Conte, the former prime minister, meets Capalbio

Matteo Renzi visited ‘Capalbio Libri’ several summers ago, where he received an enthusiastic welcome; not long afterwards, he won the primaries against Bersani and became Prime Minister. Veni, vidi, vici. The programme here is now over and Elly Schlein is not due to attend. Conte, on the other hand, was at ‘Capalbio Libri’ the other evening to present his book “Una nuova primavera”; he received an enthusiastic welcome, and the rest remains to be seen. The audience – generally regarded as liberal, with a good mix of ages, genders and professions – often applauded him openly. Conte arrives smiling and relaxed, dressed in blue with a white shirt and no tie. It’s summer, and he must have followed the advice of his friend Elly Schlein – who is currently on a tour discussing how to combat the heat and high temperatures caused by Giorgia Meloni’s climate-denying government – yet he hasn’t done without his ever-present pocket square. Before beginning, he makes his way to the front row – where your correspondent is also seated – to greet Giorgio La Malfa warmly; La Malfa admits to being his friend and a supporter of his mission, which is, above all else, to oust Giorgia Meloni.

Let’s get this out of the way straight away. This is a very different Conte from the somewhat scruffy lawyer we saw in his past public appearances. He has distanced himself from Grillo, first and foremost in his choice of words. He is clear, measured, authoritative, even a little ironic. When Roberto Napoletano, the editor of Il Messaggero who is interviewing him, asks him to name one positive aspect of the Meloni government, he smiles: ‘Perhaps she’s managed the traffic well?’ A few introductory passages from his book are read out, one of which reads: ‘The first time, I was catapulted into Palazzo Chigi by civil society’. Leaving aside the merits of that statement, it is clear that this time he intends to reach Palazzo Chigi under his own steam. No catapult needed. After the first time came the second, and the third now seems within his grasp. He seems more like a prime minister-in-waiting, confident of the position that is rightfully his and which was unjustly taken from him, than a candidate engaged in a difficult undertaking.

With Elly Schlein? Respectful relations – an adjective usually reserved for opponents – but we have significant differences of opinion. We have settled our differences with Grillo and transformed a confused movement – one made up of political sentiments, some of them conflicting; some might call it a motley crew – into a force firmly rooted in the progressive camp. He often repeats this phrase and dislikes the currently fashionable term: the ‘broad coalition’. The first round of applause – thunderous and repeated three times – comes when he is asked what his first moves in international politics would be. There are three, and they all point in the same direction: recognition of the State of Palestine, sanctions against Netanyahu, and the severing of all ties with the State of Israel. Giorgio La Malfa, sitting next to me, is haunted by the ghosts of Ugo, his father, and Spadolini – two figures from his political past who were staunchly pro-Israeli – and he flinches. But he does not waver.

A somewhat outlandish proposal has also been put forward to set up a €100 billion sovereign wealth fund, to be financed by Italians’ famous savings. Essentially, this is what Cassa Depositi e Prestiti already does with postal savings, but there’s no point quibbling over the details. ‘Sovereign wealth fund’ sounds better, especially when accompanied by the industrial policies that should follow. Conte reminds us that there used to be the IRI.

There is just one weakness, running through his narrative. A narrative that has no weaknesses. According to the prime ministerial candidate, there have never been any mistakes in his actions, whether in government or in opposition; never a word of self-criticism, a ‘I was wrong there’ or ‘if I had to do that again, I’d do it differently’. His governments were the best of the Second Republic; Draghi, begone; the Meloni government’s record is 100 per cent negative; and a bright future awaits us. He’ll be the one to talk to the EU, Zelensky and Putin. No weapons for the Ukrainians because wars are won through diplomacy. Where Trump failed, he will succeed. It is an excess of hubris – some call it vanity – which undermines his credibility across the board. Too much of anything is too much. But Conte knows full well what the left-wing – pardon me, progressive – people want, and his experience and status certainly help him. And if Elly Schlein does not quickly shed her air of a student who has overstayed her time at university and refine her language – articulating it in clear and distinct propositions, forcing primary voters to make a clear-cut choice – the risk that they will opt for the original, who is, moreover, a tried-and-tested, safe choice, is high.