In the political controversies that we never lack, there is a refrain that cadences all positions, especially those of the Democratic Party: “As long as there is war in Europe, it is irresponsible to endanger the government”. A speech that is flawless. Except that the topic of “responsibility” should also be addressed by Enrico Letta. Or rather, unity—essential in emergencies—cannot be sought only in Democratic Party positions and behind the backs of others. On the contrary, in the judiciary as in the tax authorities, when centreright or other political groups raise issues that are part of their cultural background, they are immediately excommunicated and branded with the red letter: the “I of the irresponsible.
Unfortunately for Letta and her friends, that’s not how the world works. Not even in times of war. Even more so in situations where it is necessary to create unity and avoid controversy, in dramatic situations where history requires us to understand the word country, we must take care of all the demands made by society and from the world come large majority who support Draghi. Being “responsible does not mean accepting an inheritance or land registry reform that clashes with the general sentiment of a substantial part of the forces holding the government in place, who among other things make up the majority of Italians in every poll. Nor can the conflict in Ukraine force them to reform the incomplete judiciary, which disoriented public opinion about what is happening in prosecutors has been waiting for too long.
Of course there are issues where responsibility requires avoiding divisions. For example, if the executive decides to expel 30 officials from the Russian embassy for intelligence reasons, they are not there to argue and risk making Moscow happy. But the unified inspiration cannot expect anyone, perhaps with a smile, to swallow poorly made tax and justice reforms that happen to often follow the Democratic Party’s proposals. These are not appeals to responsibility, but extortionlike demands.
The prime minister should take care of it. If he gives the impression that there are children and stepchildren in the majority, he will be in trouble. It probably wouldn’t risk the crisis (although anything can happen with an instrumental use of the vote of confidence), but it would have a less compact majority. A big problem, especially in emergencies where unity is required. Because parties represent interests, parts of society, and in a tragic phase like that of a war after a pandemic, you cannot afford to switch off. If, for example, public opinion were to interpret a fiscal regulation as a war offer, the previous attitude of solidarity towards Ukraine would be in danger of disappearing. And the reason is simple: you can ask Italians to spend a sweaty summer without air conditioning, but you can’t talk about new taxes with a people beset by tax authorities like ours. Neither in peacetime nor in wartime.