What remains of an emergency that has become ordinary: the economic ruin and the shadows on the Russian mission
The triumphalist tones used by most of the press to celebrate the imminent end of the state of emergency are completely out of place. In fact, among the folds of the regulations prepared by the government, details emerge that should at least alarm those who aim to return to the lifestyle archived two years ago and not to its substitute dominated by masks, health obligations and eternal passes. In fact, the entire pandemic apparatus survives and could be adapted even in a more expansive way, as declared in a press conference by Draghi. Stated brutally, this means that the expansion of the apparatus (a term that always sounds sinister) would correspond to a new contraction of freedoms and rights. In short, the only response in the event of a resurgence of infections would always and only be that of harassing the citizens even in the face of the now overt uselessness of this approach to the limit of persecutory.
That this is the intention is also confirmed by the words of Minister Speranza, thanked by Draghi on behalf of all Italians for the "extraordinary work" done (for what it's worth, not in the name of the author of this piece), who , of course, he rejoices at the thought that the existing organization from an emergency becomes ordinary and is not at all dismantled. “With this decree we make a gradual choice, we make a choice of opening certainly but step by step which allows us to look overall with more confidence to the future”. So far we are the usual stereotypical phrasebook that he dispensed during the pandemic era but the most interesting passage is another and it seems a theory extrapolated from his book that never arrived on the shelves: " In recent years the theme of economic development has been put in contrast with health safety measures. I think recent history shows exactly the opposite: that is, a stronger and safer country in terms of health is also a country that is growing more and better ”. Well, beyond the fact that it overlooks the small detail that prolonged restrictions stress the democratic system and heavily squeeze fundamental rights, that of the minister appears more like a conjecture, because the economic disaster caused by his "health security measures" , often senseless and illogical, is there for all to see.
Il Tempo , for example, recalled that 4400 companies involved in catering or in the management of bars have closed in Rome alone, with the loss of 24,000 jobs. The hotel sector is not doing better, which is affected by the chronic absence of tourists held back by certifications, burst swabs and crazy rules. In short, if this is Speranza's economic model, there is certainly something to review because it leads directly to ruin. Of course, none of the reporters present allowed themselves to observe anything and the unproven theorem passed in chivalry. Probably, the concept will be developed in the next memoir of the minister who, supported by his consultants, has already warned everyone that decisions will always be made on the basis of the "epidemiological framework" and that, therefore, "no automatism" will be triggered even after the 31 March. Translated: the rights depend on the will of the government which can restore or suspend them at will.
So much so that we never explicitly talk about the abolition of the green card which from an exceptional instrument has been transformed into an ordinary one with the concrete possibility of extending the scope of application to other sectors with increasing intrusiveness of the state in the lives of citizens. For this reason too, the scenario envisioned by the Draghi-Speranza duo is not very encouraging, and demonstrates, if it were still needed, that even the tiring loosening of restrictions contains a sort of safe conduct for the medical paraphernalia.
To support the gradualism of the minister, however, all the virologists most exposed to the media in recent months are thinking about it. The lure of restrictions is too strong to discourage them. The one who always pushes ahead of the others is Walter Ricciardi who described the usual very dark painting: “ Without masks indoors until June, summer is at risk. Compared to previous years, even the warm season hides pitfalls ". Massimo Galli has also reappeared on the scene who, for his part, considers these timid reopening reckless and predicts a complicated autumn. Yet the archives are full of these catastrophic predictions, which fortunately did not come true. Despite this, we continue with the apocalyptic tones without considering the very high price already paid by the population who, suddenly, found themselves much less free, poorer and basically depressed.
Now that the disease is becoming endemic, that zero contagion has proved to be an unattainable goal and that priorities have become decidedly different, the terrifying narrative is even more unjustified. Moreover, if one wanted to create a link between the never-ending pandemic and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, one could investigate the question of the mission of the Putinian delegation, composed of both medical and military personnel, which arrived in Italy during the period of the first very hard lockdown . . The details that emerge from the news are not exactly flattering. For example, former minister Bellanova told Foglio that the then Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, would not have informed his government colleagues or summoned the CDM to discuss the issue. " There are facts that should be explained by the former prime minister ". Better late than never, one might say. Meanwhile, the Copasir who wants to investigate the matter listened to Conte who, for his part, clarified that the mission developed only in terms of health aid and under the constant supervision of our intelligence systems. Less reassuring was the version of Miozzo, head of the CTS at the time, who revealed to Corriere della Sera what was the approach of the Russians led by the head of mission, General Kikot, with whom he interfaced in those convulsive hours: " onset was particularly intrusive, rough. They talked as if they had to clean up Chernobyl after the nuclear explosion ”. It is a pity that these details emerge only now, confirming the doubts of those who had always looked with skepticism at the anomalous operation "From Russia with love" conducted within a country adhering to the Atlantic Pact.
Now, beyond the obvious propaganda move orchestrated by Moscow to show its strength lent in favor of a Western nation desperate for medical supplies that at the time were in short supply (and which later proved insufficient to need), the questions about the overall sense of the mission remain. Perhaps, sooner or later, the history of these pandemic years will have to be rewritten, finally telling the truth or something that at least resembles it. Also the reason why, with the Italians barricaded at home, there was a military parade of a foreign power (and today hostile to us) on Italian territory. It looks like a Monicelli film, poised between the tragic and the sarcastic, but it is what incredibly happened before our eyes only two years ago.
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This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Atlantico Quotidiano at the URL https://www.atlanticoquotidiano.it/quotidiano/cosa-resta-di-unemergenza-divenuta-ordinaria-la-rovina-economica-e-le-ombre-sulla-missione-russa/ on Sat, 26 Mar 2022 03:46:00 +0000.