Without a North, there is no League

The North leaves the League but comes back in through the back door. The timing has been rather mischievous and, on the eve of the party congress – which is expected to confirm Matteo Salvini’s supremacy over the northern minority represented by Massimo Garavaglia’s candidacy – the five regional councillors for industry from the northern regions (Lombardy, Veneto, Liguria, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna) have met again in Milan. Backed by their respective Confindustria branches. This time, the five councillors, operating under the slogan ‘let’s build a single northern manufacturing district’, have identified the Italian Banking Association (ABI) as their point of contact and have summoned the association’s regional heads to Milan to discuss business lending.

But beyond the agenda (which is of great importance to businesses), the councillors have demonstrated that they can bring together – to develop joint projects – a highly respectable potential comprising local authorities, the business sector and banks. It is clear to everyone that this is a pre-political matter, yet it nonetheless accounts for around 55 per cent of the country’s GDP, represents Italy’s strongest link with advanced economies and is, of course, a source of electoral support that cannot be ignored if one wishes to win Palazzo Chigi.

Essentially, Salvini will win his party conference, reiterate that his is a national party, and choose who to put on the list whilst punishing the wayward – but he immediately leaves himself open, allowing his allies (opponents are off limits) the chance to roam freely in the wealthiest and most internationalised regions. Claudio Durigon will be pleased, but he’ll pocket a meagre share of the spoils. The only one who will be able to benefit fully from this, however, is Giorgia Meloni, who – despite none of the five councillors being from Fratelli d’Italia – seems fully aware that without the north, you get nowhere. Her monitoring of and presence at all events north of the Gothic Line, from the small Risò in Vercelli to the large Assolombarda assembly, amply demonstrate this.