The olive branch – il Giornale

Precisely because we strongly believe in democracy and in the confrontation of ideas, we are always sorry when someone who can enrich the political debate is excluded in an election. Especially if he …

The olive branch - il Giornale


Precisely because we strongly believe in democracy and in the confrontation of ideas, we are always sorry when someone who can enrich the political debate is excluded in an election. Especially if he is a man of culture (or a woman, we have no limits on intelligence). It will truly be a loss and we think of those who have very different positions from ours not being able to listen to the speeches of the publisher Ginevra Bompiani at the European Parliament. Or the mathematician Odifreddi. Or the cartoonist Vauro! Or Alessandro Cecchi Paone!

No, not him. We were talking about men. Of culture.

But most of all we are immensely sorry and are not ironic about the exclusion of Christian Raimo, an anti-fascist writer on permanent duty, very busy training new troops to besiege the Melonian government. Worse than disengagement for some intellectuals is only commitment.

And we regret it because we have been following Raimo since the days when he wrote for Nazione Indiana, a sort of left-wing national primacy. Then we met him when he threw a right-right publishing house out of the Book Fair. And we listened to him when he went on TV to say that those on the right-right should be beaten.

But then

look at the cases of life – a teacher arrives, goes to Hungary, and instead of just saying it, she does it. With truncheons. And they elect her in your place.

After all, that's how it is. Wars between intellectuals are always won by the stupidest.