All the 5-star blunders of Conte sul Quirinale
What is Conte doing in the Quirinale match. Polillo's comment
The idea of nominating a woman for the presidency of the republic lasted the space of one morning. Not that it was an indecent proposition. The other half of the sky has not only the qualities, but all the rights to claim such a possibility. Except that Giuseppe Conte, in formulating it, in such a generic way that it could no longer be, had something quite different in mind. Mark a political position. Lock yourself in a niche to prove its existence in life. A sad end for the strongest political group present in Parliament today, which, on the contrary, should have exercised an adequate role. Relative to its specific weight.
Bewilderment, therefore, in the meeting of the Senators of the Movement, who rejected the proposal of their President. Sergio Mattarella has indicated the candidacy to be pursued, despite the latter's reluctance. Finally, to arrive at a sort of commissioner of the same Count. In future negotiations he will have to be supported by the two group leaders: Davide Crippa and Maria Domenica Castellone. And it's not necessarily over. The political head of the Movement will soon have another examination, this time plenary, in the joint assembly of deputies and senators. In short: the crisis of the Movement not only continues, but, with each passing day, offers the news continuous food for thought.
To perceive its dimension, one must go to the origin. For example, rethink the evaluation of the character expressed by Beppe Grillo himself, in the bloodiest moment of the clash: “he has no political vision or managerial skills”. This is the lapidary judgment, which at the time might have seemed vitiated by a polemical excess. But that today, instead, appears completely realistic. Conte's main mistake was his lack of awareness. Having overlooked the fact that he is the leader of the main political force in Parliament. A condition that carried within itself burdens and honors. Conte neglected the former and enjoyed the latter.
In political relations, the largest parliamentary group has always had the task of leading the Assemblies, in order to ensure the greater efficiency of the Institution. In other words, he had to direct his majority, but at the same time maintain a correct relationship with the opposition, in the name of a superior interest. This attitude has never failed, not even in the most ferocious times in national history. In this task, Conte was facilitated by the fact that his Movement, at least in words, rejected the old labels: "right" or "left". On the contrary, he referred to a healthy "pragmatism", for which he was able to
dialogue with all the political forces present in Parliament.
Of course, the development of this position would have required a series of conditions, which have not been the case. First of all, the presence, on a permanent basis, of the leader in the parliamentary halls. That is to say his election as deputy, taking advantage of the opportunities that had arisen (resignation of Gualtieri, who became mayor of Rome), but which were not exploited. Perhaps to avoid the risk of a rejection. Clear manifestation of political weakness. But even before this happened, it was necessary not to break ties with its original allies. Namely the League. And don't do it the brutal way that breakup happened. That violent j'accuse in the Senate, with Matteo Salvini, in the guise of defendant, alongside the Prime Minister, on the benches of the Government. Not only political, but personal rupture.
Since then, a slow slip. With the possibility of a dialogue with the League having disappeared, surrendering oneself completely to the PD had become inevitable. Despite the growing grumbling of many parliamentarians who, not sharing that choice, had chosen to escape, more or less solitary in the mixed group. Today fourth formation, in terms of number of adherents, both in the Chamber and in the Senate. Hence the final metamorphosis: that transformation from the main protagonist of parliamentary life into a simple follower. More element of concern, on the part of the PD itself, than not an autonomous subject capable of guiding the choices of the entire Parliament, according to the numerical rules at the basis of its functioning.
If it had only been a party crisis, it would still have been serious, but not decisive. But this crisis came at a particularly delicate moment in national life. And that's when everything gets complicated. If the choice of the new President of the republic were not arrived at in the right time, the consequences not only political, but also economic and social, would be unpredictable. And the responsibilities, not only as evident, but destined to accelerate the spiral of the Italian crisis. Perhaps even desirable, if after the storm there was a clear sky. And with it the rebirth of a country that finally leaves behind the poisons of a past history, still marked by the scars of the "cold war". But that succession of events only occurs in nature. In politics, things don't always come together in the best way.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/giuseppe-conte-quirinale/ on Wed, 05 Jan 2022 09:39:47 +0000.