This time the former editor of Il Corriere della Sera, Ferruccio de Bortoli, he lost his temper. Putting aside her traditional soft good-naturedness, she took up a gnarled stick and lowered it forcefully on the heads of those who tell nonsense or lies about the situation in Italy, making fun of our fellow citizens and preparing us for a fate of marginalization and growing misery . We must have the courage to tell ourselves many "bitter truths" if we want to avoid the danger of wasting the opportunity for funding that Europe offers us, and instead value the many virtues we have and which the Covid pandemic has highlighted, at least in throughout the first spring phase.
The new book by de Bortoli "Things we don't tell each other" published by Garzanti, recounts the serious flaws of our public discourse in a streamlined and punctual way, pointing the finger at the contradictions and trivial errors of the messages conveyed above all by sovereignists and grillini with the most recent addition of Meloni. Often contradictory messages, but which overall aim to disseminate some totally illusory ideas to public opinion such as, for example, that public debts are not a problem, that the State can provide for everything, to manage defunct companies and to give income to citizens of any age, that the market must be viewed with diffidence, that profit is always a bit fraudulent, that, finally, as the mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi said, a public company "must not earn".
Ferruccio de Bortoli he prefers reasoning to invective, but this time he can't help but jab the political forces in both the government and the opposition. Of the "ideology" of the 5 Stars he says that, certainly it is difficult to call it that, being more than anything else a mixture of clichés and ignorant chatter, of the sovereignists (Salvini and Meloni) he says that they have aligned themselves with the theses of economists (sic !) Bagnai and Borghi, who advocate a kind of financial and industrial autarky in contrast to all the industry of the North which lives on exports. Finally de Bortoli underlines that the novelty of the last few months is "the alignment of the PD with the economic theses of the 5 Stars to the religion of debt, and to the saving mission of the State".
In the gallery of horrors and deceptions mentioned in the book, nothing is missing: when they hear the word Competition (and its twin Merit), the government and the opposition flee like hell. Quote 100 is cheating because it did not help to hire young people and at the same time it favored people who worked in the office, in the bank or in the public sector, by sending them into early retirement. Citizenship income he may have helped some families in difficulty but at very high costs and by subtracting resources from that active labor policy which in the near future will be essential to help workers move from obsolete businesses to new productive activities.
It has spread the belief that one can live on bonuses and subsidies. There are all kinds and also a significant part of the new funds that should arrive from Brussels is subtracted from investments to support these voices. This type of spending depresses growth (but this is a little-used word), it raises an audience of crafty people who, instead of committing themselves to work or study, try to grab as much as possible from the generous offers of the State. On the other hand, an ancient law according to which "bad money drives out good money" is confirmed.
And so we continue on the issues of human capital, of the school of training where there is excessive trade union power, and in the field of research there is always a Cinderella. There is also a severe reminder to entrepreneurs who are often satisfied with a few small participation in the banquet of public resources, instead of fighting a great battle for the rebirth of the country on the basis of productivity, efficiency and therefore social promotion. Theirs too stubbornness against IRAP which serves to finance health care and which at the time was replaced by the health contributions that weighed on the paycheck with the support of Confindustria, does not appear far-sighted, but it is part of the need to get out of the negotiation table with something concrete.
Overall the book by Ferruccio de Bortoli it is a convincing analysis of falsehoods that distort our public debate and confuse citizens. In this regard, it would be necessary to examine more critically the characteristics of journalistic information, especially television, which does not appear capable of acting as a "guardian" of power, but often limits itself to echoing the statements of the leaders. A book against prejudices against major works, the market, companies, banks, 5G, or wrong judgments such as that of the sweeper or the prescription that do not take any step forward in the efficiency of Justice.
If citizens do not quickly acknowledge that there is a unique opportunity to reverse course and it is that of good use of Next Generation EU funds, we risk wasting this opportunity which instead requires not so much new sacrifices, but the will to question ourselves by facing change without fear precisely because we can count on Europe's support for the next 6 years. It's not little. But we need to wake up from the hypnotic dream that the state can turn everything it touches into gold.
