Occhiuto postpones the takeover bid for the party, presenting his book at the heart of the non-Tajana faction of Forza Italia. Messages to the secretary and the ‘faded’ party

Rome. “I’m not the ‘anti-Tajani’, I’m Tajani’s deputy,” says Roberto Occhiuto, the Forza Italia governor of Calabria and deputy secretary of the party, in an interview with David Parenzo during the launch of the book Il coraggio di governare. Idee liberali, la forza di realizzarle’ (published by Piemme), written by Occhiuto himself in the run-up to the resounding victory in the by-elections, in which Forza Italia risked being torn apart due to competition from Roberto Vannacci, but instead saw former treasurer Fabio Roscioli elected to the Chamber of Deputies (and to the general election – which had labelled the people of Reggio as ‘cuckolds’ – the mayor of Reggio Calabria, Ciccio Cannizzaro, responded with “you’ll be a cuckold” to the general). But words are important and they also reveal what they are not meant to say; for example, that being Tajani’s deputy does not detract from the fact that Occhiuto is, in effect, also an anti-Tajani. The presence of non-Tajani figures beneath the vaulted ceiling of the Galleria Alberto Sordi speaks volumes too: Paolo Zangrillo, Minister for Public Administration—fresh from resigning as the ‘Azzurri’ coordinator in Piedmont and a standard-bearer for internal renewal—comes and goes from the Senate, where a vote on his portfolio is taking place, just so as not to miss the event (and on the sidelines, when asked whether Occhiuto could become a leader, he replies: “He is already a leader”), not far from other distinguished non-Tajani figures, ranging from the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and former minister Giorgio Mulè to the Minister for Reforms, Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, who too has recently resigned from her post as coordinator in Basilicata. And the remarks made before and after speak volumes (“the party’s communications and those of the secretary could be reviewed”, says Occhiuto in light of the media, political and diplomatic controversies that have engulfed the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Forza Italia secretary – ranging from skirt lengths to the Regeni affair). And that is not all: FI must avoid becoming “stale”, says the governor, and must look “to the future” whilst honouring the past, in the spirit of Silvio Berlusconi’s legacy. The implication is clear: this is not how we honour it; and at that point, in the audience, there are those who wonder, however, to what extent the B. family – from Marina downwards – will step on the accelerator to ‘make way for the new’ (after the replacement of Paolo Barelli and Maurizio Gasparri as group leaders, in short, no decisive shifts in direction have been seen). Nonetheless, Occhiuto’s bid to export the ‘Calabrian formula’ across the country (the idea being to have the courage to ruffle the feathers of the established powers and, for once, listen to the voter) does not constitute a definitive leap forward towards the party congress, even though it might (or perhaps he would like it to?), and even though Occhiuto, with his book, will be touring the whole country. Meanwhile, Senator Claudio Lotito – owner of Lazio and Reggina football clubs – listens intently, whilst Luigi Bisignani also mingles amongst the crowd (the simultaneous presence of the two causes more than one attendee to raise an eyebrow). Seated in the front rows are an enthusiastic Francesca Pascale, an Occhiuto supporter who calls for greater courage on rights issues as well, and Liberal Democrat secretary Luigi Marattin (some among the ‘Azzurri’ would gladly see him in the centre-right, though there is Matteo Salvini there, which for a Liberal Democrat is an insurmountable barrier). Also spotted in the front rows are Mara Carfagna, secretary of Noi Moderati; Francesco Paolo Sisto, Forza Italia’s Deputy Minister for Justice; Stefania Craxi, chair of the ‘Azzurri’ senators (but just how much is she really on Occhiuto’s side? some onlookers wonder); and Alessandro Cattaneo, an ‘Azzurri’ MP. Meanwhile, on stage, Occhiuto has launched a dream takeover bid for the PD’s reformists: what are they doing there, amongst populists and ‘runaways’ from the Five Star Movement? But the ‘venite parvulos’ plan always runs aground at the same point: where do we put Salvini? The newly elected Roscioli looks around (‘Fabio/Fabio!’, chant ministers and MPs). Occhiuto’s partner and Undersecretary, Matilde Siracusano, remains silent, having been snubbed by Vannacci’s blunders over photos and low-cut tops – but Vannacci “will fizzle out”, we just need to keep him out of the coalition and have the courage to fly clear, liberal and reformist colours, Occhiuto tells the much-praised Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (along the lines of: long live the car tax and the like). The book is not an autobiography, says Occhiuto, even though between the lines it tells the story of his rise as a self-made man, the son of a father who only completed Year 5 of primary school (in other words: social mobility can resume if the centre-right ‘isn’t timid’). With IV leader Matteo Renzi, on the other hand, Occhiuto ‘would present each other’s’ books hot off the press. Meanwhile, the applause has already spoken volumes: it grows all the louder the more Occhiuto insists that, if Forza Italia is to soar, it must not be “afraid of modernity” and must seek to “rediscover a method”.