The widespread strike. Whilst waiting for the centre to take a stand, the opposition takes to the streets alongside USB, young people and Pro Pal supporters.

The meeting? “We’ll hold it in the squares – there’s a strike on,” jokes Avs MP Marco Grimaldi. But he’s not entirely joking. Because whilst the leaders of the broad coalition will be meeting today to discuss parameters and roadmaps, the red-green coalition – as well as the PD and M5S – will be out on the streets in Rome (and elsewhere) with various representatives, to support the protest against the cost of living, rearmament and the government. The turnout will be modest but politically significant: the general mobilisation across Italy has in fact been called by the USB – the grassroots trade union – but a broad and varied spectrum of groups has joined in, ranging from ARCI to the Palestinian Youth Movement, right through to what remains of the 17 October Movement and Potere al Popolo, the ‘far-left’ faction that last July spoiled the (programmatic) party of the broad coalition in Naples. There is a risk of protests and of unrest too. But this discontent must be addressed; some demands are shared, even among those of the so-called ‘maranza’. And then, whilst waiting for the centre – or rather, the centres – we must broaden our reach, going beyond the confines of Parliament. The referendum model is back. 

Guiding the strategy of the broad coalition, alongside politics, is mathematics, together with the Melonellum, which dictates that everyone must be included. Thus, ‘on-loan’ MPs and new members are proliferating in Parliament. This applies to the right but also to the left, which, in the streets these days, also sees an opportunity to join forces on certain issues. There are many young people – who proved decisive in the Justice Referendum – as well as a whole network of associations and groups that are often wary of the institutional left. These are the very same groups that, during the intense months of mobilisation for Gaza, followed the grassroots trade union movement rather than the traditional parties. Today, the general strike called by USB – which also promises to bring ports and logistics to a standstill – will be joined by the Young Palestinians, who have reignited the protest on social media with the slogan: ‘Let’s bring everything to a standstill’. Accompanying this is an image of young people hooded in keffiyehs and a scene that seems to evoke street unrest. Not exactly the kind of rhetoric one would expect from the left in Parliament. Yet the left will be present nonetheless: AVS has announced its support for the strike. Laura Boldrini, speaking on behalf of the Democratic Party, has taken a similar stance. Matteo Orfini, Mauro Berruto and Arturo Scotto will also be out on the streets: “Even though I’m well aware there are risks,” the MP – a supporter of the flotillas and a leading figure on the Democratic Party’s left – told HuffPost. And the M5S? “Of course we’ll be there; we’ll have a delegation,” Riccardo Ricciardi, the party’s parliamentary group leader in the Chamber of Deputies, assured Il Foglio. “Young people don’t need a lecture, they need space,” added Chiara Appendino, who will be in the streets of Turin today. In Naples, Dario Carotenuto and Danilo Della Valle will be present.

Leaders of the broad coalition, on the other hand, had not made their positions clear until late yesterday afternoon: they do not want to ‘reclaim the Milan ring road’, as the USB trade union has made clear; however, in recent days they have supported the protests by young people, as well as those by farmers and lorry drivers, which could merge today. On the agenda, whilst the demonstrations are taking place, is a summit – a video call between Schlein, Conte, Fratoianni and Bonelli. Yesterday, the PD secretary took part in a Democratic Party conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the law on illegal hiring practices, passed by the Renzi government.

“First and foremost on the agenda for the leaders’ meeting is the budget, which is mind-boggling,” explained Schlein. On this point, the broad coalition will present a united front, preparing for the battle over the budget. Also at stake is the demonstration announced by AVS, which could provide an opportunity to take to the streets again in the coming weeks. Much of the programme, after all, simply needs refining; the joint resolution on the DPFP serves as its backbone. On the major issue of foreign policy – Kyiv – a consensus will be reached later. Instead, discussions will begin on the method and scope. Things need to be speeded up; Giuseppe Conte – who was in Bologna yesterday with Goffredo Bettini – has been pressing the PD for days. But to do so, the broad coalition will have to work out how many seats to add to the table. The former prime minister could then return to demand guarantees regarding Renzi, who is unpalatable to many in his own ranks but, on balance, another factor to push ahead of the local elections. Another major unknown concerns the M5S, which would like to hold them as soon as possible (in January), in a single round with multiple candidates, while also keeping the issue of Ukraine on the table. Avs is also in a hurry. Schlein, as is well known, wants to extend the timeframe to cement the alliance and avoid an American-style showdown: to date, much like Meloni’s approach to the elections, she has not expressed herself directly. For the moment she is allowing her loyalists to leak information, playing with dates and deadlines, and would prefer to wait for the Constitutional Court’s ruling. But perhaps after today’s talks, things will really start to move. In the meantime, while waiting for the centre, everyone is taking to the streets. It is a mass strike.