Now, this 2024 we have had a very, very hot summer, a summer of unbearable temperatures and an alarming, annoying and, above all, heated political climate! Elections here and there, some general, some local, some referendums, a referendum or two, just to keep people bored… We occupied our time with Emmanuel Macron and his Brigitte, with Ursula, with Giorgia. A hot summer that will last until the American elections. After all, we are fellow citizens with Donald and Kamala, because we live (as best we can) in the same global village.
Our Europe. Ours?
In 1529, Europe enjoyed (unfortunately for a short time!) a little peace! It was the result of a pact signed by two ladies of the age: the mother of King Francis I of France, Louise of Savoy (1476-1531) and the aunt of Emperor Charles V – Margaret of Austria (1480-1530). In 1529, the two important ladies of the Renaissance negotiated the Treaty of Cambrai, known in history (and literature) as the Peace of the Ladies, which ended yet another of the many wars fought to finalize and control the borders between France and Spain. It was a great success that, at a time when the warrior was the main character, two ladies representing two important countries signed a peace treaty. And, given that the two ladies were of about the same age (about 50) and that fairly soon after the signing of the peace the two ladies also passed from this earthly life, it could be said that it was their moment of glory, of working together for peace in Europe. So it was (almost) 500 years ago.
In the Europe of 2024, Giorgia (Meloni) and Ursula (von den Leyen) came close to signing some kind of peace or at least a truce to calm the European political climate.
Giorgia and her friends
Even if Giorgia didn’t get along with Ursula, although they had a nice trip together – people say -, for our „Latin purse” cousins in Italy it was a great success for our Italian „Latin purse” cousins to elect two Italian vice presidents; Pina Picierno, from the Democratic Party, and Antonella Sberna, who represents Giorgia’s FdI. That this Antonella is bosom buddies with Giorgia’s sister – Arianna Meloni (an important activist for her elder sister’s party in the Lazio area), could be a mere coincidence. It could be, except that it’s not, as a Sardinian would say… Moreover, Ursula has criticized Giorgia’s Italian government for restricting freedom of the press. But I don’t think Ursula remembers what freedom of the press was like in times of pandemics all over the world… And she doesn’t even remember that she herself proposed a „democratic shield against misinformation and manipulation”, which was also a kind of limitation… Fortunately for us journalists, the summer had its good moments: after many years, Julian Assange was (finally) released, and the Moscow regime freed several Western journalists it had accused of spying. Someone (who knows!) was saying that the Russians only convict journalists in order to use them for a possible swap with their spies arrested in the West.
Mr. and Mrs. Macron. And Mr. Voters (well, ladies!)…
We had parliamentary elections in France. And for the first time in history, far-right parties could have won a majority. In fact, it was almost on the verge of happening, if a sustained effort by the united left (willingly, of necessity) hadn’t blocked the way to a far-right majority in the second round. Even if the final result, after the two rounds of voting, points to something of a draw, it’s clear that we can name a loser – the incumbent president, Emmanuel Macron, he, who also called voters to the polls. Deep frustration could also be felt by the leaders of the far-right National Rally party Marine Le Pen, and Jordan Bardella, who came very close to victory.
The far-right National Rally party (Rassemblement National – RN) came pretty close to winning a majority, but in the end, the final result consigned the match to a kind of undecided game. A draw, but definitely a popular vote indicating a clear break with „Macronism”. So goodbye presidential majority! The forces of the left grouped in the New Popular Front with Jean-Luc Melenchon’s party as its pillar could (depending on the results of the many rounds of negotiations and the many receptions to the president) play a major role and even give the French nation, the prime minister. The PM Macron is in no hurry to nominate.
Cohabitation, but not who knows what! Well, at will, of necessity…
The French President Macron got drunk and said to the once very revolutionary nation: they want early! And early elections they were, but not as the newly-emancipated Macron had wished, rather the reverse. After the first round on June 30, we almost saw a landslide victory for the right. Only the last-minute concentration of left-wing forces blocked the triumphant path of President Marine Le Pen (55) and her young protégé Jordan Bardella (28).
The end result, after the second round of voting, was something of a draw, with no winners, but definitely a loser – President Macron. He’s clearly very unhappy, he wished he could stop feeling the breath of the Marine lepenists on the back of his neck, but it was not to be. Unfortunately for him, he can’t dissolve the National Assembly for another year, so he will be forced to accept an unwanted cohabitation with the leftist forces. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first of its kind in French history, the socialist François Mitterrand has had his share of this… Hello everyone,
From my point of view, the steps are the following:
- Finalise the Statement which needs to include the clear request of an extraordinary meeting before Rome and to be signed by all the 9 sections (that were in agreement)
- Send the Statement to Saia with a clear request, in accordance with the Statute, to organise the meeting before Rome with the main purpose to set-up the context for Rome:
- Who is running the meeting? (it cannot be the current Board)
- What is the agenda
- What are the voting rights?
- Clear rules of conduct for that meeting
We should not wait any longer since it is clear that the chances of settling this in a more diplomatic manner are getting slimmer and slimmer.
And the longer we wait, the shorter the timeframe will be.
These early elections, provoked by Macron in the hope that the presidential front – the National Rally – would emerge stronger from the elections, have produced unexpected, even alarming results. And after the first round, but especially after the second. It is clear, President Macron is unpopular, and some are even looking for legal, constitutional loopholes to oust him. The way in which the president is perceived has been experienced first hand by his own wife, Brigitte, who was whistled and booed at the funeral of the singer Françoise Hardy…
And speaking of song, and because we are in the ʼ30s of the third millennium, so, for a parallel, I recall the lyrics that Michel Sardou sang in the 1980-85s about the ʼ30s of the previous century of the second millennium:
Dans les années trente,
Le tabac augmente,
Il faut trouver des milliards.
La gauche et la droite
S’insultent et se battent
And back to square one.
…
As my grandma says,
„Y faut pas s’en preocupar,
La France est prospère yop la boom!”
I guess I’m entitled to wonder: has anything changed in a century? Maybe just here and there, car brands and areas of leisure and increased comfort for the „ruling classes”….
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