Politics and antipolitics

The conference “Politics and anti-politics” highlighted many of the historic problems in the Italians’ relationship with politics. Italians have not always been so detached from the institutions and their representatives. The unpopularity of politics today can be explained first by the fact that it is perceived as a way of occupying public space and not as a service to the citizen. Secondly, Italians generally view their politicians as immoral, extremely expensive and inefficient. A comparison was made with other European experiences, specifically in Germany and France, as well as with the American model. The situations in these countries – within the realm of democracy – are not just the result of good electoral law (necessary of course for government stability), but also of a common sense of the rules of the game. Italy needs a new political class in order to relaunch a constructive dialogue on issues that truly reflect the different conceptions of society and development. In order to renew Italy’s political class, the perverse method of selection based on party loyalty and devotion to a political leader must first be abolished. Our choices must be based on merit, competency and professional experience.