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5 min readThe Rachman Review: Life Under Lockdown in Italy and Spain
The FT's Gideon Rachman opens this special episode with a striking admission: "I've sort of felt like I've been in the future somewhat." He is speaking from Rome, watching the coronavirus crisis unfold in Italy weeks before it hits the UK and US with similar force. This edition of the Rachman Review, newly freed from the FT's paywall and refocused entirely on the international dimensions of the pandemic, features conversations with FT correspondents in the two European countries hit hardest so far: Italy and Spain.
Italy: Solidarity, Strain, and a Political Transformation
Miles Johnson, the FT's Rome correspondent, describes a country that has moved through distinct phases since the lockdown began. Initially, there was "quite a large level of apparent solidarity amongst Italians" — the now-familiar balcony singalongs and televised appeals from footballers. But that solidarity is fraying. The measures have grown stricter week by week: bans on exercise, bans on bike rides, shortened supermarket hours. Prime Minister Conte announced the lockdown would likely extend past its original April 3 expiration date, and "the uncertainty, the inability to know precisely when these measures are going to be lifted" weighs heavily.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:34) **Introduction to the Rachman Review** - Host Gideon Rachman announces the podcast is shifting to focus on the international aspects of the coronavirus crisis, coming out from behind the FT's paywall.
- 2 (01:59) **Miles Johnson on Italy's Lockdown Mood** - The FT's Rome correspondent describes the shift from initial solidarity to growing frustration as restrictions tighten.
- 3 (03:29) **Italy as a Warning for the UK and US** - Johnson describes a surreal sense of déjà vu, knowing what is about to play out in British hospitals.
- 4 (05:33) **Can Italy's Weak Economy Withstand the Shutdown?** - Johnson assesses the economic damage to a country that never fully recovered from the previous financial crisis.
- 5 (07:03) **Giuseppe Conte's Political Transformation** - The Italian Prime Minister, once seen as a weak transitional figure, has emerged as a credible leader during the crisis.
- 6 (08:30) **Italy's Straining Relationship with the EU** - Johnson explains how the crisis is exacerbating tensions between Italy and its European neighbors.
- 7 (11:14) **Dan Dombey on Life Under Lockdown in Spain** - The FT's Madrid correspondent describes the surreal experience of Spain's strict lockdown.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Life in Europe's coronavirus hotspots: Foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman discusses how the coronavirus epidemic has been handled in Italy and Spain with the local FT correspondents, Miles Johnson in Rome and Daniel Dombey in Madrid. How are citizens reacting to the lockdown and what will be the long-term political and economic impact?
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