Trials of dialogue
There is an interesting fact that is characterising this parliamentary term: many of the centre-right’s own-initiative measures have been passed by a large majority over the past year. Not that the finding in itself is news, but considering the extremely divisive reputation that had been attached to this establishment, the figure does not leave one completely indifferent. In the last two months alone, this balance has been renewed twice: in September when the system law for the prevention of diabetes was voted unanimously, with an important allocation of resources. And on Thursday with the Lollobrigida bill banning the use of synthetic meat: a vote, moreover, on which the centre-left did not filibuster. In other times, a way would surely have been found to thwart the parliamentary process. What is happening? The impression is that a new, different, more constructive political dialectic is being set up, quite apart from the obvious differences and attacks between parties, frontal and lateral. But again, these are always attacks in which politics, at least in its most authoritative and representative elements, seems to be making an effort to set a good example. This is a point of view. The other is the one according to which the centre-right is making an attempt at dialogue in function of the approval of the institutional reform, the one that wants to introduce the so-called “premierato all’italiana”. Although in that case it will be difficult, to say the least, to find broad convergences. This is why the majority is not raising the stakes too high, the political stakes, a mistake that Renzi made at the time, who then had to resign from Palazzo Chigi.
A dialogue that Meloni tried to renew even in the organisation of Atreju, the traditional Fratelli d’Italia meeting, inviting first Schlein, who however declined, and then Landini. The very Landini who confirms himself as the government’s toughest opponent, as demonstrated by the big strike called on Friday to protest against the manoeuvre measures.
All this while the conflict in the Middle East continues. A war that, according to the latest Demos poll released this week, generates more emotional tension in Italians than the one in Ukraine, even though it is much more distant. About nine out of ten Italians say they are “worried” by what has been happening between Israel and Hamas since 7 October. And all in all they have good reason to be, considering the news coming out of Gaza. After 40 days of war with Hamas, in fact, the Israeli army has occupied offices of the Islamic movement’s institutions, such as Parliament and the police headquarters and continues to engage in firefights around hospitals. Humanitarian truces of several hours follow one another to allow civilians to evacuate the north of the Strip and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid. On the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, Israeli troops also conducted “precise and targeted operations against Hamas” inside Gaza City’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, home to hundreds of patients, doctors, nurses and orderlies, and thousands of refugees. So much so that US President Joe Biden had said on Monday that the hospitals “must be protected”. Biden meanwhile carries on with his dialogue trials, those with China. This week saw the long-awaited San Francisco summit with Xi, which may have marked the beginning of an important path. The distances remain and are great, but analysts have dwelt on some of the Chinese president’s words: “I believe that once the door to bilateral relations has been opened, it will no longer be closed”. According to Beatrice Gallelli, researcher at the Istituto Affari Internazionali, the détente between the US and China “is not total”, but there are very positive elements in the resumption of bilateral relations that had experienced an abrupt cooling after the affair of the Chinese balloon intercepted in the North American skies last February.
