Vannacci is contesting the left-wing primaries in Milan

A significant sigh of relief for the Milanese left. The never-ending and nerve-wracking debate over whether or not to hold primaries to choose the right mayoral candidate to succeed Beppe Sala has finally been settled: the right wing (and what a right wing!) has already organised the primaries for them, and General Vannacci has taken it upon himself to personally roll out the red carpet all the way to Palazzo Marino for the future mayor: who will be from the left (and what a left!). And if politics follows any logic at all, it will be Pierfrancesco Majorino, without even having to go to the trouble of campaigning. Committing political suicide in Milan’s centre-right camp in the mayoral race is a perennial theme: last time they put forward such an unthinkable candidate, Dr Bernardo (is it any wonder he has just switched to the Futuro Nazionale council group?), that Beppe Sala didn’t even bother to get up from his armchair: the seat was already his.

Not to mention the candidates put forward by the parties so far: unlikely sacrificial lambs. But now everything has been sorted: the Generalissimo has announced that his mayoral candidate is all set: former paratrooper general Carmelo Burgio. A man who says that ‘with him, Milan can once again become the city of the Madonnina and not of the Maranza’, a man who would carry out a ‘crackdown in Rogoredo’. Now, given that the majority of centre-right Milanese certainly care deeply about the issue of security, but they’re certainly not all ‘Rambos’ with hand grenades, it’s clear they won’t be voting for ‘Charles Bronson’ Burgio. Or alternatively: if Vannacci were to decide to stand as an independent, he’d end up taking 10 points away from the right and ensuring the left wins in the first round. On the other hand, however, the wave of outrage against the Burgio threat would be enough to shift the left’s sentiment towards identitarian, anti-security stances, open to welcoming any and all immigration without ifs or buts: the left à la Majorino, in fact. Vannacci’s shrewd move would result in the most left-wing faction of the left winning. Brilliant. Unless Calabresi decides to enter the race: against Burgio, even the centre-right who aren’t Vannacci supporters would vote for him.