By now it has almost become commonplace: the two main candidates for the leadership of the Municipality of Milan, Beppe Sala and Stefano Parisithey are practically the same. Both managers, they have had experience in the municipal bureaucracy. Both are technical, that is, they do not come from the ranks of a political party, and of a moderate tendency. Sergio Scalpelli, former PCI, former councilor and manager of Fastweb even stated that "in the rest of the world, Sala and Parisi would be on the same side".
Nothing more wrong. If you don't stop at first and superficial impression, and if you don't let yourself be influenced by personal feelings of friendship, the differences between the two are profound both in terms of politics and in terms of personal professional experience. Of course, during the electoral campaign, both avoided overly blatant tones and never descended to personal insults or denigration of their adversaries. And this is a good sign of civilization that the Milanese pragmatists clearly appreciated.
But if one goes to examine not so much the programs that are often written in the sand, but the real intentions that lie within the coalitions of the parties that support them, the differences emerge clearly and are remarkable. Parisi tries to make him forget, but in fact his union will be under Northern League traction, and Salvini's League not that of the Governor of the Region, Maroni. And beyond blocking the construction of mosques or hoping for the expulsion of all migrants, including those who under international law would have the possibility of applying for asylum, Salvini's League does not seem to have any sensible idea about the future of Milan.
Before the disintegration of Forza Italia, the League governed in a subordinate position and therefore did not have the possibility of doing too much damage. Now with the fogging of Berlusconi the ideas of Salvini they have free rein. And how could Milan, the most international Italian city deeply linked by economic traditions (just remember that the Comit was founded by the Germans), and by culture to the countries of Northern Europe, coexist with those who attack Europe every day and want to get out of the EUR? International investors who, especially in recent years, have reappeared in Milan in all sectors from real estate to services, passing through manufacturing, how could they still have faith in a city that has chosen to be represented by those who want to isolate themselves from the rest of the world?
Some particularly imaginative journalists imagine that a victory for Parisi could represent the first step in the reconstruction of the centre-right on a moderate and liberal basis. But this seems like wishful thinking. It is difficult to think that Salvini, linked to the European xenophobic movements and rediscoverer of an exaggerated nationalism which led him not by chance to ally himself with the extremists of House Pound, can give way to a "stranger" like Parisi created with a sleight of hand by Berlusconi cornered by the offensive of his allies.
The forces that support Beppe Sala are locally united. His name came out of very participated and fought primaries. But then everyone regrouped behind the name of the winner without splits as happened for example in Genoa last year. Overall, the Pisapia junta governed well. The success of the Expo is not only due to him, but overall the city has been able to exploit the event well to launch modernization projects that have once again brought Milan to the attention of the world. Even the issue of migrants, beyond a few moments of emergency, was managed without too much inconvenience for the citizens. Security issues, the workhorse of the right, do not depend only on the Municipality, and in any case it cannot be said that Milan is worse than other cities, even smaller ones, in the rest of the country.
As for large strategic projects, there do not seem to be very original ideas from the various candidates. After all, for one large tertiary city such as Milan the road appears obligatory. The Municipality must create an environment that is as favorable and attractive as possible for talent from all over the world. Facilitate practices for recalling headquarters of multinational companies. Facilitate the execution of public works by reducing their construction times.
In this respect, Sala's managerial experience is unrivaled. Having managed to lead the Expo in very difficult conditions, between the skepticism of the promoters themselves and the attacks of the adversaries, constitutes an incomparable title of merit. Parisi, on the other hand, has different experiences, closer to politics and not always crowned with success. His experience as general director of Confindustria was not positive. His management in Fastweb, born moreover from an offshoot of the Municipality of Milan, ended with the sale of the company to foreign operators, after a confusing and disturbing judicial affair.
The two people are therefore by no means interchangeable. The Milanese have the task of choosing judiciously, carefully evaluating both the political background and the personal qualities of the two candidates.
