The new government in Italy, a coalition two populist parties with a considerable degree of ideological convergence, has been a the major story in Europe today, and a major focus of attention for those not completely distracted by the latest doings of the Donald.  There was turbulence from the beginning, most notably from the Italian president rejecting a proposed finance minster simply because he was an opponent of the single currency.  Especially ironic considering hostility toward the EU was one of the few things the two ruling parties shared in common.

Most notable, however, was the new stance on immigration.  Under Matteo Salvini, leader of the Northern League and now interior minister and deputy prime minister.  He has formally closed Italian ports to the African boat people who have thrown themselves out into the Mediterranean in overloaded and unseaworthy vessels for so many years.  It was never anything more than a question of having the political will, and it has finally happened.  A Trump, rather than a Clinton or Bush administration, has ensured the absence of US pressure to let them in.

Ultimately, they ended up docking in Spain, a country where such sanity has yet to take root.  The significance of what we are seeing, however, is a major Western European country asserting the sovereignty of its borders, which is historically as significant as Brexit.