Salvini and Tajani are celebrating their record-breaking tenure but are at odds over (almost) everything. Meloni’s concerns

Within Fratelli d’Italia, a certain suspicion is beginning to circulate: “Could it be that at the party to celebrate the government’s record-breaking longevity, we’ll find the two of them arguing and trading barbs, even on stage?”. The two in question are the Deputy Prime Ministers, Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani. And indeed, there is no shortage of issues with the potential to cause a row. MPS? They hold diametrically opposed positions: the former wants a banking hub for small and medium-sized enterprises, whilst the latter wants the government to take a hands-off approach to the workings of the banking market. The windfall tax? It’s worse than a nightmare. One of them, the League member, seized on the proposal to tax oil companies to renew his call for the same to be done to credit institutions. Whereupon the Foreign Secretary promptly replied that “it’s a Soviet-style measure. I’m absolutely against it”. Let’s turn to the defence spending dossier. Tajani was the first to announce that Italy would draw on SAFE funds. Do you know who didn’t take it well? Salvini himself, who claims that accessing these funds is a sort of ‘new ESM’. And what about the new aid package for Ukraine? Minister Crosetto has had it ready since July; it includes investments in air defence systems. Support for Kyiv is in Forza Italia’s DNA; Tajani reiterated this again on Wednesday, saying that the plan will be finalised soon. More of a red herring in the eyes of the ‘Captain’. Yet the list of disagreements is still a long one. Meloni is sidestepping them for now by talking about ‘restoring the South’s central role’.

When parliamentary proceedings resume, in addition to the electoral law – perhaps the only real point of agreement between Salvini and Tajani, given that the League and Forza Italia have little appetite for preferential voting – there will be a whole series of issues capable of reigniting tensions between the parties. On 15 August, Forza Italia’s Senate group leader, Stefania Craxi, wrote to Il Foglio to state that the party would fight to secure an end-of-life bill ‘at any cost’. The parliamentary group intends to revisit the provisions of the Zanettin-Zullo bill, seeking support and involvement even from the opposition. On this point, however, the Lega has a much more wait-and-see stance. Salvini himself has previously described it as “a very sensitive issue that touches the homes and suffering of millions of families. Freedom of conscience is the right choice: there can be no party-line directives on life, death and suffering. The League’s position is clear: I will never impose obligations in either direction’. Still on the subject of parliamentary proceedings, Forza Italia, in response to the animal welfare concerns within the party, intends to review the philosophy behind the Caccia bill – a measure which has garnered strong support from the League, with FdI appearing to act as a mediator. As for security, however, when parliamentary proceedings resume, there may be scope – perhaps even within the bill already before the Senate – for the proposal to ‘extend the scope of self-defence’, as put forward by the League (a bill has been tabled by League Senator Claudio Borghi), which the League has been examining in response to the conviction of jeweller Mario Roggero. Futuro Nazionale has also moved in this direction. However, it is primarily Forza Italia that is opposed, having immediately rejected the idea of revising the legislation. “The League’s position is unacceptable. As it stands, it undermines the very foundations of criminal law,” said Deputy Minister of Justice Francesco Paolo Sisto, a leading member of Forza Italia, before the summer recess, setting aside his usual composure. The League (in this case alongside FdI) and Forza Italia also hold opposing positions on the amendment that sought to reinstate “dragnet” wiretapping – an amendment struck from the Immigration Decree but which could still be included in the security bill.

Then there is the issue surrounding the forthcoming budget: Salvini envisages it as ultra-expansionary and has already begun making onerous demands (such as retirement at 64), whilst the ‘Azzurri’ would prefer ‘measures for the middle class’. Here, however, there will be plenty of time to carry on arguing. Perhaps in Bari, the real achievement to celebrate will be this: having become the longest-serving government ever, despite the suspicions and perpetual squabbles. Which, come to think of it, at certain times allow the two of them to take a break from the tensions within their own parties, from the demands of the northerners and from the ambitions of the Berlusconi family. It’s almost a method worth patenting.