«We are and will remain against public funding of parties»- Corriere.it

The debate in the 5 Star Movement on the issue of public financing of parties has begun. The pentastellati have always expressed their opposition to the issue, making it a battle, but the recent words released to Corriere della Sera by the former M5S minister, Stefano Patuanelli, hinted at an opening on the possible reintroduction of the measure. Possibility immediately excluded by the president of the M5s, Giuseppe Conte, who declared how «Today in Corriere della Sera our Stefano Patuanelli expresses his completely personal opinion on the public funding of political parties».

The former minister had said that, in his opinion, “it is necessary to reintroduce public funding to parties” because “the political forces must be guaranteed the exercise of their democratic functions”. In his interview, the Senate group leader of the M5s had also specified how in the past “the amount of public resources was such as to protect even those who were not entitled to them”, since taxpayer money was managed “often improperly and sometimes illegally”, also allowing “cases of personal enrichment”. But on this point “the Movement has played a fundamental role, because it has contributed to undermining the system linked to the costs of politics”, Patuanelli remarked again.

“Unusual” phrases for a member of the party founded by Beppe Grillo, such as to have to foresee the rapid intervention of the leader Conte, who this morning heard Patuanelli: “He explained to me that his is a general and abstract discourse on parties and democracy”, began Conte who immediately wanted to reassure the pentastellata community: “He clarified to me, however, that he would never – he added – in current Italy and with current politics, a law for the public financing of parties”.

For the former premier, the ideas seem to be clear: “I say it without going around the bush: the position of the M5S has always been and remains against the public funding of the parties”. Conte then confirmed the thesis: «The M5S is the living demonstration that politics can be done without imposing costs on citizens. And that one can do politics without selling out one’s battles, in some cases putting oneself on the payroll of large lobbies or even of foreign states, as some well-known parliamentarians do”.

From here, then, the president reiterated the line to follow: «The M5S continues to maintain another idea of ​​politics, testified by the facts: over 100 million euros which we gave up between electoral reimbursements and allowances for elected officials; resources returned to citizens, businesses, schools; cut in annuities (which the center-right now restores to the Senate) and in parliamentarians, with savings for the public coffers and therefore for the wallets of citizens”.

In the opinion of the leader, compared to other political forces, the pentastellato group has always chosen a different path, “certainly more tiring but which we will not give up”. So Conte tried to shut down the case instantly so as not to fuel controversy among M5s members: “We will continue to wage our battles without imposing new costs on citizens – concluded Giuseppe Conte – but focusing on self-financing and, at most, on the free choice of individuals to want to support our battles financially, which are their battles”.

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