In politics, the enemy is an insidious dynamic. The Third Pole is paying for it. And this is demonstrated by the “courtship”, to the sound of interviews, that the leader of Forza Italia Silvio Berlusconi is exercising over Matteo Renzi. The last chapter yesterday, in the columns of «La Sicilia». Berlusconi says: “If Renzi were to draw coherent conclusions from many of his positions, he would move into our half of the field and, on that point-only on that point, a systematic dialogue would be possible”. The day before yesterday, in the Brindisi edition of Quotidiano di Puglia, in an interview close to the vote, Berlusconi reasoned: “As far as the Third Pole is concerned, I believe that it implements its coherent centrist vocation at a time when, as in Brindisi, it is a choice field with us. If Matteo Renzi drew the logical conclusions from a series of his statements, he would make the same choice at the national level». May 22, another interview on Corriere della Sera: «Renzi tends to say the right things – noted the leader of Forza Italia – but until he takes the political consequences out of them, choosing our midfield, one cannot go beyond occasional convergences in Parliament”.
Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, a member of Forza Italia, also spoke on the subject. Speaking about Renzi, he declared to Adnkronos Live: «He is the one who must choose the right side, coming to the center right and choosing Forza Italia». The interested party, however, at the moment rejects the advances. “Rereading an interview with Silvio Berlusconi was humanly a wonderful feeling – he told Porta a Porta – I never voted for Berlusconi, but seeing this man so tenacious and full of drive at the age of 87 after what happened to him is a moment of joy even for a political opponent. As for a possible change of side, the leader of Italia Viva says: “As long as there is a sovereign and nationalist right against a populist and maximalist left, that of Conte and Schlein, the political space is the center”. it is the story of a true reversal.In the electoral campaign for politics, the alliance between Renzi and Calenda (created in extremis after the latter’s break with the Democratic Party) set itself the political objective of capturing the largest possible slice of the Forza Italia electorate. Then the latter, according to the accusations coming from the center and the Democratic Party, was guilty of the original sin of having contributed to the fall of the Draghi government (in reality the dynamics of last July were a little more complicated). So it was like this: not only did Forza Italia withstand the electoral test, but also in the following months. On the contrary, the Third Pole suffered a strong setback due to the coexistence of two personalities, Matteo Renzi and Carlo Calenda, who were not very compatible. Until the next break. Now, the objective of a single “Macronian” list in the European elections remains, although the path continues to prove to be very bumpy.
And if Calenda, by vocation and identity, is more designed for the centre-left, Renzi undoubtedly has points in common with Forza Italia. Lighter taxes and bureaucracy, as well as a judicial system, finally ensured an end to the dramatic season of media trials. Extending the discourse to the center-right coalition, Italia Viva is inclined to dialogue around the model of prime minister. But some substantial points of divergence remain, such as migration policies and some legacy of values (the law on civil unions is due to the Renzi government). Furthermore, precedents do not favor the political relationship between Berlusconi and Renzi. The Covenant of the Nazarene between the two seemed to set the stage for a time of reform, but it did not end well.
Source: IL Tempo

Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.