Former minister Valdo Spini: “Draghi at the Quirinale? Better stay at Palazzo Chigi "

He wrote the preface of "Clandestine Diplomacy" by Emilio Lussu, just reprinted, on the anti-fascist struggle, between fronts and borders, of the "Cavaliere dei Rossomori". Valdo Spini, a leading exponent of the Socialist Party, minister in the Amato and Ciampi governments, deputy from 1979 to 2008, is convinced that today's Italy desperately needs a "hombre vertical" like Lussu. «The heart of the story, and that is why" clandestine diplomacy ", - he explains - are the meetings at the highest level that the Sardinian politician conducts in the spring of 1942 in London. He manages to persuade the British to secure him a substantial funding to carry out an insurrectionary action in his Sardinia where the German presence was relatively weak. Everything seems fine, the suitcases with double bottoms to hide the banknotes are ready, but Lussu then changes his mind. Because? He did not obtain that political declaration on the territorial integrity of Italy once liberated, which he considered prejudicial to his action. In short, he was a patriot. he was not available to simply be an English agent. '

What to do to not forget it?

«Facing the current emergency of the pandemic and its economic and social consequences under the banner of the two values Justice and Freedom, of the movement founded by Carlo Rosselli and of which Lussu was one of the main exponents. Even the socialism of Emilio Lussu has some topical aspects, because, in the framework of the NRP, there are programmatic aspects and the need to ensure public goods for Italians and Italians that cannot be automatically guaranteed by the market ".

The PNRR is a great opportunity. Will Italy be able to grasp it?

«To take full advantage of this opportunity, Italy needs a period of stability and certainties also to take advantage of the funds of the Next Generation Eu, those funds for which the National Recovery and Resilience Plan was developed. It is particularly important that the 40% constraint in favor of the South is actually implemented. And this concerns Sardinia directly, with its peculiarities ».

The race for the Quirinale. What should be the profile of the new president?

«He must be authoritative for the path he took and for those qualities that Erasmus attributed to his Prince: magnanimity, wisdom, and temperance. These are the talents of the future president: I talk about them in the book to be released on January 4th "On the highest hill": there are fourteen medallions on the heads of state and presidents of the Republic that Italy has had, from De Gasperi to Mattarella. Here perhaps we need someone who, in some way, is similar to Mattarella ».

Can Draghi be head of state or better still stay at Palazzo Chigi?

"The ideal would be to elect a good head of state who allows the Draghi government to move forward while the political forces carry out, before the 2023 elections, three important operations: to review parliamentary regulations so that they prevent the current chaos of transhumance between one group and another; approve a European-style electoral reform; implement Article 49 of the Constitution on the democratic and therefore transparency requirements of parties, in order to relaunch their authority and function. The future president should use his powers of moral suasion in this direction ».

During your parliamentary experience, you have experienced the elections of other presidents of the Republic. What moment do you remember?

«I was elected to the Chamber the year after the election of Pertini to which I was very attached. I can recall the dramatic moment of the election of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro immediately after the Mafia attack in Capaci that cost the lives of Judge Falcone, his wife and the police officers. We felt we were really on the brink. Later I rejoiced in the election of Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, of whom I had been minister and whose pro-European commitment and qualities of great wisdom and balance I appreciated. "

A woman at the Quirinale. The story of a long run. Is the goal close?

“I was the first signatory of the law that admitted women into the armed forces by abolishing the last barrier that stood in the way of their participation in the public administration. I certainly cannot have prejudices: for men and women the same moral and political characteristics that I have spoken of are valid ».

How do you evaluate the strategies of the parties in view of the election of the new head of state?

"There is not much time to waste: it is time for clear and clear positions to be taken in order to arrive at solutions that strengthen the Republic and its democracy".