Conte also distances himself from the Democratic Party on the Cospito case
How and why Conte's M5S differs from the Democratic Party in the Cospito-Donzelli-Delmastro case. Sacchi's note
That "a certainly excessive accusation" has been leveled against the Democratic Party and that the tone must be "lowered", "by everyone, starting with the Brothers of Italy", Giorgia Meloni clearly says in the letter sent to Corriere della Sera . But the premier holds the point, does not give in on the request for the resignation of his loyalists, the organizational manager and vice president of Copasir Giovanni Donzelli and the deputy minister of justice Andrea Del Mastro. He does not see the "requisites" and recalls that there was no revelation of secret acts, in addition to the fact that they were matters which had already been disclosed by some media.
But that's not enough, the Democratic Party, with Enrico Letta and the group leaders Debora Serracchiani and Simona Malpezzi, responds harshly, recalls its DNA of "defense of republican institutions", accuses Meloni of "rekindling the fire instead of putting it out"
The fact remains that while the situation of the protests in the square in favor of the anarchist terrorist Alfredo Cospito worsens, with the appearance of posters at the Sapienza University against the high institutional offices, the Pd seems to be overtaken by formally more institutional and apparently more moderate tones, that go beyond the harsh controversy, of the pentastellato leader Giuseppe Conte who immediately says he accepts the appeal of the Prime Minister who, faced with a "disturbing" situation, calls for "a compactness of all the articulations of the State". However, immediately afterwards, precisely in the name of his adhesion to Meloni's appeal, Conte relaunches the request for the resignation of Donzelli and Delmastro. A move that is judged "hypocritical" in FdI circles.
But with this move on a formal level it is clear that Conte, in the context of the hegemonic aims attributed to him on the dem, tends to carve out an almost impartial space for himself with respect to the harsh response of the Democratic Party which does not go beyond the vehement controversy and the request for resignation. Obviously these are nuances with a tactical flavor those of Conte, Pd and M5s after seeing the lines written by Meloni they return to the office together for the two key men of FdI to leave office.
But even on the Cospito case, an entirely internal opposition game seems to be taking place underground where the 5s who are not directly affected by the clash intend to carve out their own role. With the Lazio elections in the background where they run on their own, constituting a serious risk for the Democratic Party.
But let's go back to the Cospito case. In the letter, the premier does not give up on the two big names in the via della Scrofa party, not believing that there are "in any way the conditions for the resignation that someone has requested". Moreover, Meloni recalls, the news contained in the documentation, which the Ministry of Justice has clarified is not classified, "were even anticipated by some media". In short, there is no scandal for the prime minister who, he confesses, has so far avoided intervening in order "not to fuel a controversy that I consider, for everyone, counterproductive". And this because "the tones have raised too much", therefore "I invite everyone, starting from the exponents of the Brothers of Italy, to bring them back to the level of a frank but respectful confrontation".
Meloni admits that "a certainly excessive accusation" has been leveled against the Democratic Party. But Meloni does not spare to remind the Democratic Party of the accusations that were made against her. And he says: “I find the indignation of the Democratic Party singular. The left has accused me, leader of the opposition, of 'being the moral instigator of deaths at sea' or of leading a 'subversive party'”. Meloni then adds that he finds it "paradoxical" that the left cannot be held accountable "for their choices, when the origin of the controversies of these days is objectively placed the visit to Cospito of a qualified representative of the Democratic Party, at a time when the prisoner intensified his communication efforts with the outside world”. And again: "What strikes me, even more than that visit, is that after having taken note – from what the press reports on the matter – of the relationship between Alfredo Cospito and the mafia bosses in harsh prison, and knowing full well how much the mafia should question the 41bis, authoritative exponents of the Democratic Party have continued to ask for the revocation of the institution for Cospito, pretending not to understand the implications that this choice would have had above all in terms of the fight against organized crime ".
Finally, the unitary reminder of the seriousness of the problem: "The climate is dangerously and rapidly overheating". "Threats to Italian institutions appear everywhere, here at home and abroad". The premier warns: “It is clear that we are not faced with one of the many controversies that agitate the political world, but with a decidedly disturbing situation that risks having serious consequences. To a scenario that requires prudence and caution but which must see the State united, in all its articulations and components, in defense of legality ". Meloni concludes: It is an appeal that I address to everyone, politicians, journalists, commentators. Because we don't have to look back tomorrow and discover that, not understanding the seriousness of what was happening, we ended up all being responsible for an escalation that can take us anywhere".
Pd's reply: “Unfortunately, we have read the words of a party leader who defends his own beyond the indefensible and, to do so, relaunches instrumental and vicious polemics against the opposition. A letter that rekindles the fire instead of putting it out”. Letta, Serracchiani, Malpezzi recall: “The Democratic Party has in its DNA the protection of freedom, democracy, republican institutions, the rule of law and is and will always be a builder of unity and national cohesion. It is therefore not to us that the appeal should be addressed but to Fdi, of which you are leader and president, who broke this political unity with defamatory and slanderous accusations precisely in one of the most important parliamentary moments, the vote for the establishment of the Anti-Mafia Commission".
Hard reply. Tougher than that of Conte himself, the leader of the most extreme wing of the opposition. Although it can easily be observed that the former premier was not directly involved in the controversy, these are paradoxes that put the problems of a left back in the center in general looking for the key to the skein of its political action.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/conte-pd-caso-cospito/ on Sun, 05 Feb 2023 07:21:29 +0000.