No confidence in Salvini, the League: “Our agreement with Putin is no longer valid”. But the dissidents insist: “Enough with the European fascists and no to Vannacci”

On the eve of the motion of no confidence, which will be discussed between tomorrow and Thursday in the Chamber, against Matteo Salvini‘accused’ of not having interrupted the agreements between his party and that of the Russian president Vladimir Putin, the League makes itself heard. With a note he reiterates that “the purely political collaboration intentions of 2017 between the League and United Russia are no longer valid after the invasion of Ukraine. Moreover. Even in previous years there had been no joint initiatives. The League’s line is confirmed by the votes in Parliament: it is regrettable that the Chamber has to waste time on useless and instrumental controversies triggered by the opposition.”

Meanwhile, dissidents are harassing the leader. Returning to the “pragmatism” of the old League “which always led us to search for positions useful for achieving objectives”, breaking alliances with European extremists, starting with the Germans of Afd, (“who does not have our natural repulsion in comparisons of fasces and swastikas”). And don’t give space in the lists for the European elections to people like Roberto Vannacci “with a strong nationalist mark, totally foreign to our movement”. This is the request of the letter-appeal that around twenty former parliamentarians, leaders and administrators of the League, active in the Northern territories, addressed to the secretary Matteo Salvini, in view of the elections of 8 and 9 June. Among these there are quite a few parliamentarians who left the party, not sharing the political line of the secretariat, others who were no longer re-nominated or expelled, and even those who preferred to return to administer the territories, far from Rome, returning to their origins. Others finally, still close to Umberto Bossiwhich did not hide criticisms of the nationalist and sovereignist turn of Salvini.

The letter from the dissidents

Among the signatories of the text stand out Cristian Invernizziformer provincial secretary in Bergamo and deputy from until 2022, Paolo Grimoldi Secretary of the Lombard League from 2015 to 2021, founder of the Federal MGP coordination, former deputies Daniele Belotti, Jari Colla, Luca Paolini, Germano Racchellathe former deputy minister of economic development Dario Galli and many local administrators, including the current mayor of SenagoMagda Beretta; Tiziano Belottimayor of Rovato; Renato Pasinetti mayor of Travagliato, Andrea Monti (Lazzate), the former mayor of Monza, Marco Mariani.

The letter, just delivered to Salvini, introduces “a series of observations of interest for the future of our beloved movement”. “We believe it is important, on issues such as immigration, food quality, agriculture, environmental and industrial policies and the energy challenge, to be able to give concrete answers to citizens, avoiding the tarnishing of the interests of members and a weakening of their participation”, write the ‘northernists’. “It is therefore inevitable to ask ourselves where the traditional pragmatism that has always led us to search for positions useful for achieving our objectives has ended.”

In particular, the alliances in Europe with the ultra-right end up in the crosshairs, with The pen and the Germans of Alternative für Deutschland: “The choice, which in some respects is also acceptable, of not joining one of the great European political families cannot however lead the League to share a path with parties and movements that have nothing to do with our history cultural and political. We ask you: why have we stopped talking with autonomist and federalist forces, to reach an agreement with those who do not have our natural repulsion towards fascisms and swastikas?”.

Also no to Vannacci’s candidacy: “We are convinced that, if the rumors about the candidacy in our lists of figures with a strong nationalist mark, totally unrelated to our movement, were true, they would make the pursuit of the party’s historical objectives even more difficult”. “Hoping to be heard, we therefore hope to continue as our Movement has always done, to share common strategies and support them in a concrete way”, is the closing of the letter with the signatures at the bottom.

Salvini guest at Belve

“We are thinking about it” about Vannacci’s candidacy, Salvini replies during the interview with Belve broadcast this evening. “Would you ever say that homosexual people are not normal, for example?”, asks Francesca Fagnani. The deputy prime minister’s response: “No, in fact I said that I share your battles on freedom of thought but for me someone can be homosexual, heterosexual, transsexual, bisexual, polysexual; the last of my intentions is to enter into people’s private lives”. We didn’t just talk about the general. But also about the friendly relationship with the ally-premier Giorgia Meloni. “We are building it. We started hanging out outside of politics too. Every now and then in the evening he plays burraco with my girlfriend Francesca. Not me, because they’re two weasels and they hate losing. And I already have a complicated job during the day, if I have to get pissed off about Burraco in the evening too, no thanks.” And Umberto Bossi? They haven’t spoken to each other “for too long” and “I’m sorry about this, it’s one of my faults…”, she admits. However, he wants to move forward, continue to be the leader of the League despite internal discontent. “I think I still have a lot to give, I have desire, ideas, time, then there are good people, but I’ll let them wait a moment”, says the minister, recalling that “by the autumn the congress will be held, the The last thing I want is to look glued to my seat.” Possible challengers, has anyone stepped forward? “Not for now”, replies Salvini.