Marco Tarchi is not only a political scientist, writer, and professor emeritus at the University of Florence, but throughout his career he has been a cultural agitator and continues to be so through his magazines Diorama Letterario and Trasgressioni. We interviewed him to get a clear view of the shock caused by the result obtained by Alice Weidel’s party last Sunday.
Professor Tarchi, what interpretation should we draw from the 44% of AfD in Saxony-Anhalt?
“It is yet another sign of the wear and tear of the European ruling class, unable to provide answers to the problems most felt by citizens: loss of cultural identity due to excessive immigration, insecurity, decline in productive capacity and purchasing power, upheaval of traditional ways of life in the name of political correctness. Previously there was the warning bell of abstention, now there is the search for alternatives in the only forces that seem to oppose the status quo.”
Are there substantial differences between the AfD and the Italian right, led by Brothers of Italy? For you, what are the most significant?
“AfD, having so far been forced into opposition, has maintained a radical profile and program, which FdI has largely abandoned when it found itself at the head of the government and with an ally like Forza Italia that tries to influence its political agenda in a centrist direction. A proposal like remigration has never been put forward by Meloni and her party. And AfD has not followed the anti-Russian policy of the Italian and German governments, prioritizing the interests of citizens in containing the costs of the energy crisis.”
In Italy, the governing right has undergone a process of political legitimization also through its choices in a European and Atlantic key. AfD, on the other hand, is positioned in a different area still linked to populist protests…
“If it had followed the path set by Meloni, it would have had an extremely reduced number of votes compared to what it obtained on this occasion and in previous elections. Despite what is said, populist messages still find strong credibility at the popular level, among those “less educated,” whom the progressive intellectual and political class mentions with an air of condescension, forgetting not only that that people was once its pride and hunting reserve, but also that in democracy to govern you need the ballots deposited in the urns and not the number of books read or doctorates obtained.”
In your view, does this result call into question the sanitary cordon created by the German model against Alice Weidel’s party? Furthermore, could it bring down the Große Koalition between CDU and SPD?
“For the moment no, although it is not to be excluded that some CDU elected official might fall into a sudden crisis of conscience and guarantee AfD the possibility to govern Saxony-Anhalt. However, if the 29% at the national level that polls currently predict for it should grow by a few points in real elections, the problem would arise. CDU and CSU are also clientele parties, whose strength lies in the ability to govern local administrations and create support networks in various social areas. If this potential were eroded, splits and temptations to accept collaborations with AfD, at least at the local level, could emerge within them.”
Are we witnessing an “Italianization” of German politics or are we facing a new political paradigm?
“I would not go too far with the comparison between two realities that remain quite different. Certainly common are the growing distrust towards the traditional political class and the spread of fears about the degradation of social life and the worsening economic condition of those in the lower half of the social pyramid. But in Germany there are other factors driving the growth of a party like AfD, such as the desire to finally emancipate from the mark of Cain of the “collective guilt of an entire people.” A problem that, despite warnings from high institutional offices and the obsessive war on the shadows of the past by part of the left, Italians do not feel regarding the most debated pages of the recent history of their country.”
