The strange Renzi-Calenda couple grappling with the Meloni government
What Matteo Renzi and Carlo Calenda say and do. Damato's Scratches
The interview with Repubblica in which Carlo Calenda recognized Giorgia Meloni first for "the important gesture" and then for the "act of political maturity" made by showing interest in her economic maneuver project, naturally different from the one launched by the Council of Ministers, and by willingly preparing for a meeting to confront each other, it has already cost him the suspicion, the accusation and whatnot of wanting to offer "a crutch" to the first right-centre government, rather than the centre-right. Which is a politically greater distinction than the gender one that perhaps affected ordinary people the most.
Suspicion, accusation – I repeat – strengthened by the concern expressed by the leader or co-leader, as you prefer, of the so-called third pole that the government could "fall apart", it does not matter whether due to Silvio Berlusconi's intolerance or due to the now instability of the leadership of Matteo Salvini in the League. "It would be problems for Italy and I don't hope so", added Calenda, explaining that the centre-right, or right-centre parties, "have won the elections and must govern", perhaps also thanks to the "never prejudicial" opposition of the third pole, in order to show "what they can do", leaving the final judgment to the "voters". By now “the time for emergency or opportunist governments is over – said Renzi's ally and new-found friend – which served on other occasions to avoid, by delaying it, the clarifying appeal to the polls.
The ally and found friend Renzi, in fact. The two exchange appreciations and understandings every time they have the opportunity, for heaven's sake, since they decided to get together, satisfied with the albeit modest election of September 25, achieved in just three months compared to twelve years – Calenda recalled – made by Meloni to rise from 1 to 8 percent, but then to 25.
Already in the European elections of 2024 Renzi proposed, even before he wished, to surprise everyone by making his third pole rise to the top of the rankings. The Europeans have brought Renzi luck, as we know. Those of 2015, the year after his arrival at Palazzo Chigi, raised him as secretary of the Democratic Party to 40 percent of the votes, as only the Christian Democrats managed to do in their best times. Five years later, in the same type of election, the Democratic Party fell to 22 percent, but Renzi was no longer its secretary, practically forced to leave due to the much more modest and ruinous 18 percent achieved the year before in the general election imposed on him. , according to him, by the President of the Republic at the ordinary deadline. According to him, the outcome would have been different, with repercussions on the aftermath, if Sergio Mattarella had satisfied him by having him go to the polls the year before, on the wave of the 40 percent -always that blessed 40- achieved with the supporters of the constitutional reform headed by him but damned rejected in the referendum of 4 December 2016.
Ah, what still plagues these dates and these numbers for Matteo Renzi. However, he has never resigned himself to the role of a minor actor, let alone an extra. If before it could build governments and majorities, now it is content with being able to bring down the former and the latter. Giuseppe Conte knows something about it, so as not to go too far back in time. Which, thanks to Renzi still in the Democratic Party, managed to stay in Palazzo Chigi in 2019 by changing allies, from the League to the same Democratic Party, but it was by Renzi himself, now out of the Nazarene party, practically overthrown after just over a year to the advantage of a Mario Draghi unnecessarily represented or imagined as disinterested and tired by the Apulian lawyer: tired, in particular, from the efforts to preside over the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.
Now, as a scrap dealer in permanent and effective service, Renzi has just ventured, in an interview with the press, to realize precisely the scenario feared by Calenda: that of a crisis in the Meloni government. Which was already announced in the title of the interview for "next year", but in reality foreseen by Renzi's textual words after the 2024 European elections. Then – said the scrapper – "this government will risk going to house” due to the difficulties, evidently, within a majority tested by the electoral results. "There we will be ready", added Renzi in the plural, speaking – I imagine – also in the name of a Calenda who instead appeared in his interview with Repubblica not at all convinced or eager for a crisis.
It's really strange – I don't think just for temperaments – the Calenda-Renzi couple, or vice versa. God makes them and then couples them, says an old popular proverb also used for some happy art comedy.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/la-strana-coppia-renzi-calenda-alle-prese-con-il-governo-meloni/ on Sun, 27 Nov 2022 06:13:21 +0000.