This month opinion in Italy has been divided over the case of the murder of Samuele. After his mother, Anna Maria Franzoni, was arrested and taken to prison, Italians divided up into two factions, believing her “guilty” or “innocent”. Attorney Carlo Federico Grosso is insisting on her release and the psychiatrist team from the “Cattolica University” in Milan has “acquitted” her in the first instance. There will certainly be new developments, and unless something new and even more astounding happens to distract public opinion from Cogne, this question will continue to be important for discussion on television and other media. As far as internal politics are concerned, deep concern is being caused by the continual waltzing around of the various political groups, from the centre to the left; none of them seems able to decide on alliances, on their programmes and even on who is to lead them and represent them with authority in the local elections to be held in May. The ‘Daisy’, which will be holding its Conference in Parma from 22 to 24 March, instead of resembling a flower which is about to open its buds in spring, seems to be loosing its petals and withering for lack of vital lymph! Mr Mastella from the Udeur insists on the vital role which those of the centre have to play, he attacks Mr Rutelli and agrees with Mr Di Pietro. Just as soon as one of them joins up, another leaves. In fact Mr Dini has decided it is time to join the wild flowers! It is a lively quadrille where, if you are not watching and miss your turn, you do not know how and to whom to give your hand. It is not surprising that citizens are perplexed to find that, if they are to keep up to date, they must not miss a beat and must carefully decode messages of extreme cerebral complexity, which are only apparently transparent, but overwhelmed by political jargon. A mass of commonplace expressions which could either unify or divide the electorate, and only one categorical imperative: “We must win back out seats!” All things considered, in the circle that joins the petals together, everything can go round to the right or to the left, according to how the wind of political opportunity is blowing. And nothing more can scandalize, if even one like Mr Bertinotti can take communism like a bowl of broth to be quickly digested, in order to go on to dishes which are much more filling. Alarm over international terrorism gives rise, from analogy, to fear of the rebirth also in Italy of activities of these groups which turn death into a sacrifice to serve their ideas; and so, on one hand the crowd is alerted and on the other hand calmed by the bogey-man of a return to violence of the kind of the ‘70s. These are apparent contradictions in order to take a breath, win back positions, while work in Parliament continues to pass new laws which should smooth the way for the backlog in the courts and make procedures in court cases easier and less expensive. Also for this reason Minister Caselli has appealed to the magistrates, in an attempt to renew the discussion and break the deadlock in an impossible situation. In democracy debate is the only possible form of communication. In order to debate, however, two conditions are imperative: the first is that the point at issue must be well defined, the second is that opinions must somehow differ. Within the wide scope of parliamentary activity, we regret to have to affirm that the points at issue and opinions whirl so fast they resemble spinning tops with uncertain contours and without a precise direction.
Trad. Interpres sas