Conte ‘mimics’ Ocasio-Cortez on ‘woke’ issues. The PD puts the brakes on: ‘The problems on the left are elsewhere’. Ukraine and rearmament

“Is Conte talking about redistribution? Given his rethink on ‘woke’ culture, I would have liked to see him do the same regarding the biggest negative redistribution of wealth in the last thirty years: the Superbonus.” This is what Lia Quartapelle, an MP for the Democratic Party, told Il Foglio, commenting on the “anti-woke” shift claimed by Giuseppe Conte, the Ocasio-Cortez of Volturara Appula. In yesterday’s edition of La Repubblica, the former prime minister – presumably from a sun lounger on a beach – chose to import American ideas into Italy by lashing out at "woke" culture. "It serves no purpose for the left," he wrote. “It cannot form its backbone”, whereas “social struggles, action on inequalities, and protections for workers” can. There’s a whiff of the hammer and sickle about it. And of the fight against rearmament, which is as ubiquitous as parsley in 5S cuisine. "It’s wrong to use it when talking about inequalities," says Simona Malpezzi. And whilst Cortez is becoming more mainstream ahead of the presidential elections, Conte is seeking support for the primaries. But: "We’ve got so many problems that ‘wokeness’ strikes me as the least of our summer debates," says Filippo Sensi.

Within the PD, the former prime minister’s letter has raised a few eyebrows. Attempts are being made to understand the nature of the message. All eyes are on Schlein and her PD, which is seen as too closely aligned with the identity-based battles of ‘woke’ culture. Senator Sensi has noticed this. “The only new thing about the letter I’m reading is the unscrupulous way in which they pounce on the current debate to attack the Democratic Party, reduced to the caricature that suits them best. Essentially, it’s the Ocasio-Cortez versus Elly version, in their caricature.” So, no lecture for the party leader. “I don’t know if Conte was trying to reduce the PD to the level of the American debate, but if he was, he’s wrong. He’s forgetting the PD’s strength, which lies in being a pluralistic party. We are not a party of ‘-isms’. To me, his seemed like an attempt to mimic the United States in order to position himself,” adds Quartapelle. “We have never been subservient to ‘woke’ culture. Conte wanted to offer a reflection that he evidently considers necessary for the M5S and its electorate,” Malpezzi also points out.

And indeed, the text drafted by the former Prime Minister appears, to all intents and purposes, to be a manifesto for a new brand of ‘Grillism’ with a Contian twist. For this reason, rearmament was bound to end up in the mix as well. In the letter, it is included right there, amidst the protections for those facing inequality, workers, the underpaid, calls for less bureaucracy, measures to curb the power of big tech, and ‘surveillance capitalism’. Conte writes: "We must decide how to tackle the rampant arms race and the obsession with military deterrence, which fuels a false security paradigm that rewards escalation rather than prevention, diplomacy and international cooperation." This is a passage that Malpezzi considers "deeply misguided", because: "A progressive, reformist force must place the defence of freedom and democracy at the centre. And defending democracy also means preventing the law of the strongest from regaining sway in international relations. As Putin has done with Ukraine”. Senator Sensi echoes this view once again: “I shall remain silent on the cynical and false trade-off regarding European defence – ‘butter and guns’ in the style of Mussolini. As far as I’m concerned, any manifesto, or supposed manifesto, that does not contain the word ‘Ukraine’ is only good for wrapping fish”.

As for the rest of the letter, as Sensi says, “there is nothing new apart from the usual agenda of welfare dependency and statism that has always been the hallmark of the Five Star Movement. Subsidies and redistribution – for goodness’ sake”. He is blunt: "There are no words to adequately address the challenge of restoring balance and engaging precisely those social classes and sectors that the Five Star Movement leader claims he wants to listen to". Conte wants to speak “to the impoverished middle classes, the underprivileged, and broad sections of the population” who, says Sensi, “are calling for more protection, more security, more opportunities, more freedom and greater responsibility – not just new benefits and handouts”.

At the heart of this debate lies the competition for the primaries. And initiatives such as this seem designed to set boundaries and cement support – even outside the party in question. “I believe Conte is exploring every possible avenue to build his own profile ahead of any potential primaries, so I think this message was written more for you in the press.” The leader of the Five Star Movement is trying to please everyone. He wants to please everyone. From anti-establishment to anti-woke. To put it as Renzi did: “Now everyone is waking up. The ‘woke’ frenzy is damaging the left. And now the left needs less ideology and more politics.” And politics is about Ukraine and defence, not ‘woke’. Before the primaries comes the alliance. And we’ll see who ends up in and who ends up out. As for those who won’t be there, to quote Senator Sensi once again: “Move along, people, move along…”