Brothers of Mes: first they criticize it, then they ratify it. A smashing refresher

Yesterday Giorgia Meloni met the leaders of the European Stability Mechanism (MES) at Palazzo Chigi: the interview with the new director general of the State-saving Fund, Pierre Gramegnaand the Secretary General, Nicola Giammarioli, lasted an hour. It is the certification that the Prime Minister has decided to ratify the new Mes Treaty, even if she “hopes for the possibility of verifying, together with the other member states, possible corrective measures” after ratification. The happy announcement was given by Giulio Tremonti, the man who most of all – together with Meloni – fought strenuously against the ratification of the new Mes: “Giorgia Meloni essentially said that she sees no alternative to the Italian vote on the Mes, and which, however, intends to re-discuss its function. I totally agree with you,” the FdI representative told Il Sole 24 Ore. That this would have been the outcome was evident from other recent statements by Meloni: “I believe that on the matter of the Mes, the question of ratifying the reform is secondary,” he said in the press conference at the end of the year. And first: “The reform of the Mes me is not the big issue. If we remain the only ones who do not approve it, we will also block the others”. These are words of a completely different tenor compared to those of recent years, during which the reform of the Mes was not at all “secondary” for the right, but was really “the big issue”. We present a selection of the bombastic declarations on the Mes of the main exponents of FdI, which reread today show the speed and agility of the political evolution of the “patriots”. The premier, as she always says, “puts her face into it”. But after such a pirouette the only way not to lose face is to have a lot of cheek, like Giorgia Meloni. Here are some notes from the archive, to frame the scope of this crazy somersault.

“Merkel makes it known that she is not willing to grant access to the State Killing Fund without conditionality, revealing the real German plan: to take advantage of the coronavirus emergency to put Italy under commissioner. The Italian government raises its head and demands the money paid to the Mes back “.

Giorgia Meloni, March 25, 2000

“Mes and Mes without conditionality: two sides of the same medal”.

Ignazio La Russa, current president of the Senate, publishes a cartoon on Twitter representing two piles of feces, 11 May 2020

“On the many lies that you have told regarding this affair, there is not only the theme of the method, there is also the merit, because, then, in all of this we have been told ‘but they are minimal changes’. Of course, because we are all idiots: a treaty that requires the approval of all member countries has minimal changes, and we are imbeciles. The changes are not minimal and President Conte comes here today and confirms everything we have supported in recent days: he confirms that, with these changes, the State-saving Fund will increasingly become a bank-saving fund; we said it and he confirmed it… We are all fools who didn’t understand that while the Italians had to save their banks with their own money, the Germans want to save their banks with our money! We are all jerks and we didn’t get it! And no one answers me on the merits of this story. All to say nationalism, fear, war, the motions of affection: Romeo, Romeo, why are you Romeo? Let’s talk about the merits, gentlemen! Will you answer me on this question or not?”.

Giorgia Meloni, Chamber of Deputies, 2 December 2019

“Tomorrow Eurogroup on Mes. The Eurobureaucracy would like to lend money at interest to states and then commission them and force them to blood and tears. No conditionality to discuss, the only possibility of using Mes money is to return the shares already paid by the states to the citizens “.

Giorgia Meloni, March 25, 2000

“And then, to paraphrase the poet, we know how difficult it is to find dawn in the dark, but that dawn exists, and that dawn is the salvation of our nation, it is the future of our children, and whoever speaks of treason today must realize whether betraying the nation and betraying the national interest is voting yes or voting no [alla riforma del Mes]”.

Marco Osnato, (current president of the Finance Commission of the Chamber), Chamber of Deputies, 9 December 2020

“No one in Europe hopes to exploit the Coronavirus to sneak the poisoned pill of the Mes. We told the government, which gave us its word that Italy will not sign or accept the treaty at its meeting on March 16th. For us the word is sacred”.

Giorgia Meloni, 10 March 2020

“Exploiting the Coronavirus emergency to take the nation states by the throat with the Mes trap is really petty. We will not fall into the hell that Greece fell into. If the government caves, we’ll raise hell. In Rome as in Brussels”.

Nicola Procaccini, MEP, 6 April 2020

“No to the reform of the Mes to defend the interests of the nation. The Mes makes us slaves, let’s defend ourselves from Italy’s enemies”.

Francesco Lollobrigida (current Minister of Agriculture), 8 December 2020

“Conte told a lot of lies in order to get the Mes reform voted on and keep his seat, in doing so most of the grillini once again betrayed the mandate of the voters”.

Carlo Fidanza, MEP, 10 December 2020

“In 2012 I did not vote for the Mes, in disagreement with my party. I left and founded Fratelli d’Italia. How many grillini will have the same courage if we bring the question to the Chamber? Will they keep their word given to the Italians or will they keep it (as for the alliance with the Democratic Party) to keep their seat?”.

Giorgia Meloni 10 April 2020

“The reform of the Mes is very useful for saving German banks stuffed with derivatives with Italian money and, therefore, very little useful to the Italian people. This is why the political forces subservient to the Eurosystem support it and the patriots of the Brothers of Italy oppose it”.

Giovanbattista Fazzolari (current undersecretary to the Prime Minister), 30 November 2020

“The right, that is, the Brothers of Italy, dear Zingaretti, voted as always in the interest of Italy: No Mes and yes to Eurobonds. The left, on the other hand, did as usual what France and Germany ordered it to do: yes to the Mes trap to strangle Italy “.

Giorgia Meloni, 17 April 2020

“Fratelli d’Italia is protesting against the Mes in the square together with many indignant citizens, and is fighting in Parliament to prevent the M5s-Pd-Leu and IV majority from signing this unfortunate treaty. No to the sale of our sovereignty in Europe, Stop Mes!”.

Francesco Lollobrigida (current Minister of Agriculture), 11 December 2019

“In today’s vote on the Mes there are movements of Patriots who defend freedom, such as the Brothers of Italy, against the handmaids of foreign domination such as the Democratic Party. The M5s can still decide which side it’s on… Help us send to hell the sold, the intrigues of the palace, the servants who barter their freedom for a meager profit “.

Giorgia Meloni, Chamber of Deputies, 9 December 2020

“Italy is certainly not Greece. We are much more attractive: we not only have ports and airports, which China and Germany have already divided into Greece; we have the safe of European savings, which is coveted by many; we have an agricultural, agri-food and industrial system that appeals especially beyond the Alps. You are creating all the premises, with an uncontrollable public debt, and all the legal conditions, even with this reform of the ESM, to make us suffer the same fate as Greece, obviously with different tools and methods, but similar in effect”.

Adolfo Urso (current Minister of Enterprise and Made in Italy), Senate of the Republic, 9 December 2020

“Gualtieri has signed activation Mes, no Eurobonds and Italy under protection. The dictates of Germany and Holland won. We will not allow anyone to feast on our nation. Brothers of Italy will do everything in Parliament to avert this act of high treason”.

Giorgia Meloni 9 April 2020

“[Sul voto sulla riforma del Mes] if the government does not fall, Italy’s credibility will fall even further, with a prime minister who, architect and victim of himself, whirls around like an acrobat in his circus: he votes on a treaty but says he wants another, not bad for the leader of a country (that was) a founder”.

Giulio Tremonti (current chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber), 9 December 2020

“[La riforma del Mes] it was the Piave line, probably dictated by the M5s, which after having proclaimed urbi et orbi that it would liquidate the Mes in Europe, sadly woke up like that house usher who hands over the keys to the troika. And today, fellow 5 Stars, that Piave line looks so much like a Maginot line, because it has been routed, overwhelmed by Frau Merkel’s economic tanks and you are set back without dignity to a new Piave line. The new watchword is: yes to the reform of the Mes without ifs and buts, without negotiating, on our knees, because we will not use it! A childish logical short circuit, a ridiculous rhetorical device of jesters! But how can one say: I will vote for this reform, with the secret intention of not using it, with the vain hope of not using it, or perhaps – and more realistically – with an electoral attempt to deceive and betray one’s electors once again. It is the tragicomic end, so to speak, of a pseudo-revolution, launched at the theatre, of a jester that could only end with a farce in the Chamber of Deputies: we will vote for the Mes, but we will never use it. You vote exactly what the troika wants and, in this case, you transform yourselves from just honorable horses of Caligula into unworthy horses of the troika”.

Andrea Delmastro Delle Vedove (current Undersecretary of Justice), Chamber of Deputies, 9 December 2020

“Stop playing with our future. Italy says No to the reform of the Mes “.

Giorgia Meloni, 9 December 2020

“On 30 November, Minister Gualtieri, in the meeting of the Eurogroup, in the absence of a mandate, gave Italy’s consent to the reform and the Mes has unfortunately become the fulcrum in the management of the crisis of the nations of the Eurozone and this it is, in our opinion, the shameful ambition of the reform… By voting for the reform of the Mes, you are definitively taking the path that France and Germany have shown you: a path and a deadly embrace which foresee, in fact, the modification of the Mes and debt restructuring.

Isabella Rauti (current Undersecretary of Defence), Senate of the Republic, 9 December 2020

“For five years, the Mes withdrew into the shadows like a zombie. In the autumn of last year he reappeared animated by the European idea of ​​assigning him new missions, but the passage of time has not been enough to forget what he did in Greece and to ignore how much more harm he could still do in other European states . For this reason, it seems to me that the opposition to voting against the Mes has done and is doing very well in Parliament”.

Giulio Tremonti (current chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber), 13 April 2020

“I think we must demand that the European Union create a substantial fund to restore the nations that will be most affected by the sanctions, as has already been done with Brexit; an impressive plan, using all the necessary tools, however, be careful, I’m talking about non-repayable money, I’m not talking about other debts to tighten the noose around our necks again! I am speaking of the exact opposite of what we risk doing when we are preparing to approve the reform of the Mes against which I announce that our opposition will be total ”.

Giorgia Meloni, March 1, 2022

“The left needs the Mes not for the good of the Italians but to prevent a center-right government”.

Giovanni Donzelli, current coordinator of FdI, 22 July 2020

“Today the M5S is trying in every way to divert attention from the vote on the reform of the Mes by spreading hoaxes and trying to justify their umpteenth betrayal of Italy and the Italians. Too bad they are their own words to deny them. Liars and traitors.”

Giorgia Meloni, 10 December 2020