How long will the Democratic Party bear the M5S hegemony in the Conte government?
Facts, effects and scenarios after the results of the regional elections
Was it a vote in favor of cutting the MPs, or a vote against these MPs, considered, rightly or unfairly, for their intrinsic qualities, as the last "dinosaurs" of the caste? Even in the wake of a substantially anti-establishment tradition that has always been an important strand of the Italian tradition. In this case, however, the aggravating circumstance was given by the presence of those who without merit and without history, if not for a stroke of luck, found themselves catapulted into the great arena of politics. Of course: behind them was the failure of those who had preceded them. But how to explain, then, the resilience of the Democratic Party? Is it the fault of Matteo Renzi and his basically minority vocation?
Slyly, Luigi Di Maio made the victory in the name of the 5 stars, but above all to himself. If that were the case, it would have been a plebiscite, considering the percentages that marked the relationship between "Yes" and "No". But the disaggregation of the list votes show a completely opposite result. The grillini have almost gone off the radar of politics, with consensus percentages in free fall. To the point that if there had not been the role of substitute for the Democratic Party, the setback for the entire majority would have been devastating.
Which cannot fail to open a breach in the internal relations of the government structure, which supports Giuseppe Conte. To what extent will the Democratic Party be able to continue to suffer more than the hegemony, the simple supremacy, of its allies? Will that reshuffle evoked several times, but always denied, take shape? Or will Nicola Zingaretti, the new Quinto Fabio Massimo, continue to pretend nothing has happened, proving that he does not have the necessary attributes? Too bad there are deadlines that cannot be further postponed, starting with the decision on the ESM, still shrouded in fog. Another knot: the electoral law and parliamentary regulations, thorns not so much in the side of the majority, but of the two main forces that compose it.
But there is a little known aspect that is worth calling attention to. In Brussels we are discussing the rules that must be respected in order to have access to the funds of the Next generation. Is there anyone who is negotiating to defend national interests? In other words, to avoid that those rules are tailored in the prevailing interest of the stronger countries, and then be applied above all to the weaker ones? There is talk, indeed whisper, of new conditionalities. And all to the detriment of Italy. Will the success of the “Yes”, in the referendum, as theorized by Di Maio, be enough to raise the national prestige and thus avert any possible danger? Hard to believe.
That Yes was not the result of the 5-star strategy, but the consequence of their opponents' fears. Who simply wanted to ride, some more, some less, that anti-caste sentiment which was, as we said at the beginning, and is, a fundamental trait of Italian culture. And that will remain so, at best, except to progressively worsen, until in Italy a ruling class is formed that is up to the challenges facing the country. And that certainly cannot be exorcised by a simple mockery, as happened in the past months, or placed in the drawer of quiet everyday life.
The overall results of this electoral round show how the Italian skein has become further tangled. Clear sign that the crisis is still on standby. While urgencies and indelible choices are pressing at the gates of the country. The fact that the 5 stars have achieved a much lower result than the polls, which rewarded them, is a fact. Populist forces, on the whole, are losing ground. But that's only half the battle: waiting for a government force capable of giving rise to the turning point that Italy deserves. And be able to avoid that abyss that, unfortunately, can be glimpsed against the light.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/fino-a-quando-il-pd-sopportera-legemonia-m5s-nel-governo-conte/ on Tue, 22 Sep 2020 13:50:08 +0000.