A century after the March on Rome launched fascism on the world, Italy cycles back to where it was as the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) leads the country’s right-wing coalition to a comfortable majority in both houses of Parliament, making its leader, Giorgia Meloni, the first fascist prime minister since Mussolini was deposed in 1943.
Meloni seems to have a mandate. But for what? Is it what she’s said before? Or what she says now?
When campaigning, Meloni talked down her past anti-Europe (and pro-Putin) rhetoric. She walked away from ideas that, in Italy at least, were thought too radical, like a navy blockade to stop African migration by boat. She fought the election on her party’s traditional rhetoric — “Dio, patria e famiglia” (“God, country and family”) — in an assertion of Italian identity and the predictable “war on woke”. It suggests a government that will be more culture wars than economic reform, with the usual targets: immigrants and the LGBTIQA+.
It’s less a vote for change than it’s a victory for the country’s politics of opposition appealing to the self-identifying left-behinds. The Fratelli was the only significant party to stay outside the technocratic Mario Draghi’s government of national unity, leaving it well placed to leverage unhappiness at COVID disruption and continuing economic stagnation where unemployment is about 7.9% — and about 24% among the young.
The voting surge — from 4.4% in 2018 to a provisional 26.2% this week — came off a halving of the votes of Meloni’s two right-wing partners (Forza Italia and Lega Nord) and of the anti-elite populist 5 Star Movement, the three parties that dominated the 2018 elections.
Italian parties are fluid. No surprise, then, if Meloni entrenches power by repeating the ploy of her current partner, Forza Italia’s Silvio Berlusconi, and seeks to absorb all or part of her partners.
It’s two of the big global political trends up in lights: conservative voters are becoming more conservative — a lot more — while the post-2008 anti-politics populists are offering a bridge from the centre left to the right. Although the leading party on the left, the Democrats, largely held on to their vote, they suffered a repeat of the breakdown of British Labour’s 2019 northern England “red wall” (and US Democrats’ 2016 Midwest wall) in parts of their historic “zona rossa” in Emila-Romagna and Tuscany.
The centrist commentariat is taking comfort that the (post-)fascists will be constrained by the country’s institutions, particularly the presidency (currently held by the rigorously centrist Sergio Mattarella, eight months into his second seven-year term) and the constitutional court. The right fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority to push through changes to the constitution — at least, not without the support of the politically eccentric 5 Star populists.
The major constraint remains the European Union. Italy sits at its core, part of both the Schengen visa-free zone and the common currency eurozone. Meloni talks the hard-right rhetoric of a “Europe of sovereign nations” and in the past she has talked about dropping the euro.
For the time being at least, economic stability will mean continuing the post-COVID “recovery and resilience plan” agreed last year with the European Commission. This includes European money for the “green transition” to build energy efficiency and renewable energy. (Apart from current renewables in hydro and solar, Italy is an energy importer.) The Italian right talks the same loose chatter as Australia’s conservatives of dumping renewables for nuclear, but it’s unlikely to be able to fund development.
Meloni has been supportive of Ukraine — lately, at least. Her radical right-wing ally, the anti-Russian Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, was one of the first to congratulate her on her win. Her coalition partners have been less reliable. Berlusconi broke ranks last week to defend Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticise Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Europe is expected to constrain the new government, too, on immigration. Expect instead the high theatre of cruelty that makes examples of individual migrants. Australia may provide a model: Meloni has promised to deport foreign citizens convicted of crimes.
Meloni has criticised the “LGBT lobby” and “gender ideology”. She opposes adoption by same-sex couples. The election is likely to leave Italy as the only western European country to bar same-sex marriage, although, bound by the European Convention on Human Rights, the new government is expected to maintain civil unions legalised in 2016.
Italy’s dependence on the European institutions means the risk is less a break with Europe than it is that Meloni’s election will change the continent’s politics. Together with the recent success of the Swedish Democrats, it means the far right has overtaken the traditional centre right as the main conservative voice on the continent.
As it drags the old conservatives along behind it, the post-fascist right threatens to undermine the democratic Europe the global order depends on.
Meloni, an empty shell, has done nothing, ahieved nothing, stands for nothing is ridiculously hypocritical, loudmouthed, strident, self fixated, and surely there was enough to avoid after Johnson, Trump, Morrison, other defectives in Europe. Leadership is one thing, but mad messiahs do not lead; they follow twisted will and public opinion they can control and even manufacture. Sad and futile…an unmarried “christian” mother full of venom.
This is just the latest symbol of how much EU members don’t like having EU Far-Left policies shoved down their throat is all. Given the lifespan of any Italian Government, I don’t expect that this will matter long term however the number of EU countries moving to the Right is growing and reflects the populations dissatisfaction with the Left.
I have been reading articles from various sources today about this latest shift to the right in Europe in general and in Italy in particular. However not one of those articles examines in any depth the reasons why the parties of the right in Italy or indeed in any of the European nations where they are on the ascendancy (is there any country in Europe where this is not the case?) are able to garner the level of support that they clearly have.
Perhaps I might be bold enough to suggest some possibilities. (Trigger warning, the ‘woke left’, ‘politically correct’ brigade will not like this.)
Perhaps Europeans are growing tired of having waves of outsiders coming into their country, and who bring with them an inability or unwillingness to integrate or assimilate into the native culture. Perhaps Europeans are also tired of these interlopers bringing with them assorted superstitious beliefs, cultural practices and religious rituals that would be more common in the Dark Ages than in the 21st Century. Then there is the question of criminal behavior.
Let me just say this – with one exception, I have so far avoided voting for any such right-wing party here in Australia. In fact, I have traditionally voted for parties of the left such as (on the odd occasion) The Communist Party of Australia, the Greens and of course, the ALP (well, OK, it used to be something of a party of the left). However, ‘if push comes to shove’ I will put a peg on my nose and rubber gloves on my hands and I will cast a vote for a party of the right (as I believer a number of former Communist Party voters in France have done in the past), if it means stopping these aliens from setting up shop here and demanding our compliance (ably assisted by the loony left) with their values and customs.
For those who are puzzled by my political proclivities and views, let me recommend to them the excellent but frightening book written by Douglas Murray entitled The Strange Death of Europe Immigration, Identity, Islam.
There is an old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. I would invite readers to peruse some of the media photos available at:
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk003shbOEofwKD5OSM5tAPhEcHp9wQ:1628546287025&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=image+placard+behead+those+who+insult+the+prophet&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjGu8DX96TyAhVISX0KHTBsCc4QjJkEegQIBBAC&biw=1760&bih=811
Some of these snaps were taken in Europe; more concerning for us here in Australia, some were taken in Hyde Park, Sydney. I think that further detail can be obtained if that is required, by clicking on these photos.
I would also suggest a viewing of the recent ABC 4-Corners program “The Postcode Wars”.
At the end of the day, I do not want to be living in a society where there are a significant number of people who simply ‘do not fit in’.
There is much (and I mean much) about the right that I totally and utterly oppose. However, if the right is the only political group that is prepared to counter the very undermining of our culture and way of life, then I, like many Europeans, will be left with no other choice than to support them.
Don’t expect accurate or sensible coverage in the grauniad…or here but lots of fun pics to be seen from Leicester over the last few weeks.
Weirdly, they are posted by the participants, proud of what they are doing – both sides!
Yeah trrific. We too could be like conservative controlled Mississippi where they no longer have safe drinking water because y’know privatisation but they were one of the first to jump on the overturning of Roe v Wade. That’s “family first” priorities right thar!
I would like to respond to your post Oh(whatever your name is? But I haven’t a clue what you are talking about.
But the problem, Robert, is the rest of the nutter policies and politics that the far-right bring with them. I’m left/centre-left and I am not triggered at all by the issues you raise above. I think many people on the left want to see a migration program that benefits the country rather than causes major problems. But I suspect you’re right that the main reason for these parties gaining popularity is the immigration issue. In reality it’s incredibly complex and not nearly as simple as these populists make it out to be. If Labor continues to take a sensible and informed position on immigration, and takes the whole country along with them, you hopefully won’t ever have to consider sending your vote to one of the crazies on the right.
Thanks for that measured reply Northy. I know where you are coming from, but the issues associated with letting too many people into this (or indeed any other country) who bring with them alien beliefs and customs can (and will, as history has shown) cause very major problems. Not only that, there have to be jobs for these people. For a clear example of this latter point, watch last week’s “Foreign Correspondent” on ABC iview. It is about the problems the French are having with unemployed migrants in Marseille. Or, closer to home, check out “Postcode Wars” on a recent 4-Corners program regarding the problems that those who are unfortunate to have to live in western Sydney have to contend with.
The well-meaning and kind-hearted, but recklessly naive softies on the left do not seem to understand the risk associated with mass immigration, especially of an unregulated kind. They live in some sort of ‘make-believe’, Alice in Wonderland world where reality is whatever they want it to be.
I think you raise an understandable concern. That it’s alarming to see any group loudly proclaiming their desire to subjugate the rest of society to their repressive theocratic ideas seems quite rational, whether they’ve arrived recently or not.
That you would vote for somebody promising to stop that also seems quite rational.
But voting for somebody who promises to stop that, but actually represents a bunch of grifters smuggling along a damaging agenda of their own – that doesn’t seem rational. But it does describe most of the usual suspects, unfortunately.
I agree that the mainstream parties would do everybody (including immigrants) a great service if they talked about these issues more. There’s a bunch of worried people and if that’s not credibly addressed, the field is left to opportunists or incompetents whose only asset is a willingness to address a difficult issue. Telling people they’re racists just gets weaponised by the opportunists.
All that said… to be honest I don’t know how much it’s rationally worth worrying about immigrants undermining our society. How many people do these extremists wanting to undermine our society really represent? The media loves showing them because they push our buttons, but I would not be surprised if it turns out they’re not representative enough to lose sleep over. Where’s the millions of votes for a Sharia Law Party? Crickets.
Also, when push comes to shove, despite all the woke emphasis on cultural relativity, I’ll bet a majority within the Greens will not want to turn the clock back on modern society either. At least – I think so. I miss the Greens who were primarily concerned with the state of the environment.
Thank you for that reply, Peter. I agree with much of what you say and I appreciate the way that you say it.
As you so correctly imply in your third paragraph, people like me are stuck between that proverbial ‘rock and the hard place’. We are truly sitting on the ‘horns of a dilemma’. However, I know which way I will jump if ‘push comes to shove’ in the future.
In your penultimate paragraph, you seem to be willing to diminish the potential for any threat to our society. This is a bad mistake. Fortunately, to date, we have avoided a major incident attributable to religious fanaticism (I won’t be more specific in case the algorithm picks up my wording and delays publication of my post but you know what I mean).
Just on that point too Peter. You will no doubt recall the marriage equality plebiscite that was held in 2017 at an enormous and unnecessary cost to the Australian taxpayer. Well to me, a silver lining to that cost cloud was the fact that we could do some checking via the Department of Statistics (if I remember correctly) on the vote. I spent a few hours checking the religious affiliations of voters in the electorate divisions where a majority ‘No’ vote was recorded. I will give you one guess as to which religion was prominent in most, if not all, of the seats. (Catholics also figured prominently.) The point that I am trying to make Peter is that the threat of terrorism is not the only issue involved here.
I would also not become too complacent on the Sharia Law issue either Peter. I invite you to check out this link (note that it is from the impeccably politically correct ABC)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-05-17/muslim-group-wants-sharia-law-in-australia/2717096
If you wish to read the submission from the Islamic Council then I can provide a link for that too.
Political correctness is not the only danger here Peter, so is complacency.
I see it as a symptom of the disconnect of the left from the working class, and the increasing professionalisation of politics
I support people’s right to migrate, but integrating new people into your culture does have a cost and it’s mostly on working class people. It’s hard having a community if there’s a large group of people in it with low English skills and no investment in the big cultural things communities use as social glue, like Christmas or the cricket (and no, it’s not that there’s anything morally wonderful about cricket … but you have to have something in a community that’s generally shared and non-controversial)
If we try to pretend those costs don’t exist, people start getting pissed off and go REALLY far right. I’d rather not do that! So that means we have to be able to have conversations about this without dismissing all immigration-skeptics as next best thing to fascists, and actually understand different people’s points of view
I do think it’s also important to keep in mind that many migrants, particularly when it comes to the second and third generations, well and truly absorb and embrace the values and culture of the country and make a fantastic contribution
My empirical observations would suggest that your rosy view of what happens with these second and third generations is not always correct. There have been numerous instances of problems with people of Lebanese background for instance (and that is only one example) where this has not happened. Take off those rose-colored glasses Northy and look reality fairly and squarely in the eye.
The 6/6 London bombers in 2005 were 3rd & 4th generation descendants of migrants from the subcontinent, mostly professionals (teachers, medicos and an accountant), cricket playing and, seemingly, totally integrated.
Everyone has two parents. If someone’s still preferentially marrying from their grandparents’ home country three generations after leaving there, that seems to be a sign that integration isn’t actually happening.
But in Australia I believe stats show that actually most groups don’t significantly ‘marry in’ after the second generation (apart from whitebread Anglos and that’s only because there’s such a ton of us)
The Tokyo subway bombers were ordinary Japanese people. The KKK recruit from ordinary Americans. Violent subgroups can come from all sorts of places – we can’t get rid of them even in ethnic monocultures
Dounreay, you will not get any argument at all from me on that one.
However, I think that you would have been better off directing your remarks to Northy, who I am sure might benefit more from the inherent wisdom contained in your comments than I. You are preaching to the converted with me.
It was meant to emphasise your point.
Many thanks for that Dounreay. I take your point.
I find the ‘problematic Lebanese’ trope a bit suspicious, TBH. There are Lebanese communities all over the world – how come it’s only in Australia that people think there’s some specially big problem with them?
It’s just the effect of one big early high profile bad event, I’d suggest. After that it’s confirmation bias all the way down
For the same reason that alien plants & mammals go feral here – no natural predators.
IOW, too welcoming and accepting of the unacceptable.
Emma, it is much more than “one big early high profile event”.(I presume that you are referring to the shocking rape cases in Sydney that began on August 4th, 2000 with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl who was sitting on a train at the time.)
These people are over-represented in crime statistics.
I would refer you to Peter Dutton’s remarks from 2016 at
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/nov/18/australia-paying-for-immigration-mistakes-made-by-malcolm-fraser-says-peter-dutton
There is more that I could say (e.g. the Cronulla Beach riots) but I will leave it at that for the moment.
There is a clear pattern with Trump, Brexit, Sweden, Italy of voters willing to dump parties who dump them in favour of transnational deals (trade, climate change, UN, EU, WEF etc.), fringe gender politics and uncontrolled borders. Proponents of these issues are often well-off, live near urban centres etc.. but strangely show no curiosity in why other people are turning to populism, preferring to denigrate them as stupid. Family, Identity, Nationhood mean something and they mean something to a lot of people, including Italians.
The thing is this fringe gender politics issue is made out to be something it isn’t. It’s a total distraction. I think you’ll find even the majority of those who identify as non-binary etc. fully respect the place of the family in society. There is always going to be a small fringe on both sides. Sadly, right-wing media and far-right social influencers are making a lot of money by scaring people into thinking there is some massive movement out there that wants to somehow ‘destroy’ families
No, the both right and left ideologues, often without any deep economic literacy, just keep highlighting trade agreements; unwittingly doing the bidding of the nativist libertarian right.
It is ironic that the “Bothers of Italy” are led by a woman, who is by her actions clearly not wedded to the traditional image Italian womanhood.
Is ‘not wedded’ meant to be a pun casting nasturtiums on her being a mother?