Tajani against “the defectors”. The clash with Zangrillo

Is it Tajani or Virginia Libero? He used to be the leader of the moderates and now he speaks like a pro-Gd supporter. He goes to Naples, to the meeting of Forza Italia’s regional secretariat, and attacks the ‘deserters’. Who might they be? He’s got it in for Paolo Zangrillo, the minister who criticised him in Il Foglio, the minister whom Meloni fawns over, but whom Tajani regards as a saboteur. Tajani, in his Gd-style version, says that “anyone who plots against the party is a deserter”. Since when has Tony Tajani been using such words? He adds that “there are braggarts who think they’re important, because, just like in a professional career, they feel they’ve been put forward by this or that person. Debates take place within the party; going to the press only harms the party”. These are the words of someone who used to be a journalist, working alongside Montanelli as a foreign correspondent – someone who should always love newspapers, even more so when they give space to opposing views. Commentators are calling for the return of the more measured Tajani, warning that the current stance echoes figures such as Salvini – nicknamed ‘Salvinov’ for his Kremlin ties – and leaders who dream of purges. Observers note that the former ‘Tony the Dancer’ is now beginning to resemble ‘Tony the Censor’.