His memory is like a state archive, where he enters and pull out carpets, files and folders to reconstruct a story, disdain background, cross anecdotes and reports of the so -called First Republic. Calogero “Lillo” Mannino, 86 years celebrated on August 20, since the sixties has experienced the seasons of Italian politics in the belly of the white whale, in the front row and behind the scenes of the Christian democracy: city councilor in Sciacca in 1961, deputy and regional councilor, parliamentarian since 1976 without stopping until 1994, five times minister. He has always played in the progressive wing of the DC, between the currents of Donat Cattin and De Mita.
Then the voluminous judicial chapter opens that winds through 30 years of investigations: the darkness of the prison and 15 trials lives, from which it will always be acquitted. In 2006 he returned to Parliament and in 2013 he left the scene.
Hon. Mannino, almost half of the Italians no longer vote. A theme that has only eligible in post -electoral comments, then fades and returns to the shadows. Is it a disconnection fueled by a policy that is no longer credible, or an irreversible process?
The majority system introduced in 1993, the elimination of preferences, the consequent formation of monochrome parties, personal when not assets, has removed the Italians from the interest to participate for the belief not to decide. So useless vote.
Today this indifference must worry because in the western world, the homeland of representative democracy, autocratic tendencies that have no longer marked differential features with autocracies or oriental dictatorships are affirmed. Democracy, as a system, becomes minority in the world. This indifference in Italy does not allow that active and responsible rhythm of politics, in a phase in which the fundamental features of our historical experience are played, as a western democracy.
The West at sunset? We hope not. Meanwhile, however, Putin continues to destroy Ukraine, to make victims and intimidate Europe with drones in Poland ».
She crossed the first republic by taking on institutional roles at the top of the state. And today a reinterpretation of that story is making its way, for years considered the original sin. There are those who have been overwhelmed by the rubble, those who found the fertile ground to build political fortunes and those in good faith believed they were writing a new page, flanked by the degeneration of the parties. Did he have to go like this?
I have always argued that the goal of the massacres was political, that is, to undermine the political structure and the pre -eminence of the DC. Which in the 1992 elections had still reported 29% of the votes. Those who can make comparisons with the electoral results of the following period can see that it was the majority party. But two years later the DC was gone. The votes of the DC went to those who organized themselves on the side of the center right (Berlusconi all the time of his life and political activity used the motivation of the defense from communism as a central factor of his policy and the consent received). The Christian Democrat left has poured into progressive stages in the communist post-post party.
When Sturzo was forced by the Vatican-Fascism compromise to go into exile and De Gasperi, after being in jail, he retired to the Vatican, Scelba, Piccioni, Spataro and all the others did not compromise with fascism. When this fell, because Mussolini lost the world war, the old popular ones had to propose the ideal and moral heritage preserved by their sacrifice. Many who were in the DC have not heard this moral thrill. Andreotti and Mannino were left to the care of the political management of Violante-Caselli, and they considered to be relocated or from here or there.
That story is over. The DC of De Gasperi Fanfani Moro Andreotti and with the debt Mannino proportions is no longer there. However, the historical experience of the DC is a heritage not only in history. Even Meloni, without making Abiure on the ground of the great political choices, does what he did and would have continued to do the DC. Especially in Europe and in relations with the USA.
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