Letters
letters to the editor •
It’s a bit of a problem having a nit-picker on the team, isn’t it, Elly?
Who wrote to the editor, Claudio Cerasa
7 AUG 26
Translated by AI
Photo: Lapresse
To the Editor – Conte is dividing the broad political spectrum with his Putin-like stance against military aid to Ukraine. The reformists within the PD are rightly attacking Conte on one point – that of foreign policy – which is absolutely non-negotiable. Meanwhile, Renzi – surprisingly to some rather incompetent political observers and analysts, though not to those who can observe reality clearly – is currently, purely for tactical reasons and personal gain, standing alongside Conte in demanding that primaries be held immediately and on every issue. And Schlein is touring Italy at the PD’s summer festivals, speaking of the historical-cosmic destiny of mankind and the universe. So I ask myself: what are the PD’s reformists waiting for to call for an immediate meeting of the party executive to counter and reject Conte’s positions with a political document that has been formally voted on and adopted? Fewer interviews – please – and more official party statements in accordance with the party’s constitution.
Alberto Bianchi
To the Editor – Security policies have laid bare, on a broad scale, the misunderstandings and disagreements that were already well-known and evident (albeit concealed in some interviews) regarding solidarity with Ukraine. The outcry and political significance aroused by the latest events in that war-torn region must not obscure the left’s enormous guilty conscience regarding Israel and the growing anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Zionism.
Giuliano Cazzola
To the Editor – Dear Cerasa, as you will recall, there is a tragicomic character in “The Betrothed”. He is a lawyer who is a close friend and accomplice in Don Rodrigo’s tyranny. He is introduced in Chapter III, when Agnese advises Renzo to go to him to seek legal advice on the abuse suffered at the hands of the local squire, who had threatened Don Abbondio not to perform the marriage ceremony with Lucia. The woman explains to the young man that ‘Azzeccagarbugli’ is a nickname (alluding to his supposed ability to untangle legal matters), whilst the lawyer’s real name is never revealed (nor, therefore, can the writer mention it). Renzo goes to his office and sets out his case, but the lawyer makes a gross error and mistakes Renzo for a ‘bravo’ – that is, a thug in the pay of the nobility – and then explains how he will get him out of trouble (namely by bribing witnesses, threatening the victims and invoking the protection of the powerful). When Renzo mentions Don Rodrigo’s name, the lawyer flies into a rage and rudely throws the young man out, refusing to listen to reason. His conversation with Renzo is, in short, a sort of ‘comedy of misunderstandings’, which illustrates the ethical and political decay of seventeenth-century society. The moral of the story: never trust a lawyer who puts himself at the service of a petty tyrant’s criminal schemes.
Michele Magno
Shenanigans have always been around. The real problem, when faced with a professional shenanigans-maker, is how to deal with them when you choose to have them on your team. If you attempt to forge an alternative, a path exists: the nit-picker wields Latin-speak, with the ability to untangle difficult situations through rhetorical art – which is more hot air than substance – and emphasizing substance over hot air can carve out space, even politically. If the shyster is imitated – as his political ally, Elly Schlein, tries to do on many issues – it will be inevitable that the public, when faced with the original and the copy, will ultimately choose the original. If this ‘marriage’ is to go ahead, the path forward is not one of submission.
To the editor – “I’ve never been a communist. Everyone thinks I am, but it’s not true. Stalinism couldn’t possibly appeal to someone like me: a libertarian, a shareholder. If anything – and I say this with great reserve – I felt somewhat anarchistic. I was drawn to the allure of anarchy, from a romantic rather than a practical perspective.” Francesco Guccini said this on the day he turned 80. Alongside his many wonderful songs, it is perhaps appropriate to remember him in this way – with the considerable disappointment he caused so many of his fans, young and old, communists and the disillusioned alike.
Luca Rocca
To the Editor – In the article I wrote, published in "Il Foglio" on Thursday 6th about Conte in Capalbio, I made a glaring error. I wrote that Renzi had won the primaries against Bersani, whereas in fact his opponents were Cuperlo and Civati the first time in 2013, and Orlando and Emiliano the second time in 2017. In 2012, however, he was defeated by Bersani himself. I apologise to readers (and to Bersani).
Chicco Testa