The month of August ends with a bang. Far from being “closed for vacation,” politics doesn’t go on vacation and delights us with a slew of the worst worthy of our podium. In Nichelino, for example, there is a mayor of the Democratic Party who is so scared of what Povia thinks and sings that he gags his mouth. In the public prosecutor’s offices, investigating judges who feel so above the law that they deny the detention of a handful of immigrants in Porto Empedocle reappear. Around Italy, there is a senator, former prime minister, with a past in the Democratic Party, then at odds with his party comrades and now, against everything and everyone, ready to return home rather than disappear from politics. Finally, in Berlin, there is a chancellor who, after years of do-gooder welcome, opens his eyes and realizes that too often immigration, Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism unfortunately go hand in hand.
All characters worthy, we were saying, of a prominent place in this column of ours that is about to celebrate its second year of life. But, alas for them. There are those who have managed to do worse. And so in third place we find Cecilia Parodi. A name that will probably be unknown to most people. She calls herself a writer but you won’t find her books at the top of the bestseller lists or in bookstore windows. However, the young people of the Democratic Party remember her very well and on more than one occasion have invited her to spew hatred against Israel. Now, however, all that hatred risks costing her dearly. In fact, a video (since removed) has ended up in the crosshairs in which she says bluntly: “I hate all Jews, I hate all Israelis, from the first to the last, I hate all those who defend them, all journalists, all politicians, all ass-kissers. I hope to see them all hanged! I swear I’ll be the first in line to spit on them!” And to think that for someone like Parodi, the young Democrats even rolled out the red carpet at the State University of Milan where they organized a conference on the sidelines of which Allah was invoked by reading a sura from the Koran and calling for jihad. Here, then, is the face of the anti-Semitic germ that is infecting the left and because of which numerous members of the Democratic Party have decided to change party in recent months.
In second place we find Mark Zuckerbergmega boss of Meta who in recent days revealed the pressure he was subjected to from the administration led by Joe Biden to manipulate the public debate on Facebook and Instagram. “We made choices – he now admits – that we would not make again today”. In the meantime, however, with the excuse of Russian fake news, those choices have led to influencing the debate on Covid. And not only that. Under pressure from the FBI, the algorithm would have also steered the debate on the scandal that overwhelmed Hunter Biden shortly before the 2020 presidential elections. Steer the public debate, moderate information and filter news, however, stinks of censorship from a mile away. Especially if there is a political administration behind it or, even worse, a government police agency.
In first place stands out Beppe Grilloback in the spotlight in the political debate for a few days for a long-distance clash with Mister pochette Giuseppe Conte. It really seemed that the comedian wanted to break everything, the M5s first and foremost, guilty in his opinion of having abandoned the primordial spirit of “vaffa”. What made him furious were all those professional politicians raised by the people’s lawyer. In defiance of the commandment of one is worth one, here they are who want to trample on the golden rule on which the Elevated and Gianroberto Casaleggio had made the grillini swear: two terms and then home, because politics is not a living. In fact, the movement only needed to arrive in Rome to become a party and its followers to become a Caste. We, however, believed Grillo when in recent days he pulled Giuseppi by the ears, telling him that he will not go beyond the second term.
But then, as soon as he was threatened with the possibility that the communications consultancy with the party might be revised, he immediately came to a more moderate level and was tempted by the most banal do ut des: to the lawyer from Volturara Apula the possibility of re-electing his men, now in their third term; to Beppe the renewal of the 300 thousand euro contract. Not bad, these Five Stars. Always number one in coherence, there’s no doubt about it!