ITALIAN ELECTIONS, A FOOL’S GAME?

I apologize in advance to my French-speaking reader, as a number of my notes and references are in Italian. I have not yet read anything conclusive in French about the issues of these elections. We are still in the grip of the oscillation between the « fascist hysteria » of some who forget the role of the left in totalitarianisms and others who hope that G. Meloni embodies an anti-globalist who forgets the perverse and well-worn game of institutions.

THE RESULTS

Let’s get to the heart of the matter.

After the resignation of Mr. Draghi, the people found themselves having to vote after only 2 months of election campaigns. Remember that Italy is a parliamentary and proportional republic, so it is the majority party that conducts politics for 5 years.

A big problem: the majority team is… abstentionist. The best figure in Republican history: 37% abstention! Abstention with a capital A! What to do in front of such a coalition? Nothing for the moment. Everybody knows it, but nobody talks about it. It is spoken of in low tones behind the scenes as a strangeness emerging from the darkness that is becoming more and more prevalent in all countries. We’ll come back to that.

The centre-right won an absolute majority (but not the two-thirds majority needed to change the Constitution bypassing the popular referendum) with 26.3% of the vote, including 8% for Forza Italia and 9% for Lega, which in four years has gone from 17.5% of the vote to 9%, while the centre-left made a record in reverse with 27%, including 19% for the PD, adherence to the fanaticism of health taxes and subordination to the European Commission⁽¹⁾ having given the coup de grace of a fall already well underway.

Europa with Emma Bonino and Luigi di Maio (Minister of Foreign Affairs) do not return to Parliament. The 3% target was reached by the Green-Left. The lost votes of the center-left enriched the Action-Italy Viva (7.8%) and M5S (15%), two of the surprises of this election. The party led by Giuseppe Conte has done better than the forecasts, especially in the South where people are trying to protect their social benefits. The parties declaring themselves « anti-system », are far from the 3% threshold of the electoral law: Italexit stopped at 2%, Sovereign and Popular Italy at 1.5% and Vita, at 0.7%.

Georgia Meloni can emphatically declare: « Italians are giving a clear indication for a center-right government led by the Brothers of Italy.

A STRATEGY

Let’s be realistic.
In concrete terms, and well beyond the face of the new majority, it has as its legacy the economic measures introduced by the Draghi government to deal with the energy crisis and the problem of inflation. Thus, the research department of the Association of Craftsmen and Small Businesses (CGIA), states that « the new government that will emerge from the polls already has a mortgage of 40 billion euros and it will be almost impossible to keep, at least in the first 100 days, the election promises announced in the last two months⁽²⁾ « .

In essence, it’s not just about debt. Indeed, in a context of economic measures already established by the previous executive directly mandated by Brussels, the room for manoeuvre of the new government is almost zero. Therefore, the possibility of adopting solutions promised in the election campaign, such as reducing the tax burden and current expenditure, is simply impossible. Impossible within an economic zone managed by Maastricht, which decides on operations concerning currency, growth and purchasing power. Let us clarify: 1) the euro valuation policy determines the flow of imports and exports of each country, which has a direct impact on taxation and price increases, 2) the treaties determine the modalities of growth according to free trade regulated by competition law, 3) the purchasing power thus subjected to rates, taxes, debt, inflation and speculation can only be greatly reduced.

The entire left carefully avoids the economic question. France Culture can unabashedly headline « Why Europe is drifting to the far right⁽³⁾ », while the European Commission does not lose its iron focus. Ursula von der Leyen, did not fail to recall with her legendary gentleness « having the means to sanction if things go in a difficult direction⁽⁴⁾ » referring to Poland and Hungary. Thus, failure to comply with the roadmap of reforms imposed by Brussels will result in the suspension of funds. One of them is certainly the PNRR (National Resilient Recovery Plan), the second tranche of which has been released in recent days. It is essential to keep in mind that the Recovery Funds (248 billion)⁽⁵⁾ were a way to put Italy under guardianship, whose debt is 50% owned by the Italians themselves⁽⁶⁾, unlike France, whose debt depends mainly on American pension funds (Black Rock)⁽⁷⁾.

The strategy, already visible since the resignation of Mr. Draghi, is to blame the new government for stagflation (zero or negative growth with high inflation) so that a « technocrat » will return with the new clothes of the savior. And if the Italian economy goes into a tailspin, there will always be time to commiserate with the grieving citizens: « I told you, I can’t do anything for you anymore ».

The spectre of Greece thus extends to the south. Remember. Greece was not because of the banking crisis of 2008 and the bailout of the « too big to fail » banks, speculation on financial products and real estate, offshoring and deregulation that Obama wisely ignored. Not at all⁽⁸⁾. It was because the Greeks did not pay their taxes that there was too much corruption, too many civil servants and too much debt⁽⁹⁾. In short: the country was badly managed.
Italians, and soon French, expect a flood of detour and instrumentalizations — covid, Ukraine, debt and transitions — and that the bankers, after having sunk us, will come and offer us a hand that will seem to be helpful.

AN ULTRA-LIBERAL PROGRAM

And here are the hyenas of the left and the right-wing licking the boots of high finance. To declare (falsely) that you do not wish to renew the alliance with the pharmaceutical industries and private banks is to become « fascist ». We can’t even pretend to be populists anymore. And yet, if we consult the program of the Brothers of Italy, we will see that G. Meloni has shown his credentials; this shows the degree of stress of the regime. Indeed, the G. Melonie program is much closer to an accelerated neo-liberal program than to a project of great public works and a black-shirted militia — unless one considers liberalism as the antechamber of fascism, but that is another discussion. Let’s take a closer look at some of the basic points of his program^(10)(11)(12) ( in note: from the shortest to the most complete).

War and sovereignty
The desire for freedom and sovereignty is accompanied by unconditional support for NATO and Ukraine(Atlantismo, ferma adesione alla NATO e sostegno all’Ucraina), which is in total contradiction with the Italian constitution based on sovereignty and peace.

Education and specialization
A numerus clausus program including « Valuing technical and professionalizing professions and eliminating the medical school entrance test with performance-based selection after the first year of study » (Valorizzazione delle professioni tecniche e professionalizzanti ed eliminazione del test d’ingresso per la facoltà di medicina con una selezione fatta in base al rendimento dopo il primo anno di studi), with « More financial support to meritorious students (Maggiore sostegno economico agli studenti meritevoli), « a reform of the system of access to faculties programmed and reform of the law on specialized medical training, through a system providing for selection from the second year of course » (Riforma del sistema di accesso alle facoltà a numero programmato e riforma della legge sulla formazione specialistica medica, attraverso un sistema che preveda la selezione a partire dal secondo anno di corso), to which is added a Reform of education: « graduate students first and more interactive universities » (Valorizzazione delle scuole tecniche professionali e riforma del PCTO. Riforma della didattica: « studenti laureati prima e università più interattiva).

Health and surveillance
This is accompanied by a reactionary or progressive movement — it is no longer clear how to define it — which supports surveillance capitalism more subtle than that imposed by the U.S. through « a reward mechanism in access to the health system with the creation of a health points driver’s license » (patente a punti della Salute con un meccanismo di premialità nell’accesso al sistema sanitario). If G. Meloni has the intelligence to refuse the greenpass⁽¹³⁾(health pass), the latter can always come back through the window under a new name. It is worth mentioning that G. Meloni has always said « no » to the health pass, while voting « yes » in parliamentary assemblies.

Taxation and privatization
« Reducing the tax burden on companies and households through a fair reform: the tax on profits »(Riduzione della pressione fiscale su imprese e famiglie attraverso una riforma all’insegna dell’equità: flat tax). « Reducing taxes on labor through the structural reduction of the tax and contribution wedge, to the benefit of workers and businesses ». Apart from the doubts we raised above concerning the reduction of current expenditure and the real benefits for the worker, this implies that on the one hand, companies are paying less profit to the state, and on the other hand, there is more investment in the private sector, especially in transport in the south, which not only results in the deterioration and privatization of public services, but also ignores the role of multinationals and the mafia in the plundering of the states.

Climate transition and degradation
An adherence to the controversial climate transition(Aggiornamento del Piano nazionale di adattamento ai cambiamenti climatici), which does not prevent a proposal to exploit shale gas⁽¹⁴⁾ on the territory (« Yes to regasifiers and drilling of Italian gas fields »), Sì a rigassificatori e a trivellazioni dei giacimenti italiani di gas), the import of nuclear power and the transformation of Italy into an energy sorting center between Africa and the rest of Europe (Trasformazione dell’Italia in un hub di smistamento energetico tra l’Africa e il resto dell’Europa).

But… the mass media prefers to focus on vice issues. It must be said that she has made Mussolini’s famous catholic-fascist slogan « God, Fatherland, Family » her own (it must be remembered that not all Catholics are fascists or close to the Vatican, that not all Muslims are Salafists, that not all Jews are bankers and Islamophobes…), that she has been able to soften with « the pay gap between women and men and the adoption of the Pink tax » (Superamento del « tetto di crystallo », quindi del divisi).), which she was able to soften with « the pay gap between women and men and the adoption of the Pink tax » (Superamento del « tetto di cristallo », quindi del divario retributivo tra uomini e donne nonché della pink tax). We will observe with attention that it will be the concrete implementation of the freedom of the women and of the return to the Christianity in a secular country by Constitution, knowing that on this theme in particular the Italian associations are very influential and that the glances of the European « lefts » are ready to strike the gap that, we hope, will turn an eye also wrathful on the disastrous side effects of the vaccines on the menstruations⁽¹⁵⁾.

However, the popular message through this election is clear: people are concerned first of all about eating their fill, having decent housing, getting around without having to Big Brother to all corners, to be able to count on public services, to look for another political mode to make themselves exist, before asking questions about euthanasia, abortion, the obligation to bury fetuses, cannabis and gay marriage. Can you blame them? Especially since the Italians, who expect the benevolent protection of the mamaThe only thing that will happen is that the austerity of the whipping mother who pledges allegiance to the Vatican, the USA and the EU (of which she is the President of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party) will be imposed on the citizens of Europe, who dream of a French-style presidential system. In short, a female Draghi who will watch from afar as the people sink into misery.

AN ALTERNATIVE?

Do the 3 parties claiming to be « anti-system » offer an alternative to this game of deception? Let’s take a closer look at their program: Vita with S. Cunial⁽¹⁶⁾, Italexit with J. Paragone⁽¹⁷⁾, Sovereign and Popular Italy with G. Colone⁽¹⁸⁾.

If the dissidents want to constitute a solid political counter-power, they must be realistic. This force will certainly not come from institutions themselves designed to agitate and use the citizen, but will emerge from below — perhaps to express itself through institutions.

The independent parties are united on many crucial issues including:

1. National sovereignty, which means leaving NATO, WHO and the EU.
2. The freedom that comes with refusing to follow the digital, health and especially financial dictatorship.
3. The respect of the environment which passes by the preservation of the bodies and the nature which the GMO and the 5G degrade.

Despite these courageous positions in common, they do not agree on migration policy and moral legislation (couples, end of life, cannabis).

In fact, Vita and Italexit condemn immigration without qualification, while Sovereign and Popular Italy condemns a specific immigration: that which is used as a « capitalist reserve » for deregulation purposes. It is always amusing to follow these debates, Italy being more a territory of passage, with unsanitary and inhuman refugee camps, which has nothing to do with the immigration of cosmopolitan and colonial France.

If all denounce the propaganda of post-humanist currents coming from the United States (LGBT, Wokism, etc.), Vita and Italixit wish to return to a Christian conservative tradition, while Sovereign and Popular Italy does not pronounce itself on these subjects, leaving to each one the free choice.

As far as economic proposals are concerned, Vita is content to remain vague, while Italexit dreams of full employment and would like to limit social assistance in a country where unemployment and inflation are high. Only Sovereign and Popular Italy is aware that a policy of redistribution towards the popular strata of the wealth accumulated by the profits of the multinationals operating on the national territory, is unavoidable.

In the face of this situation, it is distressing to see that the alternative has been unable to come together to obtain the minimum 3% to enter parliament. This brings up two structural problems with the party system:

1. Propensity to centralize in the style « all behind me ».
2. Disconnection from the popular base that makes people lose their sense of priorities.

It goes without saying that an alliance, far from appearing as a betrayal, would have been welcomed as proof of maturity and awareness of the times, which have already left the artificial shores of the right/left divide.

DIAGNOSTIC

End of democracy.
What about abstention, especially among young people? In addition to the serious obstacles to the right to vote — such as the homeless and Italians abroad who have not had the opportunity to vote for all parties — that have favored abstention, it is above all a loss of confidence in representative democracy. Not only do people no longer recognize themselves in their representatives, but more worryingly, they no longer believe that this party system, which is now linked to corruption, self-interest and class contempt, can emerge from a state of emergency that is becoming constitutional. 3 causes (not exhaustive).
1) You are an Italian student who dreads the health measures that have ruined 2 years of youth, but also wants to be able to go to university without having to go into debt and also wants a good hospital service for his parents. To do this, we would have to be able to vote both left and right, and even then, we can’t be sure of anything between promises and actions.
2) When a government falls, Italians are used to unelected « technical » governments that provide a transition period that can last for years.

3) In Italy the sanitary repression with its lot of economic and social absurdities during the crisis of the covid has so exceeded the imagination in cruelty, that the Italians have deeply understood that the interests of a few in power are always above those of the people.

It is in the face of this situation, which goes beyond systemic corruption to become a fact of decadent civilization and therefore authoritarian, that Jessica Constanzo of Alternativa⁽¹⁹⁾, resigns with panache, sharing her disgust with this system that protects the elected officials hidden and paid by the taxpayer.

And during this useless time of routine diversion, power cuts have been occurring without warning since August here in Turin — and perhaps elsewhere. You can hear old people, young people and shopkeepers screaming in the middle of the night in surprise and despair. For the moment, no one is talking about it. It is a matter of gradually getting used to an atmosphere of terror; the only fertile ground for dictatorship. And NATO continues its deployment of military hig tech in Turin⁽²⁰⁾ and biolab in the south⁽²¹⁾ and I just learned the underwater sabotage of Nord Stream 2⁽²²⁾.

And of course, war as a great washing machine — or what is called today « reset » — remains the surest way to terrify the populations by amplifying — even mystifying — an Asian threat (China/Russia) so as to make them accept all the Atlanticist impositions against the interests of the European peoples. And Draghi sets the bar high: « There will only be a future when Russia decides to return to the 1945 standards⁽²³⁾ « .

End of the rule of law. The National Liberation Committee (CNL) initiated by U. Mattei with Générazione Futura⁽²⁴⁾ has proposed a self-managed popular referendum (« Resistendum ») on the exit from NATO, WHO and the E.U., but also on currency and digitalization. This referendum set up a parallel vote with no direct consequences other than advisory. But it has a certain symbolic power in the manner of Fullmich’s court. Only the intervention of the police and the sequestration of the ballot boxes in the polling stations remind us that no one is supposed to think or act outside the system. In fact, it is a good entry into politics in the noble sense and it is to be hoped that the Committees will develop by themselves without entering into the pyramidal and electoral logic⁽²⁵⁾.

Before anything else, shouldn’t we start by bringing together the active and popular forces? Recovering a sense of alliances and priorities? To draft a vision that can speak to the depths of the human being? And rather than imagining programs and establishing outdated frameworks of thought to reassure ourselves, isn’t it better to accept the great leap into the unknown of the future?

THE TREATY OF THE FRENCH-ITALIAN ASSEMBLY

In the free and active popular line, we have with the Italian CNL and the French participants of the Franco-Italian Assembly^(26)(27)The French-Italian Treaty, which was censored on the same day in the media, was finalized in response to the fundamental Treaty that is never mentioned, and was signed by Macron and Draghi in Rome on November 26, 2021⁽²⁸⁾.

I would particularly like to thank the participants of this Assembly who have almost all contributed their pens and ideas to this text. This is proof that differences do not drive us apart. On the contrary. It just takes time to get to know each other and to meet⁽²⁹⁾.

Tristan Edelman