Marattin says: “Me and the centre-right? If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. Picierno and Calenda are going their own way.”

“Me and the centre-right? If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen, but without Vannacci,” says Luigi Marattin to Il Foglio, which, however, continues to water the idea. The proposals – from cuts to personal income tax to incentives for mergers between SMEs – put forward the day before yesterday in the Chamber of Deputies by the Libdem party secretary have gone down well with Meloni. “These are measures that I believe are worth exploring further; we’re already working on some of them,” said the Prime Minister. “We talk to everyone,” says the MP, “but it’s difficult with this centre-left.” With the centre, too. “Picierno and Calenda are going their own way. Good luck to them.”

There is no shortage of expressions of appreciation for Marattin from the centre-right. The latest came from the Festa fogliante dell’ottimismo in Florence, where Roberto Occhiuto said he would like to see him join Forza Italia: “The more liberals there are in the centre-right, the better. That way, there is no longer a tendency to follow the populists”. We therefore asked Marattin whether talks had begun regarding an agreement with the centre-right, and he replied: “Not yet”. The door, however, remains wide open. “We are willing to form an alliance with anyone who shares our four proposals on education, nuclear power and public spending cuts, which we believe can improve the lives of Italians. However,” Marattin points out, “you don’t need to be a political analyst to realise that certain proposals lie outside the scope of today’s centre-left. In fact, they’ll report me to the public prosecutor’s office.” It is no coincidence that in September he had proposed a “rescue committee” to counter the possible victory of the broad coalition.

With the centre-right, on the other hand, there seems to be more leeway, on one condition: no to Vannacci in the coalition. “He is incompatible with our liberal approach. But I don’t think they’ll take him on board.” The evidence is all there. The general gives Forza Italia hives, whilst both Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Senate President Ignazio La Russa have stated that the likelihood of Futuro Nazionale joining the alliance is zero per cent. Marattin is also fairly certain: “The centre-right has no desire to return to the international marginalisation from which it has emerged in recent years, and into which it would slip back with Vannacci.” In the polls – for what they’re worth – Vannacci has been losing percentage points for weeks. That 1.4 per cent for Marattin’s Libdem (yesterday’s Supermedia Youtrend poll), on the other hand, would be useful to the centre-right in unlocking the majority bonus provided for in the new electoral law for coalitions exceeding 42 per cent of the vote, without the hindrance of Vannacci. This is a goal that Fratelli d’Italia has already set its sights on by striking a deal with Cateno De Luca’s Sud chiama Nord. Will it do the same with her? “If we’re of interest, she should ask the centre-right. We’re here; we have a liberal identity and we talk to whoever wants to talk to us, even the centre-left. I’ll say it again: if they’re roses, they’ll bloom.”

The centrist movement that Pina Picierno – having left the PD – has been trying to build since June to offer voters a centrist alternative certainly seems to have withered. Following the initial announcements, a photo emerged two days ago showing the Vice-President of the European Parliament sitting at a table with former ‘third-way’ politician Carlo Calenda to ‘organise future events for Azione and Spazio Pubblico’. Just as in the famous photo taken at the restaurant showing the four-way broad coalition, both Renzi and Magi were missing; here too, someone is missing: Marattin, to be precise. “I see they’re continuing to do things on their own, having decided to carry on as a pair. Apparently, they consider themselves self-sufficient,” says the Liberal Democrat MP. “What else can I say? Best wishes and good luck. For our part, we have always said we are open to creating something new, but I want to steer well clear of the mythomania that is occasionally seen in politics.” Is any reference purely coincidental? “You’re being disingenuous; I wouldn’t dream of making any such references,” he says sarcastically.

On the subject of mythomania, we ask Marattin whether, given the economic policies favoured by the Prime Minister, he would be willing to become the next Minister for the Economy should Meloni ask him to. “I’m not looking at it that way. For decades, politics has focused solely on that; now let’s try to change the approach. I’m only interested in making this country a freer place, with a better state and greater freedom. Then, of course, there will be ideas that take shape through people’s actions, and people will be where they need to be.” ‘The programme comes first,’ some might say.