While the secretary talks about feminism and solidarity, her “amazons” are fleeing: Furlan, Madia, Gualmini, Picierno have already abandoned her, Tinagli is frying for the green line. But it is in Europe that the Democrats risk implosion
“I find that the attempt to pit women against each other is a very common game in patriarchal societies.” Nazarene, we have a problem. As soon as she landed, Elly Schlein was the Martian secretary, like Flaiano’s Kunt. Now it seems like the Evita Perón of Noantri: while she propagandizes feminism and solidarity, the marginalized Amazons are leaving the Democratic Party. Annamaria Furlan, former secretary of the CISL, and Marianna Madia, former Renzian minister, leave Rome. But the very hostile gender discrimination takes place above all in Brussels: first it abandoned Elisabetta Gualmini and now Pina Picierno, vice-president of the European Parliament. Not only divisions and rivalries loom over the continental group of Dems, but also insidious investigations. Parliament has already revoked the immunity of Alessandra Moretti, the “Ladylike” who claimed the right to appearance in politics, and is preparing to do the same with Matteo Ricci, former aspiring governor of the Marche.
For goodness sake: at home, between primaries and alliances, praetorians and hostiles, things are certainly not going splendidly. The foreign delegation, however, is the emblem of defeat. The inclusive leader is more divisive than ever. One after the other, those who are too reformist and not very radical move away. But even Giorgio Gori, the former mayor of Bergamo, seems increasingly impatient. So much so that he is considering his candidacy in the primaries, which would risk handing the field to Giuseppe Conte, five-star leader. Half of the party in Brussels does not share the secretary’s line, laboriously carried forward by loyalists. Like the turboecologist Camilla Laureti: she boldly claims that improvements for green homes, around 50 thousand euros per home, would have saved Italians considerably. Subject to sale of the kidneys to settle the amount. Or the rainbow standard-bearer, Alessandro Zan, who in the Chamber denounces Meta’s “general discriminatory conditions towards the LGBTQIA+ community”.
The company, on the other hand, is extraordinarily mismatched. The handful were chosen to bring votes and drive away the caciques. The last European elections were decisive for the secretary’s fate. And the very devotees remain unknown now, let alone then. Better, therefore, to focus on safe used ones. The local powerful people, above all: like Stefano Bonaccini, former president of Emilia-Romagna, and Antonio Decaro, who later left to lead Puglia. Then, some old journalistic glory: Lucia Annunziata, Marco Tarquinio, Sandro Ruotolo. Finally, the reconfirmed, certainly not orthodox: starting with Picierno, in fact.
The first psychodrama was about the vote for rearmament. Delegation split in half. The warmongers argue against the pacifists: conforming to the former Grillini risks distancing the Democratic Party from European socialism. Even today they remain divided on practically everything: development, justice, green deal. Picierno explains: «I left the Democratic Party claiming the same reasons why the broad camp is not a credible alternative to the right today: too much populism and little government culture». In short, we are back to the usual: the supposed subordination to 5 stars and Avs. And who will be vice president in Pina’s place? Schlein would have promised the position to the accommodating head of delegation: Nicola Zingaretti. Only now, as proof of the mephitic environment, he is considering granting the seat to Bonaccini, the misaligned president of the party.
Picierno had been preceded by Gualmini, who had criticized Schlein’s “genetic mutation”: “A repositioning in the radical left that cuts out the culture of reformism.” She was careful to detail the ambiguities: from Ukraine to the referendum on justice. In fact, a post was published to support the No vote, explaining that even CasaPound was in favor. «The video of the Democratic Party saying whoever votes Yes is a fascist perhaps reaches the lowest point of any political controversy» he explained. A few days later, he decided to leave.
The university professor from Bologna had already avoided Qatargate last December, a controversial investigation into supposed favors for the Emirati country. Parliament confirmed her immunity, deciding the opposite for Moretti, whose guarantees were revoked. In December 2022, «Ladylike» was cited in the investigation that led to the arrests of a former colleague, Pier Antonio Panzeri, and the then vice-president of the European Parliament, Eva Kaili. Now it’s up to Ricci, former mayor of Pesaro, involved in the Affidopoli investigation. An old collaborator of his allegedly revealed favors to some cooperatives in exchange for votes. The Prosecutor’s Office asks to seize all correspondence with Massimiliano Santini, the former coordinator of events in the municipality and the main suspect. Ricci has already asked his socialist colleagues in the commission to vote for the revocation of his immunity. Even if Gioacchino Genchi, lawyer of the great accuser, objects: chats and messages could already be handed over spontaneously to the prosecutor’s office.
What do the maniacs of Ruotolo, already particularly indignant in Michele Santoro’s television programmes, think? The mustachioed MP, information officer of the Democratic Party, does not forgive. On behalf of the secretary, he fought the most desperate battles, such as the one against the caciques. Always rejected with losses. Another old journalistic glory strongly desired by Elly in Brussels is Annunziata, elected as an independent. Now, however, drifts and farewells seem to embarrass her: “Whatever the reason, dissent cannot be eliminated from the life of a party” she explains to Il Foglio.
The ecological transition is also causing trouble. Ultra on one side. Realists on the other. Ideologists are opposed by former administrators and northerners. The ban on combustion engines in 2035, advocated by socialists, is one of the most divisive issues. For Italian companies it would be a catastrophe, but the leader of the Dem is adamant: it is urgent to push on electric cars, today more than ever. The Lombard Gori disagrees. As well as Irene Tinagli, an economist of Lettian faith. The forced passage would hand over the continental market to China, destroying thousands of jobs in Italy. Watson Elementary. Even Mario Draghi, former Italian prime minister and president of the ECB, predicted last autumn: “Stickly sticking to the objective could prove unachievable.” Meanwhile, the European Commission has postponed the decision, opening up to biofuels. And even on green houses it continues to take time.
The intransigents on behalf of the secretary took it very badly. The most authentic interpreter of environmental maximalism remains Annalisa Corrado, responsible for the ecological conversion of the Democratic Party, already embarked on the Flotilla. «The attack on the green deal is anti-historical», he attacks. “Europe cannot and must not abandon its climate ambitions.” As the economic disaster unfolds, she relaunches. More Schleinian than Elly. More Bonellian than Angelo. She also recently stood out in Brussels for a bold question against the cut in excise duties on fuel, after the war in the Middle East. Petrol was close to 2.5 euros per litre, the impoverished Italians were impatient at the pump, a full tank cost a disproportionate amount. But Corrado revealed in the courtroom: no more excise duty cuts. How dare the Italian government help the poor souls? Unheard of. “It would constitute state aid and compromise decarbonisation objectives,” it warned. “Competition in the internal electricity market is distorted.”
The ribald MEP, moreover, wrote the bestseller Girls Will Save the World. In the last twenty years, he informs, there has been a scoundrel conspiracy between executives and oilmen to destroy renewables. The peak of this reckless pact, obviously, was reached with the climate scoundrels of the centre-right. But the fault also lies with the male who “without hesitation manifests toxic ambition and desire for power, both towards women and the environment”. Even in the bill: no more patriarchy. Too bad only for the reviled colleagues. Maybe the girls will save the world, but not the Nazarene.
