If youth wings manage to engage in debate more effectively than the ‘adults’

There is something innovative about the youth initiative organised yesterday in Ceglie Messapica by Affaritaliani. Whilst party leaders debated in the square that evening, two hundred young people from across the political spectrum met that morning in the sweltering marquees of the Masseria Grieco, just a few metres from Giorgia Meloni’s summer retreat. With temperatures reaching 39 degrees in the shade—rather than spending the last week of August at the seaside—they put forward ideas, drafted projects and voted on proposals. But above all, they engaged in debate free from ideological dogmas and party lines, and managed to move beyond the traditional constitutional divide between the government and the opposition. The party to which they belonged could only be recognised by their appearance: the Calendians in Timberlands, light blue polo shirts and rucksacks; the Meloni supporters in tricolour ties; the Lega lads with bum bags and the girls in heels; the Greens in Birkenstocks lounging on the floor; the Young Democrats in jeans and shirts; the Berlusconi supporters in suits and tasselled loafers; and the Renzi supporters ready to board a boat. As for the ideas, however, there was a melting pot of unexpected and shared proposals. The initiative stemmed from an original and bold idea by Marcello Antelmi, editor of Affaritaliani, who managed to bring two hundred young people to Ceglie during the last week of the summer holidays, to gather them round a table to discuss politics without their leaders watching over them. The staff from La piazza and Comin&Partner handled transport and cocktail parties as if the event were in Gallipoli.

The task for the day was to present a proposal for the other groups to vote on. Following Francesco Giorgino’s introduction, the students split into party groups and worked on a draft: what problem they wanted to solve, what they proposed to do, and why the measure should work. They then presented these in a plenary session, to persuade the other parties to vote for them. Just as adults should do, far removed from perpetual election campaigns and political posturing in Parliament. The word most frequently used by everyone was ‘work placement’ – the first thing that young people across all political camps would like to change. The proposal put forward by the young members of the Five Star Movement stipulates that “fundamental principles must be guaranteed for extracurricular work placements: an appropriate allowance that recognises the intern’s time and commitment; the mandatory reimbursement of expenses to support families who cannot afford to fund their children’s studies; and a contractual training agreement setting out the commitments and conditions of the placement. “We want to improve the lives of interns.” The proposal from Azione calls for “the establishment of a state-managed share fund, into which the state pays 10 euros a month for every unborn child, provided that the child’s family contributes the same amount”.

The Greens have proposed a bill on the right to use derelict land to repopulate inland areas. The League has proposed using the savings from reduced interest on the national debt to fund structural measures for the benefit of younger generations. Italia Viva has introduced the “Star Tax”, with tax cuts for young people: “Today, a young person pays the same taxes as someone who has already bought a home at the age of 60. We propose fixed personal income tax rates of 10 per cent for those under 30 and 10 per cent for those under 40”. Forza Italia has proposed a national fund for university scholarships. The youth wing of the PD has proposed strengthening the Bolkestein Directive by putting 50 per cent of the beaches open for bathing out to tender. Fdl has proposed lowering the flat-rate tax from 21 per cent to 10 per cent for students.

In the end, in a sort of ‘future-oriented’ compromise, the proposals that received the most votes were those put forward by FdI – which were also supported by the Democratic Party – and those of the PD, which were backed by Azione and Iv. Minister Calderone, who was taking notes during the presentation, also appreciated this discussion, which was free from preconceived positions. This hands-on lesson, which Affaritaliani chose to give young people in politics, is one that their own parties often fail to provide, treating them merely as foot soldiers tasked with securing votes and party membership cards while obeying party orders. To make the method even more concrete, the young participants then rolled up their sleeves and competed in an orecchiette-making contest, which Italia Viva won hands down.