Call me by my other name

Primaries to be held: Elly or Elena? Here’s how the turning point came about / Call me by my other name. They’re at risk of holding primaries, but only to decide whether to call Schlein: Elena or Elly. During the Festa dell’Unità in Reggio Emilia, young activists began chanting “Elena” without informing the older members, who in turn applauded “Elly” because they had not been told by the younger generation. Below the stage, a participant remarked, “What? Are we even divided over the name?” In short, there are two factions. And the strategy itself seems to have been imported from abroad. Where did this idea come from? It’s being championed by an Instagram group called ‘darsamore’, ‘De André racconta la serie A’ – a group that wants to make Schlein seem likeable (and it’s unclear whether Schlein’s staff are behind it).

Beneath the post “Elena is a strategy born online, not from the PD” reads the official comment: “You’d understand if we’d been waiting for the PD”. The rest is memes, with the account taking the place of Pingitore’s Bagaglino. In one, Bonelli is hugging Schlein like DiCaprio in Titanic (the iceberg is Conte, and we’re telling you that). Another shows Schlein as Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, accompanied by the warning from Darsamore: “Let’s all calm down”. Elena or Elly? No problem – there will be a party conference with a two-round vote; or rather, a double register – or rather, a triple one. A modest proposal to remain stubbornly united: Elena Salis Conte(ssa) di Bonelli, in the province of Fratoianni.