Re: [Salon] Cracks show over Russia as Italy’s far-right alliance heads for election win | Italy | The Guardian



Leave it to the English to misinterpret Italian politics and you end up in a tragi-comic operetta.   If you read the "Manifesto" of the FdI and you will see a fairly centrist programme, serious and comprehensive.  No question FdI's roots are in the post fascist movement, however, Meloni is first a conservative Catholic which explains her support from American right wing Catholics (Bannon et al) who misunderstand her Catholicism for right wing policies.  She is more in line with the Socialist roots of Italian Fascism. Neither Americans nor the British can ever understand that.  
Edward
edwhughes@gmail.com
+1 (617) 306 2577


On Sun, Sep 11, 2022 at 7:03 PM Todd Pierce via Salon <salon@listserve.com> wrote:
Knowing there are a lot of fans here of Giorgia Meloni and her “Brothers of Italy” party, members in good-standing of the “NaziCons” in short,  or Nazionale Conservatives, as known in Rome, here is an update on the Italian election with predictions that she will become PM (pause here for cheers). NATO need not fear; the NaziCons are fully supportive of war against Russia, as Der Leader Yoram Hazony has proclaimed (so much for the myth generated by the Right that they’re the “Party of Peace,” as TAC perpetrates, and on that note, read the books of the originators of the 1950’s Conservative Movement whose one point of agreement was that they all despised Eisenhower for his “weakness”). Here is a link to additional information:

"Giorgia Meloni may be no fascist. But she evokes grim memories of Italy’s past | John Foot"


Liz Truss I am sure is eager to reciprocate congratulations to Meloni when she becomes PM, as described here:
https://www.ansa.it/english/news/politics/2022/09/05/meloni-congratulates-truss-on-becoming-british-premier_2d37a370-9e45-42ce-b3ad-47f1044ab767.html

"Meloni added: "The Tories are among the founders of the family of European Conservatives I have the honour of chairing and I am certain that, together with them, it will be possible to boost our already strong political and cultural collaboration".
"The ECR includes Poland's Law and Justice party, Spain's Vox and the Sweden Democrats party.”

History may not repeat itself as they say but with these sorts of extreme-right parties as part of the “Coalition” against Russia, one could forgive the Russians if they note that it really is beginning to “rhyme.” 

Cracks show over Russia as Italy’s far-right alliance heads for election win

Giorgia Meloni, tipped to become PM, backs sanctions while Matteo Salvini says they are bringing Italy to its knees

Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni
Matteo Salvini and Giorgia Meloni, at a conference in Cernobbio, Como, on Sunday, are part of a coalition forecast to win the 25 September general election. Photograph: Matteo Bazzi/EPA

Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini, the far-right protagonists of a coalition on course to win Italy’s general election this month, posed together in a warm embrace by the sea in Sicily last week in a show of unity.

Meloni, the Brothers of Italy chief who could become prime minister, and who in the past has likened the pair’s relationship to that of Romeo and Juliet, said: “The photo is the best response to the inventions by the left of alleged divisions.”

Just days later, cracks between her and Salvini, the leader of the League, were on display at a business conference in Cernobbio, off the shores of Lake Como, where they disagreed on one of the most important themes of the moment – sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Although both Brothers of Italy and the League have condemned the war, Salvini, who once heaped praise on Vladimir Putin, even signing a cooperation pact with the Russian president’s United Russia party in 2017, said the sanctions were not working and were instead “bringing Europe and Italy to their knees”.

Meloni, meanwhile, argues that the sanctions are working, citing a significant slowdown in Russia’s GDP growth prospects, and since the start of the war she has been resolute in her support for sending arms to Ukraine while reassuring the international community that she is pro-Europe and pro-Atlanticist.

Her stance is a marked change from her criticisms of the sanctions against the Kremlin as a result of its annexation of Crimea in 2014, which she described as having “massacred” Italian businesses. It is a somewhat surprising shift from the leader of a party whose supporters are mostly against the latest raft of penalties. And according to a poll this week, just over half of Italians oppose the measures, owing to the strong impact they are having on the cost of living.

But Meloni has the wind in her sails – Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist roots, is leading in opinion polls – and her approach appears to be twofold: trying to woo voters while reassuring international observers.

“Slowly but surely she has understood that she could make it, and end up as prime minister,” said Sofia Ventura, a politics professor at the University of Bologna. “So she has taken a bet. She doesn’t want to frighten public opinion, and is aware that leading the country means having to show she’s 100% Atlanticist and European.”

Salvini, on the other hand, is endeavouring to revive support for the League, which has slumped to about 12% in polls, down from almost 40% in August 2019 when he collapsed his coalition government with the populist Five Star Movement in a failed attempt to force snap elections that could have made him prime minister.

“Salvini is seeing support crumbling from his hands and so it’s clear that he is playing a different game,” Ventura said.

The two parties are part of a coalition forecast to claim a comfortable victory on 25 September. The third member is Forza Italia, the party of the three-time former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who has also nurtured close ties with Putin’s Russia.

As a coalition, they have pledged to maintain support for Ukraine and stand firm alongside the EU and Nato. Michele Geraci, a former undersecretary at the ministry of economic development who has close ties to the League, believes this will be maintained once in power, albeit with a possible change in approach towards the sanctions.

“There really isn’t much difference between Meloni and Salvini – they have condemned the war in Ukraine and are both nationalist with a focus on the wellbeing of Italy,” he said. “They also both want sanctions that will bring an end to the war – this is the goal. There’s a lot of confusion over whether or not the sanctions are working. Salvini is slowly understanding that they aren’t, while Meloni hasn’t maybe understood that yet. After the election campaign, when they have time to properly assess the impact, maybe they will decide to either leave [the sanctions] or try to modify them.”

Before the war, Italy had long been friendly towards Russia, maintaining close economic and cultural links supported by factions within parties from across the political spectrum, some of whom continue to defend Putin.

The Five Star Movement, which set the wheels in motion for the collapse of Mario Draghi’s government in July, has condemned the war but is vehemently against sending arms to Ukraine and increased military spending. TV talkshows have hosted pro-Putin commentators.

“Since the end of the cold war, Italy did not perceive Russia as a major threat,” said Carolina De Stefano, a professor of Russian history and politics at Luiss University in Rome. She noted that the League and the Five Star Movement had promised to reduce Crimea-related sanctions when they formed a government in 2018, but in the end no changes were made.

“There has been an evolution in Italy-Russia relations and since February the Italian position has changed and in a really stable way,” she said. “There’ll be no turning back, and I see no possibility of Italy taking an opposite direction to the European one beyond the slogans.”

You've read 30 articles in the last year

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has abruptly transformed the world. Millions of people have already fled. A new Iron Curtain is grinding into place. An economic war deepens, as the military conflict escalates, civilian casualties rise and evidence of horrific war crimes mounts.

It’s our job at the Guardian to decipher a rapidly changing landscape, particularly when it involves a mounting refugee crisis and the risk of unthinkable escalation. Our correspondents are on the ground in Ukraine and throughout the globe delivering round-the-clock reporting and analysis during this perilous situation.

We know there is no substitute for being there – and we’ll stay on the ground, as we did during the 1917 Russian Revolution, the Ukrainian famine of the 1930s, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the first Russo-Ukrainian conflict in 2014. We have an illustrious, 200-year history of reporting throughout Europe in times of upheaval, peace and everything in between. We won’t let up now.

Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. We’d like to invite you to join more than 1.5 million supporters from 180 countries who now power us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent.

Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital to establish the facts: who is lying and who is telling the truth.

And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.

Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.

--
Salon mailing list
Salon@listserve.com
https://mlm2.listserve.net/mailman/listinfo/salon


This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail (Mailman edition) and MHonArc.