If Berlusconi had made the unity of the centre-right his distinctive trait, in Lecce a myriad of acronyms are divided over everything. And Salvemini laughs…

The day after Silvio Berlusconi ‘s death and the day before his funeral, it is appropriate to carry out an immediate analysis of the Lecce centre-right . Yes, because if the center-right Knight of unity has achieved its operational figure, to the point that that daily commitment can be considered his political legacy, it is necessary to see how the intuition that led him to take root in the territories or not put together Fini, Casini and Bossi in 1994 and Meloni, Lupi and Salvini in 2022. In 30 years he has always been there, acting as a glue, a dash, the greatest common denominator (or least common multiple, you name it) becoming ‘ concave and convex‘ – as he used to say – in front of the requests and demands of the partners .

Well, we can say that the same recipe worked in the capital of Salento both in the decade under Poli Bortone and in the decade under Perrone . But now it has come to a minimum.

Personalisms, presenteeisms, cross vetoes, jealousies and selfishness undoubtedly have the upper hand. Today we are faced with a galaxy that makes opponents smile and militants worry. No synthesis, too many attestations of one’s own self, even if small and negligible.

Brothers of Italy, Lega, Forza Italia (fresh from new commissioner), UDC and a plethora of movements, small parties and multi- or single-person associations claim to sit at the center-right table: Movimento Regione Salento, Io Sud, La voce di Lecce, Movement in Freedom, National Voice, Mpl, Values ​​and Renewal, New Movement, Feeling Civic, etc.etc. A diaspora of acronyms which, far from hiding internal tensions by covering them with a desire to participate, reflects the exasperation of current accountism. When you don’t agree with someone, you start a new association and hope to empty from the outside what you can’t dry from the inside.

halt ! Let’s get our hands on it right away: all the associations were born from the free will of the citizens, there is no desire to keep the big names on the edge, good citizenship is an added value, and so on. It will certainly be so, but let us doubt it.

The center-left of Lecce and the mayor Carlo Salvemini laugh at it… They know that even if the consensus is no longer what it used to be, indeed it seems to be in sharp decline, they can count on the fragmentation of the opposing camp. In fact, as soon as the name of the candidate for mayor has to be chosen, the center-right table will jump. Yes, because it is evident that dozens of mayoral candidates sit at that table . Everyone aspires to the role of mayor or, at worst, of important councilor. Cleverness is the hallmark of that table, the thought that ‘ this time no one will fool me, otherwise we’ll leave… ‘. Physiognomy does not betray and perhaps it would be appropriate to reduce media and social exposure, which only creates confusion among citizens.

Choosing the candidate for Palazzo Carafa? A feat. Do you want whoever was the victim of exclusion in the previous round now to leave the way free for the internal opponent of the time who is now asking for unanimity? ‘ But not even dead…!’

And off to new tables, new updates. ‘ There’s plenty of time… ‘, they also say because the big names meanwhile are on the move at night to empty the lists that everyone claims to be able to compile for the 2024 administrative elections.

‘There’s plenty of time… ‘, they say and don’t know that they are losers even before they have made electoral posters like the wayfarers in ‘ Evening on Karl Johan Avenue ‘ by Edvard Munch who strolled fully dressed on Oslo’s main street without realizing that they were already ghosts.

There is time, a lot… ‘ they say between one press release and another, between one post and another, between one whatsapp and another on the famous Salvemini cycle paths, on the San Cataldo dock, on the holes Lecce looks like Baghdad ‘ and on cleaning up the squares and streets… finding a way to argue about that too ‘… because I made the report first and you copied me !’.