit, the British Referendum to leave the European Union, in the Italian press and key broadcast political talk shows, taking as its focus two features: one, the changed context of the Italian political landscape alongside the ongoing support of the European Union in Italian political culture; two, the ongoing myths about the role and status of the UK, and England in particular, circulating in the Italian public sphere which have been reproduced in the media either to support or undermine the Brexit campaign.