I’m afraid bipolarism is currently emphasizing the extremes in politics. A healthy bipolar system should instead make coalitions compete to conquer the “centre”, thus pushing the political forces towards more moderate and reformist positions. But something is changing.
The “third pole” (Azione/ItaliaViva in Italy and the Liberal Democrats in UK) should be the reformist alternative to a right which, at present, is still stuck in ancient positions, especially in terms of human rights and concessions to people who don’t believe in science and in the Covid vaccination.
Fortunately in Italy the move of Moratti’s candidacy (at the Regional election in Lombardia, Italy) goes in the correct direction, splitting the right and exposing the contradictions. In the meantime, it is building a new political project that should also serve to speed up the evolution of the historical left wing Italian party PD (Partito Democratico).
The US Midterm elections showed that Trumpian extremism does not pay. But it also scares the Republicans. Some people really think the USA needs a new party! In the UK the Tories are in crisis like the old Labour. There are excellent scenarios for Lib Dems who have always been anti-Brexit … we will watch the developments.
In the meantime, it is necessary, in Italy, to stop this attack on science by the new Minister of Health and his Undersecretary, Marcello Gemmato, who says he does not believe in vaccination and would like to stop the Covid vaccination campaign.
The way in which Covid is dealt with is the litmus test of a government’s concern about the most fragile members of society. To protect the most vulnerable, we need to protect everyone and everyone needs to continue to behave responsibly.
In the UK people suffer and the Tories are making such a mess. In Italy the extreme right wing populist parties in the government should think about that. In the UK, Italy and EU we all need a strong Liberal Democrat party!
In Italy and EU there is the #RenewEurope project. The Azione/Italia Viva parties are moving as a single group in Parliament. The Radicali and +Europa parties are in the Renew Europe Group too … so, here, liberal groups are moving together.
In recent years, ALDE, the European liberal organization which includes the UK Liberal Democrats, joined with European Democrats and Macron’s Renaissance party to form the Renew Europe Group. We have to improve it.
So from Italy, we all see the UK Liberal Democrats as the only way forward for a European future, and for stopping the Brexit mistake. It’s time to work together. Side by side.
* Massimo Ricciuti is an Italian journalist and supporter of our sister parties in the Renew Europe Group.
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7 Comments
Having suffered a side effect from a medication that I used for several years I now look at how I use medications. Not able to use any other pain relief than CBD.
I have declined the so called Covid shots.
As I look around at the problems of this country, there needs to be some honesty as to how the government view, what next?
Unfortunately, Massimo, there is currently no viable political strategy in the UK to recover the UK’s membership of the EU.
For this to happen, a significant majority of the electorate have to believe re-opening negotiations with the EU is an urgent priority. We are nowhere near that point, even if a small majority of the electorate now think Brexit was a mistake.
One day we may need our liberal friends in EU countries to argue for allowing a UK readmission. After all, there would be so many reasons for caution on the EU-side.
Hi,
Thank you for your comments, dears Helen and Chris.
We have to work side by side anyway. Problems can be solved if we work together. You see in Uk and Italy It’s time to start a friendship and a sort of partnership on many issues (health, social diseases, economic crisis etc.) building a new liberal way to look at the world. We have to make it. We can make it… Country by country, city by city… we have same needing…
For Chris Moore, if he were not already aware, the Party has a well thought out policy on ‘Rebuilding Trade and Cooperation with Europe’:
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/libdems/pages/62048/attachments/original/1645183708/embedpdf_PP144_Rebuilding_Trade_and_Cooperation.pdf?1645183708
However there does seem to be a wilful lack of any strategy to implement this policy. If the Leadership were not so pusillanimous on Brexit, this policy would be providing a road map for a return to the EU.
It is good to have a report of Liberal links in Italy (though if it is who I think it is, I am rather queasy about Moratti’s politics), however I do feel that Massimo tends to be over optimistic, particularly on American politics where the forces of anti-democracy, as in his own country, remain sizeable.
“One day we may need our liberal friends in EU countries to argue for allowing a UK readmission.” writes Chris Moore; indeed and that day is now, because returning back to sanity and incrementally improving access to the EU’s Internal Market needs to be happening now. Those of us based in the EU can and do try to forge links with sister parties; of all UK parties ours have the strongest links across the EU. More than this Liberal Democrats can act as witnesses for the benefits of EU across the region and those of us lucky to live in member states where progressive Liberal parties are in government can tout the successes of socially progressive Liberalism in action.
For Martin.
Thank you, Martin. Very interesting your comment!
Thanks, Martin, for linking the policy paper.
I agree with very much of that.
Sadly, however, I don’t think it will get the UK any closer to re-joining the EU political institutions.