Giorgetti’s ‘party’

Giorgetti attended a meeting in Milan last Friday with the League’s regional governors, and was aware of the constitution of the PLFI, the Italian Liberal Federalist Party. Giorgetti knew. Speaking to Il Foglio, Giorgetti denies this, but there are those who confirm his presence. Never mind the party’s rather flamboyant name, the feasibility and the genuine desire to form a new political entity. These are signals to Salvini, a way of making him understand that there is a plan to act if necessary, and that the discontent within the League is far from over. Last Friday, the meeting – which had already been scheduled – took place, and afterwards, the party’s constitution became a topic of discussion. Attilio Fontana is the figurehead, but Giorgetti is also behind the scenes. 

Yesterday, in the Chamber, Giorgetti used this phrase, which has multiple meanings: “I went on Wikipedia and looked up what an alloy is, and I read that it is a combination, in solution or in a mixture, of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal” and “alloys are usually designed to have more desirable properties than those of their components”. The meeting in Milan, which has been confirmed, is described as a “scheduled meeting”, a gathering of regional governors – Fedriga, Fugatti, Fontana and Zaia – but this time, Giorgetti was also in attendance.

The name of the party, PLFI, is nothing more than a prototype, but the constitution has been drafted by an expert hand, known to the Lombard League. Within the League, it is believed that any such move can only be made with Giorgetti’s endorsement, and there are those amongst the regional governors who are urging him to lead the shift. This constitution is the response to the one discarded by Salvini. It is a ploy to show that a section of the League is exploring escape routes. Salvini’s men say it is ‘a fantasy’ – and that is likely – but it is a fantasy of which Giorgetti was aware, the very same Giorgetti who silenced the boos from the rank and file at Pontida, the last true League man, Bossi’s heir alongside the ‘hidalgo’ Fontana.