Is the Eternal Father liberal?
"The Godfather is liberal" by Nicola Porro read by Tullio Fazzolari
In the first intentions "The father is liberal" by Nicola Porro (Piemme, 201 pages, 18.90 euros) was to be a book-interview with Antonio Martino. It didn't happen that way. But even after Martino's death, many things remained to be said about liberalism of which the economist and politician was one of the most convinced and most discreet interpreters. In today's Italy where the political debate seems more like a competition to see who screams the loudest or who shoots the most venomous insults, there was the risk that the ideas of a moderate not at all inclined to raise his voice would be lost. Instead, Nicola Porro recovers them, who can be considered a custodian thanks to an almost thirty-year acquaintance with Antonio Martino that began as a professional collaboration and then became a friendship under the sign of a shared political passion: liberalism.
Undoubtedly "The Godfather is liberal" is a tribute to the politician. But it is also a "zibaldone", as Porro himself defines it, which collects liberal ideas. Or perhaps it would be better to say the ideas of the liberals. That there have never been many anywhere in the world and even less in Italy and yet, behind an ideology that is only apparently unique, they almost never think the same way. The nuances are endless: from moderate conservatism to the most determined radicalism. With a good dose of superficiality there are those who define themselves as "liberal" because they consider themselves progressive and those who more modestly feel liberal only because they have already given the house keys to their children.
True liberalism is quite another thing and in Italy, in particular, it has never been successful. It seems hard to believe given the role that so many personalities have played in our political history and culture. Benedetto Croce and Luigi Einaudi were authentically liberals. And such was considered Giovanni Giolitti. And in more recent topics we could mention a great historian like Rosario Romeo or politicians like Gaetano Martino, Antonio's father, who as Foreign Minister signed the Treaty of Rome. Yet, despite everything, being liberal in Italy has always been synonymous with an elitist choice. And as such ineluctably minority and almost a cultural anomaly comparable to the role of the talking cricket. What is anomalous is that the liberal idea is little or nothing reconciled with the mechanisms that have always dominated the management of the res publica (statism, consociationalism, public spending, etc.).
"The Godfather is liberal" traces all the difficulties encountered by liberalism up to the present day and the current political class on which Antonio Martino expresses a heavily negative opinion. Some myths and some clichés are debunked. Anecdotes and background enhance the interest. In the end, however, one positive fact remains: despite everything, even if it does not have a large following and does not dominate politics, liberalism has the gift of immortality. The Almighty gave it to him directly, allowing each of us to choose with free will.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/il-padreterno-e-liberale/ on Sat, 28 Jan 2023 08:16:20 +0000.