Meloni da Vox: after the institutional meetings, the populist version is back

“The time of the patriots has come, in Italy, Finland, Sweden, Poland, and the Czech Republic, we proved that we patriots can govern and contribute to the increase of people’s prosperity. Your victory can give impetus to all of Europe” Giorgia Meloni thus addresses the crowd present at the Vox election rally, a far-right Spanish party, ahead of the general elections on Sunday 23 July. Almost two years after the famous speech, again on the Vox stage, in which he had re-proposed the famous speech in Spanish “I am a woman, I am a Christian” the Prime Minister has returned to taking on the role of street politics, that of the past.

The detachment of image is even more evident if we think that until two days ago the premier was engaged in important institutional meetings, including meetings with the Latvian president in Riga and the NATO summit in Vilnius. Yesterday evening, however, Meloni decided to go back to the old days. “You are a great people and you will be able to recognize who is serious: the European and international left cannot defend the weak and the workers, we can, because we tell the truth. In Italy we defend our sovereignty, the Italians. And you do the same. I say to all of you, do not be afraid to vote with your head. There are 10 days left for a decisive date for the future of your story” he said in his energetic and convinced speech, in connection with Valencia where an electoral demonstration was held by the leader of the Spanish party, Santiago Abascal. Elections in Spain could indeed lead to another centre-right government in Europe. In fact, the polls give the advantage to the Popular Party, the main center-right party, but a possible government would be possible only through an alliance with Vox, even if not declared at the moment but clearly on the horizon after the vote.

A possible shift to the right of Spain too would help to reshape the European balances, also pending the Dutch vote following the resignation of a longtime pro-European leader like Mark Rutte.

Meloni feels the importance of the event and also brings it out for the occasion the main workhorse of the European populist right, immigration: “In Italy we have very strong migratory pressure. It will take time but I’m sure our recipe is the right one”. And then an attack on the European ecological policies: “Those who want to condemn us do not love nature: enough with fundamentalism. We want to defend nature, with man inside it. Ecological sustainability must go hand in hand with economic sustainability. May Europe once again be aware of its role, take care of the major issues, in close collaboration with the national states”

In closing the invitation to rely on Vox to follow the same Italian path: “In Italy we are defending the interests of the Italians and I am sure that from July 23, the same can be done in Spain with a government of patriots with Vox. Long live Italy, long live Spain, long live the European patriots”