Bringing Calenda on board, reviving L’Unità and other fantasies of Schlein. Conte isn’t giving up

Despite denials from both sides at the Nazareno, everyone knows that the secretary is ‘on the hunt’ (in a positive sense, of course) for Carlo Calenda. Yes, Elly Schlein is still convinced she can bring the leader of Azione over to the centre-left, even though, to be honest, there is hardly anyone left in the PD who believes this is possible. In the same vein of impossible feats: the PD leader has not given up on the idea of reviving L’Unità. With a different editorial line to that adopted so far by Sansonetti, of course. But she has her issues with Romeo. She would like him out of the picture, but the businessman wants to remain involved, even with a minority stake. “He’s too controversial,” they say in the PD, where they are now considering leasing the publication. But it’s not certain that, even in this case, Romeo won’t ask to have some sort of role on the committee that would manage the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the PD also has far bigger problems to deal with. Giuseppe Conte has thrown down the gauntlet to Elly Schlein by announcing that he will campaign in the primaries on the issue of peace between Ukraine and Russia. This is a clear attempt to put the Democratic Party’s secretary in a difficult position. But beyond the obvious, a doubt is spreading amongst the Democrats. It concerns the true ultimate objective of the leader of the Five Star Movement. This doubt has intensified after several PD leaders with ties to the former prime minister heard Conte repeat the same refrain over and over again: “I’m not giving up. The primaries will be about Ukraine. On such important issues affecting our electorate, we cannot make decisions behind closed doors with a policy committee.” What if the leader of the Five Star Movement were aiming for a split? This is the question being bandied about amongst the small groups of PD leaders and MPs. Everyone says “impossible”, but then adds “of course, I wouldn’t be surprised”.

But the Democratic Party’s problems do not end there. The Democrats also risk losing ground at a local level. In Sicily, the unscrupulous move by Rome-based councillor Alessandro Onorato – who, through his ‘Civic Project’, intends to stand as a centrist leader – has taken local Democrats by surprise and caused them concern. Onorato has struck a deal with La Vardera, leader of a civic list on the island (Controcorrente). It is a movement that commands a significant number of votes; indeed, some believe it could easily be led by Cetto La Qualunque. The fact remains that, with this agreement, the up-and-coming Onorato could secure more votes in Sicily than the PD, which in many areas (except where the local powerbrokers are Democrats) has been reduced to a mere shadow of its former self. And before long, it will be time to vote for the renewal of the regional leadership…