A little political schooling would be good for the Italian ruling class which, at the end of 2013, was rather bruised and in need of remedial courses. The main leaders of the forces in the field, in one way or another, get the pass and even some good marks, but they should do more. It is the year-end balance of Elisabetta Gualmini, president of the Cattaneo Institute who, together with FIRSTonline, draws up the report card of the main players on the local and international scene. Matteo Renzi, recently crowned number one of the Democratic Party by voters in the primaries, is first in the Italian classification.
“A politician should aspire to 10 cum laude – observes Gualmini – and I don't see any of this around. However Renzi deserves an 8 and a half, because he managed to turn his situation around in less than a year, making very few mistakes. The strength of the mayor of Florence is the personal leadership of him, Renzi and the first real star performer of the Democratic Party. However, his promotion with full marks does not protect him from risks for 2014, on the contrary. The exams, for him, begin now. Before he criticized, now he has to build, maintain and increase consensus. The climate of anti-politics in our country is always hot and it doesn't take much to get burned, just think that for the Pitchforks Beppe Grillo is already Casta”.
If Renzi conquers the pole position, the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta stand out behind him.
“Both deserve a full 8 – claims Gualmini -. President Napolitano for his great sense of responsibility, because he accepted a second mandate after repeating several times that he would not do it. Napolitano managed to manage the country at the moment when Italian politics hit a nadir, just before and just after the elections. The protagonists of that phase were unable to grasp the mood of the electorate, they were unable to understand that people were fed up with bad management and palace games and the results were seen in the polls that made Italy ungovernable. The president did what he could, maybe even too much. He has not limited himself to putting in place a government of purpose, he has taken the ambitious path of a grand coalition government without a defined horizon. A fragile government, shaken by many instances. And in this context, Letta also deserves a full promotion, because he escaped several storms and is coping very well today ”.
Place of honor also goes to the prophet of anti-politics, Beppe Grillo.
“Oh yes – confirms Gualmini -, I have to give him 7 and a half. This does not mean that I agree with what he claims, but I must admit that, for the purposes that he sets himself, his action is effective. The leader of the 5-star movement knows how to do his job and has great charisma over his followers. He invented a party out of thin air and basically won the election. He is the one who was the first to grasp the demands of society and managed to translate them into action ”.
All promoted then? Almost. In the rear there is room for Pier Luigi Bersani, who manages with a 6- and for Silvio Berlusconi who, despite everything, still gets a 5 and a half, putting himself in a position to return even to the enough next year.
“Bersani is at the limit – observes the political scientist – because he completely got the electoral campaign wrong. He made an identity choice, he tried to unite his people, without realizing that the hard core is now reduced to the bone and that, in order to win, one must open up to new instances. However, hers was also a completely legitimate strategy, so I don't feel like putting it at the level of her direct opponent ”.
And Berlusconi?
“Five and a half, which is no small thing with what happened. The leader of Forza Italia has seven lives and manages to influence Italian politics even after the decline, because he has skills that are decidedly out of the norm. In spite of everything, the rider remains in the saddle, bringing with him an electorate that is worth about 15% and given that political legitimacy is based on consensus, this must be taken into account".
In the field of the centre-right it can be said that the student surpasses the master, given that Angelino Alfano conquers a 6 and a half, but it is a mark to be confirmed in 2014.
“I promote Alfano – says Gualmini – because he had the courage. Today, however, it is not clear where he wants to go and it must be said that he has not yet passed the ballot box check ”.
In short, overall rejected politics and promoted politicians?
“Yes – replies the researcher – even if it may appear contradictory. In 2013 we wrote very bad pages, but in the end we are still here and we are confident that 2014 will at least bring electoral reform. However, we are not healed and the rejection is still around the corner. In fact, Italian politics and its protagonists must make a leap in quality, they must express higher ambitions, because with maximum average marks you float. There are models to inspire: Obama, for example, who certainly deserves a 9 and a half, because he has given hope to social categories never represented before. Or Angela Merkel, whom I would give 9 because, far from being our executioner, she is the one who better interprets the needs of the people than she is. You are a charismatic, competent, reliable leader, that is, you have all the qualities necessary to govern long and well ”.
