Mario Monti's entry into the field or his ascent into politics represent an undoubted act of courage by the Premier and all those who are inspired by his agenda, since they will have to travel a narrow path, full of risks and obstacles. A narrow path that in any case will be of any government will emerge from the next electoral round.
The first obstacle to overcome is that of populism which, in simplified terms, indicates the behavior of those who seek consensus through easy promises. It is populism that of those who are willing to deny the evidence of the influences created by the financial markets, proposing the elimination of taxes without indicating how to avoid the worsening of the public finances and the consequent loss of confidence in our country. But those who affirm principles that no one questions, such as the maintenance of welfare, the fight against poverty and the growth of employment, without indicating credible solutions, are also populism. In fact, no one could declare himself against any of these objectives, but promises become populism when they do not bother to indicate "sustainable" methods on an economic and social level.
Traditionally the concept of populism has been linked to political processes that affect the perceptions of the lower classes of the population who, having nothing to lose, are often willing to irrationally follow any huckster of the right, left or centre. However, there is a type of populism which affects the middle classes and which qualifies as conformism. This is the second obstacle that Italy will have to overcome after the elections. It will be necessary to avoid the conformism of those who invoke Europe and the action of anonymous markets to impose "bitter but necessary recipes", or of those who invoke and will invoke "acquired rights" only in order not to give up privileges consolidated over time. Conformity is also that of those who do not want to take sides and wait to get on the bandwagon of the winner.
The third obstacle to overcome is also that of the more accentuated defeatism in Italy than in other countries. Analyzes on what is wrong, on the costs of politics, on waste and inefficiencies are healthy, but when they are repeated continuously and without indicating ways out other than a "cultural catharsis" which cannot be achieved in a short time, it easily leads to defeatism. Those who continually point out that Italy ranks at the bottom of all world rankings, forgetting or quickly passing over the news that places our country in the top positions, that "Italians change only when they are on the edge of the ravine", or that it is inherent in the Italians the Gattopardesco attitude according to which "everything must change so that nothing changes" certainly does not contribute to improving the situation of the country.
These three risks can only be avoided with a great exercise of realism, which means recognizing the difficulties of the present moment without constantly emphasizing that we have come out of a dramatic phase and that the dramatic situation could return. Whoever belittles the difficulties or who dramatizes the situation helps to fuel populism, conformism and defeatism from various sides, which are the sworn enemies of improvement.
During electoral periods it is undoubtedly difficult to exercise realism which, however, is the only way to foster confidence internationally and within the country. If a criticism can be leveled against Premier Monti and his government, it is that of having insisted excessively on "rational solutions" and on the trust to be gained at an international level, forgetting that on 24 and 25 February the Italians and the not the Germans, or Europeans in general, and that voters vote not only with their heads, and not even with their stomachs as someone keeps saying, but they are certainly sensitive to those who tell the truth, qualify their own proposals with creativity, capable of making the substantial novelty of its message perceived.
