Black Coats, Harlequin, Columbine… | capital

Written by Kostas Stupas

Melancholy, Harlequin, Columbine…

The victory of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, led by Giorgia Meloni, was long overdue.

It is part of the framework of vague anti-systematicism that characterizes, among many other things, Italian society in recent years, which now and then launches some graphic populist stars (such as Pepe Grillo, Salvini, etc.) to power, which immediately leaves him in the “bathroom” cold”…

This is due to disproving false hopes for a “magic solution” to some of the complex problems that keep Italians’ economy and society stuck.

Meloni’s rise to power is also part of a general trend that has seen governments like Orbán in Hungary and Poland and the rise of the Swedish Democrats led by Jimmy Akesson in recent elections, etc. European Union forces in relation to migration pressures.

A large part of the citizens in European societies are affected by the indiscriminate presence of immigrants. These are mainly low-wage workers who are subject to competition in the supply of labour.

There is also another, significantly larger group who sees their daily life deteriorating due to the large presence of immigrants from distant cultures with different customs and values ​​in more and more neighborhoods of Europe.

No European feels comfortable when he has to navigate crowds wearing hijabs and salwars who pray to God three times a day, constantly demanding, threatening and donating, taking advantage of the welfare states of the West…

Indeed, every Westerner has every right to panic and indignation.

It is in fact a war not only between different cultures but cultures with opposing values, whose members benefit from the tolerance and democratic rules of open societies.

If measures are not taken in Europe that will put the booming immigration under control and force those who wish to live in Europe to follow their way of life and its values, then the explosion is expected to happen intensely and what we have seen so far is only the pre-holiday…

Of course, on the other hand, labor shortages are evident in the West and an aging demographic makes it a bigger problem than ever. Europe needs immigrants, but without their religious customs and prejudices, which they regard as rules of life.

So tackling the problem will not be an easy task. The far right, like all populists, is exploiting the discontent of increasingly large sectors of society with immigrants and winning by proposing simplistic solutions.

Georgia Meloni’s victory is part of this framework and is expected to shake the waters of the European Union. in a difficult position. Although Italy is a large country, it does not have many options.

Italy is set to receive about 200 billion euros in grants and loans from the European Union in the coming years. With a commitment to make some important reforms.

This money will flow from the recovery fund created after the pandemic, and is, according to The Economist, the largest cash injection into the Italian economy since the Marshall Plan, after World War II.

“The Bank of Italy estimates that it could increase annual growth by about one percentage point over the next ten years.

The spending will depend, as we have said, on a strict reform program put in place by the Draghi government and approved by Brussels to address the structural weaknesses of an economy that has seen almost no net growth in per capita GDP since 2000.

The economic model proclaimed by the Brothers for Italy is state, syndicalism and nationalism. This will soon reduce any expectations of a change of course.

The Brothers for Italy distrusts globalization and their platform envisions large nationalizations of a scale that might resemble the professed counterparts of the Thatcherite neoliberal Syriza.

According to Ms Meloni’s “Golden Dawn” and “Rebellion” rhetoric, foreign direct investment is a threat and capital markets are hotbeds of speculation.

Like the rest of the populist formations fueled by the pressures of immigration and especially the fears it causes, Ms Meloni’s main slogan is “Trumpio”: “Italians first”. Older people will remember the success of the “Greeks in Greece”.

In addition to immigration, Meloni also wants to restrict abortion and impose restrictions on people from the LGBTI community.

Regarding foreign policy directions, as Bloomberg notes, in 2016 he criticized the sanctions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea, and in 2018 welcomed Putin’s re-election.

But after the invasion of Ukraine and faced with the prospects of power, her views on Putin approached those of the NATO camp.

Among the slogans that propelled her to power: “I am Georgian, I am a woman, I am Christian, I am a mother and Italian …”.

“Yes to the normal family. No to the LGBT lobby. Yes to gender identity. No to gender ideology.”

No to mass immigration! Yes to jobs for them [συμπατριώτες μας]! No to major international financial credits! No to bureaucrats in Brussels! “and others.

The “Brothers for Italy”, despite some of the far-right “crowns”, cannot be considered an anti-regime force such as the fascists or the communists because they did not imply during their statements that they would not respect the democratic rules of free voting and voting. Elected, freedom of the press, to the multi-party parliament as the supreme legislative authority, to the independent authorities.

The fact that the “ultra-right” Ms Meloni sent a congratulatory message to Mr. Tsipras in 2005 testifies to the opportunism that characterizes this populist formation as well.

Formations of this kind will face an existential crisis when the European Union, under the pressure of the situation, decides to take measures to control immigration.

Ms Meloni will be the first woman prime minister of the conservative and Catholic nation of Italy, and that’s an element of progress. The element of contradiction is the fact that the first woman prime minister in Italy won the support of strengthening the traditional family where the role of women is subject to restrictions …

The markets will determine in the coming days and in a second stage Brussels, which holds the bag with 200 billion euros, how long he will remain in power and the scope of changes he wants to impose …

* Melanoketones (Italian: Camicie Nere, CCNN) was a paramilitary organization of the National Fascist Party organized by Benito Mussolini that operated immediately after the end of World War I until the end of World War II…

As we have indicated during the period of SYRIZANEL’s rise when there were concerns about intentions to transform the state, (occupation of the mint, etc.) parties with extremist phrases without strong paramilitary structures (organizations based on Leninism, Mussolini, or the Nazi model) are harmless.

Harlequin is one of the main characters of the Italian Commedia dell’arte.

The character’s name means “little devil” and was created in the 16th century in France. Harlequin’s female counterpart, and several times his partner on stage, is Columbine. Harlequin wore a colorful, patchwork outfit…

Commedia dell’arte is a popular Italian stand-up comedy that was popular between the 16th and 18th centuries.

It consisted of a group of folk theater artists who created their characters by creating their own costumes, mask, vocal characteristics, and body posture.

Rely mainly on the actor and his improvisation rather than the writer…

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