The blue leader passed away after a long battle against chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Today what remains of Silvio Berlusconi’s creature is worth between 5 and 10% of the votes of those who continue to go to the polls. The political legacy is therefore an issue that has greatly diminished in recent years, as the Knight loosened his grip on the party
Perhaps it is useful to distinguish between the importance of the character and the extent of his political legacy. Ten or fifteen years ago, both were huge. Today the first remains the same, evident in any chronicle, even awaiting a longer-term historical evaluation. The political legacy, on the other hand, is an issue that has greatly diminished in recent years, as the Knight gradually loosened his grip on the party and thus dispersed a large part of Forza Italia’s consensus: of a distinctly personal type, before that – and perhaps regardless – from politics and from the vision of the world (GOODBYE BERLUSCONI. THE SPECIAL – THE UPDATES).
A party with limited inheritance
Today what remains of Silvio Berlusconi’s creature is worth (between the latest results and the latest polls) between 5 and 10% of the votes of those who continue to go to the polls. Not irrelevant, of course. But not such as to change the current political landscape. In reality, Berlusconi himself thought about reorienting it, a few months ago, with the decisions – perhaps not only his – which concerned the organization chart and therefore the political role of Forza Italia, to date. The path desired by Berlusconi is consistent with his traditional thinking and would lead to a single center-right party, a container of even different visions, on the model of the American republicans.
The project of an Italian “GOP”.
The most evident consequence of that path is that, within the government and the majority, Forza Italia has abandoned the initial attitude which was that of critical and moderate conscience within a coalition, the most right-wing in republican history. The knight’s political legacy is to bring the Italian model to Europe, the winning alliance between popular and conservatives (even those who have always poured great skepticism on Europe) with the hope of involving liberals and Macronians. In Italy this means bringing ideas, the ruling classes, the voters of Fratelli d’Italia and Forza Italia ever closer together, until a merger appears to be a natural consequence. A process which, if completed before the next political elections, would also avoid the problem – and perhaps the embarrassment – of counting oneself.
Renzi and the alternative road
Is there an alternative scenario? Yes, it exists. Even if it would not seem coherent with the founder’s last political wishes. A political and electoral area similar to that of Forza Italia has been forming, amid high hopes and sensational missteps, in recent months. Calenda, Renzi and the so-called third pole. Above all, the former secretary of the Democratic Party has made no secret of aiming for the blue electorate. Renzi is and defines himself – with ever greater naturalness – a liberal, like the always unfinished revolution of the knight. Berlusconi’s esteem and sympathy for him was known. Some character affinities, evident. The idea of becoming the knight’s heir demands boldness. Dowry that certainly does not lack the simple senator of Rignano.
Source-tg24.sky.it