By ANSELMO PESSOA NETO*

War and austerity policies bring down the Italian prime minister

Without trying to understand the media crisis that surrounds the world, one cannot understand the crisis and the fall of Mario Draghi's government in Italy. Mario Draghi is the super banker who went from president of the Italian Central Bank to president of the European Central Bank and, as a good technocrat, what is the same as a good executive and, even better, what is the same as a good stick, printed the austerity policy with an iron fist (in a foreign language, austerity, which is supposed to sound like a noble thing and which, in fact, never meant anything other than “little food, my mush first”, or, even better: I just want to get mine) in the European Union (which is the same than Customs Union).

This citizen, a banker par excellence, became Italy's prime minister basically with a single sentence: whatever it takes (whatever it takes). This sentence, said in 2012, is the only one that has news of the progressive repertoire of super Mário Draghi, everything else, his entire arsenal of measures, before and after this sentence that consecrated him, served a single boss: the market which, in turn, has only one standard: set aside money to pay off your loans! What's the pledge? ah, well, that's up to us to decide ahahahahahahaha (that laugh is theirs, the men in the financial market).

In what context did Draghi say his famous phrase? Few want to know. Best not to mess with our heroes' secrets. Better to be deceived, after all, we are citizens of good will, we only want our own good and that of others ahahahahahahaha (that laugh is mine). Briefly, Mario Draghi uttered his famous phrase when the cow had already gone to the swamp. Just search (research: that was the initial intent of the Internet: I want to know: I research. And that turned into: I don't want to know, let them say it for me, I'll follow). Austerity had already done its work and, without any irony of fate, the country of the hour to go into default (break, in Tupiniquim language) was indeed Italy. And it seemed that Mario Draghi was a nationalist for the Italians of goodwill (the same ones who had already secured the mush). The reading was: Mario Draghi is willing to do anything to save Italy from bankruptcy, what a beautiful, cuddly thing, right?

The truth, unfortunately, for our gullible people, is that Mario Draghi was not trying to save Italy from bankruptcy, but still following orders, that is, if the then fifth largest economy in the world goes down, how will we be in the sixth on down? And the interest, who will pay? Is it not in danger of a general breakdown? There are times when we want to believe, right? Positive thinking moves mountains, they say. And if the people want to believe, who will be against it?

In 2021, faced with a new probability of the Italian State breaking, the way out was to call the hero of 2012 to a government of national unity: all with Mario Draghi, from left to right, except one. Incidentally, a film already seen with another banker, the Monti government (2011-2013) which, already upon hiring, for those who wanted to see, there are always few, failure was already announced (failure, like everything else, is relative .Some almost always win, others…). And here we are back to our starting point: does Italy love bankers after all? No, definitely not. But the mainstream media sure does. But wouldn't it be because the great Italian media and the bankers are the same thing? What a cruel question.

In the Mario Draghi episode, things in Italy were as wide open as perhaps in any other historical moment (hence also the importance of Italy, always teaching us). The big media: big newspapers, big television networks and derivatives, acted as a single network, a single truth. What could unite, just to give an example, newspapers like Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, The print (the last two don't even try to hide that they are owned by the former FIAT), The Sole24ore and all, all the others except one, around a single truth, that is, “the truth is Mario Draghi above everything and everyone” repeated millions of times as a monotonous chant morning, afternoon, evening and dawn? Who would answer that what unites these people (are these people still people?), this great media, is financial capital, when dealing with a proven and proven man of financial capital, would be making a mistake?

But it went wrong, Mario Draghi fell! The logical question is: why did it fall? Why did he fall? Because the belly rumbles and prices don't stop, no. The same factor, with another name, is that Mario Draghi fell because of the war. Mario Draghi also fell because of the war that makes prices rise. Mario Draghi deposed, king postponed: the mainstream media has already agreed: we are going to terrorize the people with the threat of Meloni, political leader of the Brothers of Italy party (in Italian: Brothers of Italy. Neo-fascist or old fascist party, in that case, it's the same). But why would the people choose Meloni and his Brothers of Italy party? This question is banned in Italy, at least in the mainstream media and among the most gullible.

* Anselmo Pessoa Neto is professor of Italian literature at UFG. Author, among other books, of Italo Calvino: the must-see passages (UFG Publisher).