Goodness and contraindications of Salvini’s attacks against the EU

25 March 20242 months ago babelfish

Because Salvini's criticisms of the EU Commission (correct for the past) are not entirely convincing. Polillo's comment

Matteo Salvini's watchwords are unequivocal. Destined to be immediately understood even by those who have no particular familiarity or interest in politics. Definitely an advantage. Able to be appreciated, as happened during the campaign for the last European elections and translate into a more than substantial amount of votes. Then the League obtained 34 percent of the vote, becoming the leading party in Italy. It is therefore worth examining his latest utterances more closely. Taking as reference his latest speech during the recent "Identity and democracy" event.

In the foreground, obviously, considering the presence of the allies from beyond the Alps, the theme of Europe. Are the criticisms once again made fair? More than just duties, if referring to the past. If today we are holding our breath, fearing that Donald Trump could win the presidential elections in the United States, this is due to the past mistakes of European politics. At the limits of that Franco-German axis, which then guided its destinies. That long myopia, a reflection of the arrogant defense of one's national interests, which was the exact opposite of leadership, as theorized by Charles Kindleberger. Nothing but advantages and burdens for the "prince"! The essence of that policy was mercantilism (German) and ostentation of “grandeur” (French). The ingredients that, in the end, seasoned Brexit, pushing Great Britain towards abandonment. But leaving the whole of Europe at the mercy of possible events.

Since then, something has changed. First Covid, then the invasion of Ukraine, the siege of a part of the global South, which makes no secret of its aggressive intentions against the entire West, has had an impact on the register of European policies. Starting from the Next generation EU and the pooling of a part, albeit still too small, of the debt. Which, however, is destined to increase. There are too many long-awaited commitments (from the green deal, to common defense and productive reconversion, a reflection of the crisis of the old globalization model) to be supported by resorting to national finances alone.

Will the current European political balance allow all this? Difficult to answer. But never, as in this case, is the scepter in the hands of the people. The upcoming European elections will have a constituent significance. They will have to mark the start of a new phase or the definitive collapse of a structure that is no longer able to withstand the challenges of its time. Will Ursula Von Der Leyen still manage this phase? Or will it not be necessary to turn to personalities – think of Mario Draghi – capable of offering greater guarantees? We'll see. However, being careful not to put the cart before the horse, hypothesizing political alchemies that no one is able to predict. The only certainty is that in the face of great geopolitical changes in the international context, solitude is not the strength, but the weakness of any nation.

Then there is the ambiguous relationship with Putin . Yesterday more evident in his flag demonstrations: from the t-shirt worn, to the statements against Mattarella. Today conjugated in a more subtle way. Against "warmongers" of all stripes. A right longing for peace? And who couldn't disagree? However, there is an abyss between the effort necessary to silence the guns and the demilitarization proposal, which favors the expansionist aims of the autocrat of the moment. Be it the new Tsar or have the face of Khāmeneī, the supreme leader of Iran. Giving ground, in this case, does not mean promoting peace, but working towards further conflicts and one's own defeat.

But in Italy, one could immediately argue, pacifist sentiment is deep and widespread. The task of a political leader is also to take it into account and represent it. More than right. This policy cannot be left in the hands of Giuseppe Conte and the 5 stars alone. But even in this case there is a difference. The ambitions of the latter are consensus for consensus. There is no politics. Just look at how they treated the country's public finances. A devastating policy. In the case of the League, however, at least originally, there was the central idea of the defense of the North, which Salvini then transformed into something more evanescent. Well what is your updated vision? A new yellow-green alliance? The re-edition of a union that lasted the space of one morning?

MATTEO SALVINI, THE DUSKER

Doing politics cannot mean turning into a diviner, constantly looking for a pool of water to dry up. The different policies , which all together give the sign of politics , require a common thread of coherence. Especially for a political formation that has the characteristics of the old parties of the 20th century. And with it the constant reference to the longer-term interests that we want to represent. Especially at least those from the North. Where all the development of the nation is concentrated. Those interests which, at least in the immediate future, represent the interests of Italy, are better defended by taking care of the relationship with Europe or with the East: Russia on the one hand, China on the other?

From 2014 onwards, what little development there has been in Italy is due to exports. They made it possible to repay the debts contracted in the first years of the birth of the euro and transform it from a debtor country towards foreign countries into a creditor country. In simple terms, this represented a financial effort of over 500 billion euros: more than a third of the national income. The contribution of the North was decisive. Exports from those territories amounted to 70 percent of the total. With trade flows of which 68 percent were located within Western countries, of which almost 98 percent were towards European countries.

BETWEEN THE SILK ROAD AND DIFFERENTIATED AUTONOMY

Does it make sense, then, to follow in Putin's footsteps, or the mirage of the "New Silk Road", as happened during the yellow-green government? To preserve that scant 4 percent of Italian exports? There is a lot of talk about “differentiated autonomy”. But this prospect only has a prospect if it does not go against the laws of the market, which that little miracle has already achieved. The ISTAT data are merciless. In 2013 the average income per inhabitant fluctuated in the North between 37 and 38 thousand euros, in the South it was equal to an average of 31,800 euros. With a difference of approximately 18 percent. Which in 2022 will become almost 80 percent (around 40 thousand euros per capita, compared to 21,700).

And here's the little moral. It's fine, for those who believe in it, to rely on the diviner's rod to look for those deposits of consensus that are the salt of politics. However, provided that the geological coordinates that characterize the individual territories are not lost. Otherwise, as is happening – election after election – we risk digging into the ground needlessly: having now lost the sense of perspective.

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/matteo-salvini-critiche-commissione-europea/ on Mon, 25 Mar 2024 15:18:48 +0000.