Italy has a new government at last. No one was stunned that it took almost three months since the elections to have to extreme parties agreeing to a contract to govern Italy for the next five years. Many have seen the last Italian election as a watershed moment in Italian politics that ushered in the ‘Third Republic’.
The Second Republic came into existence in 1992 when the long-established Italian parties, the Christian Democrats, the Socialist and the Communist, were practically eliminated from the Italian political landscape as a result of the tangentopoli scandal. These parties tried to reinvent themselves with the Christian Democrats mainly joining Forza Italia led by business magnate Silvio Berlusconi, while the ex-socialists, some former Christian Democrats and communists formed the Partito Democratico.
The Second Republic, like most things in Italian politics, did not last long. Many are now asking how long the M5S/Lega coalition will last.
The international media is decidedly downbeat about the future of Italy and the EU as a result of the Italian people’s choice of government. An extreme right-wing party of eurosceptics joining forces with a party led by a university dropout who never held a proper job is hardly the stuff that inspires confidence in the markets. But to be fair, the previous governments of Berlusconi and Matteo Renzi did not do much to promote investment, create jobs, and make the Italian people feel better about their lives.
What never stops to amaze me is the fickleness of politicians as evidenced by the way things are developing in Italy. The leader of the Lega Matteo Salvini after vowing that he would never betray his ally the octogenarian Berlusconi in fact did precisely that: he broke ranks with both Forza Italia and Fratelli d’ Italia.
The frail-looking Berlusconi was not amused at being outfoxed by Salvini. He vowed to offer a fierce opposition to the strange coalition government.
In today’s political scenario the labels of right, left and centre do not mean much to the electorate
The bitter former leader of the PD Renzi has practically split his party by refusing to consider a coalition with the left-leaning M5S. Many will remember the wave of optimism he instilled when he became partly leader thanks to his youth and what then seemed fresh ideas. At one time the PD under his leadership had the support of 40 per cent of the electorate. Some saw in him an inspirational leader. How short can political careers be and how misleading it is to believe that younger politicians are necessarily better prepared to lead a nation.
There is now talk of Renzi and Berlusconi forming a new political force that will try to recover the centre ground of politics. But in today’s political scenario the labels of right, left and centre do not mean much to the electorate. What matters is politicians who deliver sustainable economic growth, create jobs and improve the quality of life of people. Indeed there are very few European politicians at present who can deliver on all these people’s aspirations.
The Catholic Church initially welcomed the change because it is aware of the social solidarity breakdown in many parts of Italian society. But it soon changed its tone and opposed one of the central planks of the coalition’s government programme: the flat tax. They understandably believe that income tax should be progressive and the rich should pay more than those who are not so rich.
One thing has certainly not changed with the advent of the Third Republic: political rhetoric. Both Salvini, Di Maio and Prime Minister-designate Giuseppe Conte gave upbeat messages on the eve of the formation of the new government. Deferred sincerity is undoubtedly a quality that every politician needs to survive in politics.
The EU has some tough challenges ahead. With a eurosceptic government in Italy and a Popular Party riddled with corruption in Spain, one wonders how the European Council and the Commission will get around defining a growth strategy for the Union. Our government will have to contend with geopolitical risks as it is unlikely that the new Italian government will pursue the same immigrant policy of the previous administration. On the other hand, the situation in Libya is only getting more dangerous as the country has become ungovernable.
What I fear most is a financial markets crisis as pressure on Italian and Spanish sovereign debt increases. Mario Draghi, the ECB chairman, will continue to ease tension by printing money to buy distressed countries’ debt, but he can hardly do much on his own to stimulate the real economy.
johncassarwhite@yahoo.com