Since the beginning of this parliament, thus for over a year, the main theme of political discussion has been the movement towards the centre. The Democratic Party is going in this direction, the current discussions between the small legacy parties of the Christian Democrats are an example as is the much-talked about, and not completely forgotten coalition of the centre parties of the government and the opposition, on a German model.
It seems as though the word “centre” is a magic word that resolves the social and political problems of the country, together with those of the parties. Nothing is more false. The risk is to avoid the real problems and not face up to them. A Centre government, whatever this term means, is not of itself, good or bad. The party programme and above all its real application, almost always ignored, is what makes the difference. There’s little discussion of the programmes and any discussion is without conviction. There are general declarations, understandings, and expressions of a wish to change, but little or nothing of concrete facts. Citizens pick this up and they drift away from politics, lived as though it were a structured cost without advantages.
Italia dei Valori wants to withdraw from the logic of electoral line ups, set up to perpetuate permanency in power. It has shown this by its support for the referendum, with its denunciation of the pardon, with the amendments to the law on telephone intercepts. It has taken the side, and it will always take the side of the citizens, on facts, on the real needs of the country. It’s the needs of the citizens that dictate priorities, not the system of party alliances.