Shameless even by their own low standards, the gang of populists currently trying to govern Italy have attempted to exploit the tragic collapse of the bridge at Genoa for political purposes. Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister, minister of the interior and leader of the Northern League party, wasted to no time in blaming the detested European Union for the loss of life. His argument was that the EU’s budgetary restraints on member states prevents them from carrying out expensive infrastructure projects.

It is, of course, wrong. All that the fiscal rules require is for member states of the single European currency to safeguard the euro’s integrity to sticking to broad limits on budget deficits and the overall level of national debt. No one in Europe has ever vetoed any scheme to make a bridge safe.

What in fact went wrong, among other factors, was that the planned improvement works to the bridge were bitterly opposed by Mr Salvini’s coalition partners, the Five Star Movement – it said warnings of the Morandi Bridge’s risk of collapse were a “favoletta” – a fairy tale of children’s fantasy. Five Star, true to its crude populist instincts, wanted to win political support from local residents who resented the disruption and change the works would create. It is what the British call “nimbyism”, but elevated into a political philosophy. Had the works gone ahead, there is at least the possibility that the tragedy would have been averted.

To blame the European Union for the bridge’s collapse while your populist allies tried to wreck the scheme takes special quality of chutzpah, or faccia tosta in Italian. Then again, it is a feature of the successful politician that they can distort the truth as they wish, while indignantly attacking those who seek to report real news – Donald Trump being the globally pre-eminent exponent of the art.

Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Show all 50 1 /50 Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Morandi bridge after it collapsed, in Genoa EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A satellite image of the collapsed section of the Morandi Bridge EPA/European Space Imaging Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescuers inspect the rubble and wreckages AFP/Getty Images Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Night view of the Morandi bridge collapsed in Genoa EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Displaced people from their homes EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescuers work among the rubble AP Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescuers inspect the rubble and wreckages AFP/Getty Images Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A rescuer look over towards part of the Morandi motorway bridge three days after a section collapsed in the northwestern city Genoa on August 16, 2018. - Italy's populist government was on a war footing with the Italian operator of the bridge that collapsed and killed dozens in the port city of Genoa as desperate efforts to find survivors in the rubble went into a third day. (Photo by Piero CRICIATTI / Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP / AFP)PIERO CRICIATTI/AFP/Getty Images PIERO CRICIATTI AFP/Getty Images Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A satellite image of the collapsed section of the Morandi Bridge EPA/European Space Imaging Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa People living in the buildings in the area have been evacuated EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Excavators dig into the rubble at the site of the highway-bridge-collapse disaster EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06952160 Night view of the Morandi bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 15 August 2018 (issued on 16 August 2018). People living in the buildings in the area have been evacuated following the collapse of a section of the Morandi bridge because there is a risk the other parts of the bridge could fall. The death toll for Tuesday's highway-bridge-collapse disaster has risen to 39, according to reports on 15 August, and the Italian Government proclaimed national mourning for the Genoa tragedy. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A lorry stands on the edge AFP/Getty Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06951240 Displaced people from their homes in the area of he highway-bridge-collapse disaster in Genoa, Italy, 15 August 2018. People living in the buildings in the area have been evacuated following the collapse of a section of the Morandi bridge because there is a risk the other parts of the bridge could fall. The death toll for Tuesday's highway-bridge-collapse disaster has risen to 39, according to reports on 15 August, and the Italian Government will proclaim national mourning for the Genoa tragedy. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A general view shows apartment buildings under the Morandi motorway bridge in background one day after a section collapsed in Genoa on August 15, 2018. - Nearly 40 people died on August 14, 2018 when a giant motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa in northwestern Italy, with the death toll expected to mount further. (Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP)PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP/Getty Images PIERO CRUCIATTI AFP/Getty Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A large section of the Morandi viaduct, of which the A10 motorway runs, collapsed in Genoa Reuters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa The collapsed Morandi Bridge is seen in the Italian port city of Genoa August 14, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. STRINGER Reuters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescuers at work amid the rubble EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa The collapsed Morandi Bridge is seen in the Italian port city of Genoa, Italy August 14, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini STEFANO RELLANDINI Reuters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A large section of the Morandi viaduct, of which the A10 motorway runs, collapsed in Genoa AFP/Getty Images Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A picture taken on August 14, 2018 shows vehicles standing on a part of a giant motorway bridge after a section collapsed earlier in Genoa. - At least 22 people were killed on August 14 when the giant motorway bridge collapsed, with several more feared dead in what Italy's transport minister described as an "immense tragedy". The collapse, which saw a vast stretch of the A10 freeway tumble on to railway lines in the northern port city, was the deadliest bridge failure in Italy for years, and the country's deputy transport minister warned the death toll could climb further. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP)ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images ANDREA LEONI AFP/Getty Images Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa An injured man talks to reporters as he leave the site where the Morandi highway bridge collapsed in Genoa, northern Italy, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. A large section of the bridge collapsed over an industrial area in the Italian city of Genova during a sudden and violent storm, leaving vehicles crushed in rubble below. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) Alexander Zemlianichenko AP Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A destroyed truck is pictured as rescuers are at work amid rubble and wreckage after a section of a giant motorway bridge collapsed earlier in Genoa on August 14, 2018. - At least 22 people were killed on August 14 when the giant motorway bridge collapsed, with several more feared dead in what Italy's transport minister described as an "immense tragedy". The collapse, which saw a vast stretch of the A10 freeway tumble on to railway lines in the northern port city, was the deadliest bridge failure in Italy for years, and the country's deputy transport minister warned the death toll could climb further. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP)ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images ANDREA LEONI AFP/Getty Images Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescue workers at the collapsed Morandi Bridge Reuters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescuers are at work amid the rubble of a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier, on August 14, 2018 in Genoa. - Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were "tens of victims", while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by ANDREA LEONI / AFP)ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images ANDREA LEONI AFP/Getty Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Cars seen among the rubble Vigili Del Fuoco/AP Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948876 Rescuers at the site of the collapsed bridge in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa on Tuesday. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said Tuesday. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa TOPSHOT - A picture taken on August 14, 2018 in Genoa shows a section of a giant motorway bridge that collapsed earlier injuring several people. - Rescuers scouring through the wreckage after part of a viaduct of the A10 freeway collapsed said there were "tens of victims", while images from the scene showed an entire carriageway plunged on to railway lines below. (Photo by Andrea LEONI / AFP)ANDREA LEONI/AFP/Getty Images ANDREA LEONI AFP/Getty Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948886 Rescuers at work amid the rubble after a highway bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa on Tuesday. Several people have died, rescue sources said. Several vehicles were crushed under the rubble with dead people inside, the sources said. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa This handout picture provided by the Italian police (Polizia di Stato) on August 14, 2018 shows a collapsed section of a viaduct on the A10 motorway in Genoa. - A section of a viaduct on the A10 motorway collapsed on August 14, 2018 in Genoa, Italian firefighters said, with cars and trucks trapped among the rubble. Television images showed the viaduct in the mist with a huge chunk missing, with Italian media reporting that 200 metres of the "Morandi" bridge had fallen away. (Photo by Handout / ITALIAN POLICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE MANDATORY CREDIT Â« AFP PHOTO / HO / POLIZIA DI STATO Â» - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTSHANDOUT/AFP/Getty Images HANDOUT AFP/Getty Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescuers work among the debris of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge AP Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river AP Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa A view of the collapsed Morandi highway bridge ANSA via AP Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescue teams on the site EPA/Italian Firefighters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948834 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said Tuesday. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948839 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said Tuesday. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948835 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said Tuesday. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescuers at the site of the collapsed bridge EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948817 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said Tuesday. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Both sides of the highway fell AFP/Getty Images Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948809 A handout photo made available by Italian firefighters shows rescue teams on the site of a collapsed bridge over the A10 highway in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa on Tuesday. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. EPA/ITALIAN FIREFIGHTERS HANDOUT TO BE USED SOLELY TO ILLUSTRATE NEWS REPORTING OR COMMENTARY ON THE FACTS OR EVENTS DEPICTED IN THIS IMAGE; NO ARCHIVING; NO LICENSING +++ HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES ITALIAN FIREFIGHTERS HANDOUT EPA/Italian Firefighters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa The site of a collapsed bridge EPA/Italian Firefighters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa https://twitter.com/BattelliSergio/status/1029306695586066433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1029306695586066433&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fworld-europe-45183624 Sergio Battelli/Twitter Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Rescue teams on the site EPA/Italian Firefighters Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948816 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said Tuesday. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa epa06948815 A large section of the Morandi viaduct upon which the A10 motorway runs collapsed in Genoa, Italy, 14 August 2018. Both sides of the highway fell. Around 10 vehicles are involved in the collapse, rescue sources said Tuesday. The viaduct gave way amid torrential rain. The viaduct runs over shopping centres, factories, some homes, the Genoa-Milan railway line and the Polcevera river. EPA/LUCA ZENNARO LUCA ZENNARO EPA Italian bridge collapses: part of highway gives way in Genoa Italy, Genoa - bridge collapse https://twitter.com/emergenzavvf/status/1029312140652564481 Vigili del Fuoco/Twitter

Mr Salvini seems to be emerging as the de facto leader of Italy – he is after all nicknamed Il Capitano – shading the actual prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, a hardline anti-immigrant Europhobe who lacks Mr Salvini's talent for publicity.

These ugly arguments in Italy remind the Italian people and the wider European community that the country is embarked upon a uniquely dangerous exercise. There are hard-rightists in government or coalitions elsewhere in the EU, and in most states far-right or populist movements command strong support by historical standards. The Swedish Democrats, for example, are heading for elections on 9 September and is running second in the opinion polls – proof, as with trends in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, that the swing to the hard right is not confined to the poor reaches of the European continent. We have become inured to this since the start of the century, but by any benchmarks it is a disturbing and indeed frightening development.

Yet it is in Italy that the clownishness and denigration of normal political debate is being played out with the most risk and danger. The Italian government is openly discussing printing its own money – denominated in euros – as a way for evading its responsibilities under the rules of the European Central Bank, which has the sole right to run the euro.

The Italian government is also conducting the most heartless measures against refugees arriving from Africa. Mr Salvini made a great show of “closing the ports”, for example. His frustration, though, like that of many Italians, was understandable, or least comprehensible. Italy’s European Union partners have simply not done enough – with the honourable exceptions of Sweden and Germany – to share the cost and settlement of the refugees and economic migrants. The EU has failed to help Greece, Malta and Italy, who just happen to have coastlines nearest to the migrants’ jumping-off points for the hazardous journeys to Europe. None of this excuses or justifies the extreme reaction of the Italian state, however. Sooner or later, agents of that state will be responsible for the deaths of innocent people. It is unlikely that Mr Salvini and his colleagues will feel much remorse.

Italy has huge economic challenges, none of them the product of the refugee crisis. For years – long before the boats from Libya started arriving – the economy has stagnated, the public finances have been mismanaged, and the banking system increasingly used as a sort of piggy bank for hard-up Italian ministries. As in Greece, the strictures of the euro have made matters worse – but that is the nature of a single currency system that lacks any mechanism for “fiscal transfers” from richer to poorer regions, as in most unitary states.