Tajani, the rift and the boycott of the Cavaliere’s 90th birthday celebrations

Last night in Naples, at the party marking the posthumous 90th birthday of ‘Il Cavaliere’ – organised by Forza Italia at the Mostra d’Oltre Mare as a musical celebrating Silvio Berlusconi’s immortality – Cristina D’Avena and Maurizio Belpietro, Albano and Bruno Vespa made an appearance, followed by MPs and senators marching in procession in front of a mural where each had chosen their own version of Silvio. The man of the hour was everywhere. He was there in life-size cardboard cut-outs and on banners, embracing Putin and Bush, sitting next to Obama and Merkel. Francesca Pascale, who is still close to Marina Berlusconi, says in no uncertain terms: “An undignified farce. They use the Berlusconi name as they please, taking advantage of the family’s good manners – they say nothing.” Antonio Tajani, who had official engagements, appeared only via video link after the cake – a monumental cake on which caramel had immortalised Silvio in the act of dusting off Marco Travaglio’s chair, just as on that famous evening on Michele Santoro’s programme. It was at that moment, while the glazed guest of honour was cleaning his enemy’s (and theatrical sidekick’s) chair, that Tajani’s face appeared on screen from Brussels – the secretary connected via video link and remotely present, switched on at the last minute just like the final candle. Earlier that morning, in La Stampa, Tajani had told Francesco Malfetano that the Berlusconi family had always stood by him, even though within Forza Italia “there are those who sow discord”. Weeds, then. An ancient noxious plant with a Latin name straight out of a tavern, Lolium temulentum, ‘intoxicating ryegrass’, and a plant-like cunning that has kept it alive for two thousand years, because its grains resemble those of wheat so closely that to eradicate it one would have to give up bread. “I know a thing or two about agronomy, mind you: never sow discord because it hinders healthy crops,” says Senator Francesco Battistoni, a close friend of Tajani’s. And Maurizio Gasparri: “I don’t know exactly who Tajani was referring to, but there are those who invent conflicts in the hope that they will come to pass.” However, last night in Naples, at a party attributed to Tajani via Fulvio Martusciello, almost all the MPs close to the Berlusconis were absent. And there you have the discord. Who sows, and who perhaps reaps.

It is surely just a coincidence—they will all have had other commitments (such as Undersecretary Valentino Valentini, who was with Marina at Villa La Certosa)—but yesterday, in Naples, at the party organised by Martusciello, who is a close friend of Tajani’s, the following were absent: Giorgio Mulé, Minister Paolo Zangrillo, Alessandro Cattaneo, Debora Bergamini, Paolo Emilio Russo, Rita Dalla Chiesa, Licia Ronzulli, Matilde Siracusano, Maria Elisabetta Casellati, Patrizia Marrocco, Roberto Occhiuto… in short, almost the entire group that frequents Milan and Segrate, the Berlusconi estate. One of them, speaking on condition of anonymity, says: “It wasn’t a party gathering. It was a factional get-together. Because that’s Tajani. A factional leader.” Malice. Malice. Or rather: ‘zizzania’? “Tajani’s been using illogical words for weeks now,” smiles Francesca Pascale. “Like when he quoted Mao with ‘punish one to educate a hundred’, or when, two weeks ago, he spoke of ‘deserters’ within Forza Italia. Now he’s talking about ‘discord’. And it’s unclear whether that’s a biblical expression or just childish. He calls the legitimate expression of dissent ‘discord’ – a dissent that is not merely aesthetic but political, and which comes not only from the Berlusconi family but from Forza Italia’s leaders, elected representatives and party members.” The rest is late-summer news. Giorgio Mulè, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, warns in Il Foglio that the party cannot play Monopoly whilst stuck on the same square for three turns, and that Secretary Tajani should listen more to the Berlusconis. Paolo Zangrillo, Minister for Public Administration, also writing in Il Foglio, explained to Luca Roberto that, under Tajani, Forza Italia is no longer an enlightened monarchy.

In Campania, dissidents are calling the congress organised by Martusciello – an ally of Tajani – a ‘farce’ and are dragging him before the disciplinary committee. And on Monday in Reggio Calabria, Fabio Roscioli, a lawyer for the Berlusconi family and a candidate backed by Occhiuto, was elected to parliament, two weeks after Tajani had warned that becoming an MP should not be a goal in itself. This was followed by the words of Paolo Berlusconi, Silvio’s brother, just a few days ago: “Today I believe it is right for Antonio to share our movement with younger members as well.” At this rate, Tajani is set to be turned into a scapegoat, the victim upon whom all the community’s sins are laid, including the posthumous celebration for ‘Il Cavaliere’, and whose elimination (or banishment to the wilderness) serves to restore unity to the group. An ancient rite of unwittingly cannibalistic gravity. Those who love the classics will also recall that in the spring, fourteen out of twenty senators had dismissed the group leader Gasparri – who was backed by Tajani – to replace him with Stefania Craxi, daughter of Bettino and a childhood friend of Marina’s. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is the enemy who sows discord, at night, whilst the others sleep. And with the same nocturnal discretion, according to Tajani, someone is now sowing it within Forza Italia. Raffaele Nevi, a witty MP and one of those who is fond of Tajani, says: ‘Discord is the weapon of those who do not strike the decisive blow’. Because discord, on closer inspection – and this is perhaps what Tajani meant, a man of gentle demeanour yet capable of unexpected resourcefulness – is the weapon of those who have no weapons. It is the ‘I’d like to but I can’t’ of politics, the knife that stops halfway down its blade, the tool of those who detest the leader but lack the strength – or, quite simply, the votes – to overthrow him. Those who can strike do so; the others grumble. “In other words, they sow discord,” says Gasparri. Which means that discord in itself does little damage. It stuns, clouds one’s vision, causes headaches – just like the wild ryegrass botanists speak of – but rarely brings anything down. Rather, it serves as a thermometer, and Tajani’s is showing a fever. The Foreign Minister might well fancy shaking it all off and following Matteo Salvini’s example, who yesterday announced the Lega’s national congress for 24 and 25 October. And indeed, Tajani alludes to this. The trouble is that he cannot. Salvini’s ‘family’ consists of activists – people who join the party, vote, applaud and, when necessary, boo – whilst Tajani’s ‘family’ is a real family, with a surname that looms larger on the party’s emblem than the emblem itself. Marina and Pier Silvio do not stand for election at party congresses, but they own the party’s name by testamentary bequest. And so, to each his own weeds. The author of the parable suggests we should not uproot them. The bonfire is postponed until the harvest (Matthew 13:29). One can only hope that some wheat remains.