Because everyone praises Mattarella’s speech
Comments and reactions to Sergio Mattarella's speech. Paola Sacchi's note
It is a 17-minute speech but full of profound reflections that stands out above the routine of daily political controversy. And he also touches on topics such as Artificial Intelligence, everything he calls "the crux of the third millennium", that "revolution" that can provide "opportunities" but which must be "human". The worry of the Head of State, Sergio Mattarella, which ties together his entire New Year's speech is a sort of decalogue against violence, starting with "the most hateful violence" towards women, and for "peace" . Everyone has read something in it and perhaps left out another no less important one. Peace, however – said Mattarella – is not "an abstract do-goodism", "neutrality" and whoever "started the war" has the primary responsibility. Clear reference to Russia which attacked Ukraine and to Hamas's "terrorist violence" "beyond all limits" against Israel. However, Mattarella also warns against the war that claims victims among Palestinian civilians. But peace is not, in fact, "abstract do-goodism".
In the Decalogue for Peace Mattarella places the recognition of the other to oneself and launches a warning, little underlined in the media, to "not identify enemies", not to use, especially for young people, certain violence of language, with "disparaging phrases about net". And here there would also be food for thought for the left and nearby media , who tend to pull the President of the Republic by the jacket every time as if he were the leader of the opposition.
Mattarella then disappoints the opponents of Giorgia Meloni's government because he does not talk about the premiership, about institutional reforms, he does not descend, as is his style, into a certain narrative that tends to place him as the counterpart of that reform. He casts his gaze worried but without apocalyptic tones further, higher, towards the real challenge, "the junction of the third millennium", precisely. It recalls the values of the Constitution but not against someone, against some reform, but for "the unity of all", so that Italy can make it. It calls for the democratic exercise of voting, because that is what decides, it is "freedom", "not polls and social media". A warning against the "resignation" of abstention. But in fact it also sounds like confirmation of the recognition that the centre-right government, often treated as if it were illegitimate by the left, is the result of a vote that has, in fact, decided.
Some observers accuse him, using an inappropriate syllogism, of not having defended Israel more strongly, or the absence of the crucial theme of justice in his speech. An absence that stood out. But evidently Mattarella has chosen in the dramatic juncture in which the world and Italy find themselves to underline more the decalogue of peace and unity, because "united we are strong". Words that could not fail to receive unanimous praise. Starting with Prime Minister Meloni and his Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani. As well as that of the secretary of the Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, of the five-star leader Giuseppe Conte, of those of the former third pole, Matteo Renzi and Carlo Calenda and of all the other opposition leaders. A speech that appeared to be more about the method of discussion, about democratic dialectics than about the merits of individual issues.
“War”, warns the President of the Republic, cannot become the rule, it concerns the “culture of states”. Meanwhile, and here we are outside the speech of the Head of State, the "war" on everything, even a news story such as the gun case of the FdI parliamentarian Emanuele Pozzolo, although very questionable, with automatic request for the resignation of the undersecretary Andrea Delmastro , now seems to have become the rule among the opposition.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/sergio-mattarella-discorso-fine-anno/ on Tue, 02 Jan 2024 06:45:06 +0000.