PD whip blasts Grillo, minimizes dissent with premier

(ANSA) - Rome, September 24 - Democratic Party (PD) House whip Roberto Speranza lashed out Wednesday against Beppe Grillo, the leader of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), after the latter called on "PD comrades" to stage a mutiny against their leader, Premier Matteo Renzi.
    "Dear Grillo, your populism is the true enemy of the left," Speranza tweeted. "(We) want reforms and rights for all. You are with Farage".
    Grillo forged an alliance in the European Parliament with euroskeptic United Kingdom Independent Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage, whom many accuse of being a racist for his anti-immigrant rhetoric.
    Speranza went on to minimize dissent within PD ranks on the premier's Jobs Act, which includes changes to Article 18 of the 1970 Workers Statutes guaranteeing people unjustly sacked the right to their job back. The Jobs Act would change this for newly hired workers so that if a court finds they were unjustly sacked, they would get compensation, rather than being rehired. A minority within the PD, led by Renzi's predecessor as party leader Pier Luigi Bersani, are planning to file seven amendments to the Jobs Act to stop Article 18 effectively being scrapped for new hires.
    "Media coverage is light years away from the substance of our debate," Speranza said.
    "We want to work towards a unified position...that will benefit both the party and the government. A unified policy statement would lessen tensions and would be in Renzi's interest," he concluded.