Pina Picierno: “Schlein is naive. The broad-based defence of Kyiv is now a minority position”

“I’m not making any appeal, but I’m offering a new space that we can always build together. Those who continue to remain hostages are suffering from Stockholm syndrome.” Liberals, pro-Europeans, reformists across the political spectrum: Pina Picierno is speaking to you and to all those who turned up their noses at Giuseppe Conte’s latest statements on support for Ukraine. On Sunday, the leader of the Five Star Movement reiterated his stance on sending weapons to Kyiv, and explained that support for Ukraine will be one of the key issues to be resolved through the broad coalition’s primaries. In short, conditions regarding leaders and policy issues. “His positions have not changed, nor will they change,” the Vice-President of the European Parliament tells Il Foglio, having left the PD partly because of the “stubborn” alliance sought by Elly Schlein with the M5S. The differences were irreconcilable and, she says, the issue has long since shifted: “Conte is capable of cobbling together such disparate coalitions on fundamental principles and values as Europe and support for Ukraine that they would not stand up to the test of an election campaign, let alone a potential government.”

The elections are due to take place next year and, once the summer is over, the coalition will have to draw up its manifesto. But the atmosphere is anything but calm. The former prime minister’s remarks have caused quite a stir. Half of the PD has spoken out in defence of what Schlein herself explained in the pages of our newspaper a few weeks ago (support for Kyiv ‘by any means necessary’). But within the broader coalition, including the PD secretary, reactions have focused more on the proposal to hold primaries before finalising the manifesto rather than on the substance of Conte’s remarks on Ukraine. “This is a new development of great political significance,” says Picierno. “If I look at the statements made by party leaders across the political spectrum, from Bonelli to Conte, the positions expressed by Schlein on Kyiv are in the minority.” Therefore, “we are no longer talking about rebellious minority partners, but of a political spectrum in which the aggressor’s point of view prevails”. In short, for Picierno, the time for “appeals and documents” is over. A new initiative is needed. This is the essence of Spazio pubblico: “A new electoral proposal, because we must not give in to the populist drift on both the right and the left.”

Two days ago, Picierno wrote on social media: “You are at a crossroads, friends of the PD.” She was commenting on Conte’s words, addressing the party’s reformists and pro-Europeans. How will they find a place for themselves? According to the Vice-President of the European Parliament, “they won’t find one” because by now “another culture, other columnists and other slogans have already prevailed within that sphere”. In her view: “The escalating rivalry between Vannacci, Salvini and Conte will become increasingly fierce, and the place for the reformists who remain entangled in it will be on the sidelines.” All of this is to the detriment “of a country that is calling for a serious debate on the issues” and in defiance of the clear stance taken by Schlein on a matter that is anything but marginal.

Incidentally, the secretary of the main opposition party chose not to comment on the M5S’s stance regarding Kyiv, limiting herself to a broad and sweeping “let’s not fall out amongst ourselves”, which she made in the evening during an interview on Tg3. “I’m not particularly fascinated by her rise to prominence, but I do notice a certain coincidence between her rather clumsy attempt to curry favour with certain interests and figures and the pressure she is under from her supposed allies,” says Picierno. Behind this silence lies the desire to preserve unity, which is why she has avoided commenting on the differences of opinion regarding Kyiv. “She wants to keep everything under one roof: the struggle and the government, the programme and the primaries, the broad coalition and personal ambitions, the backroom dealings and the revolution. It’s naive.”

Are the primaries generating more excitement than the war in Ukraine? This applies not only to Schlein, but also to Matteo Renzi. The leader of Italia Viva weighed in on the debate yesterday with a proposal: the primaries will see everyone compete, the best candidate will win, and we will follow their line, but afterwards we will all remain united. “There have always been two left-wing camps,” he wrote, “there have always been the Obamas and the Sanders, the Bidens and the Ocasio-Cortezes.” But Picierno isn’t having any of it: “In no democracy is it considered normal to put to a vote whether to support a victim of aggression or to favour an aggressor,” she says. “Pluralism is a source of richness. Ambiguity on fundamental principles is not.” For this reason, “I find it hard to understand.” In her view: “The claim to set the programme through polling booth votes is plebiscitarism, because these days they don’t even choose a mayoral or regional president candidate at the polling booths anymore. There’s no sense of proportion.” But there’s plenty of work to be done.