Are there really parties for young people and parties for old people? Should each generation have its own political party? Questions that are sure to disturb the sleeps and dreams of many of us and that could follow up with an immediate negative answer. Yet the factory of political movements and associations is always in motion, with less than brilliant results.
The latest case of a generational party seems to be that of Drin Drin. The association or movement, has chosen as its manifesto the image of two people waving a chainsaw in the air, harking back to the performance of the newly elected Argentine president, Javier Gerardo Milei, who on some public occasions wielded the lumberjack's tool to represent his need to implement radical reforms.
Perhaps a wake-up call would have been more appropriate and less impactful, to remain consistent with the singular name chosen. Be that as it may, founders Michele Boldrin and Alberto Forchielli have moved to “create a force of the center, neither of the right nor of the left, but of above. An innovative force in the Italian political landscape, focusing on economic and social issues with an approach that breaks away from traditional political divisions.”
A party that, from the mythological place called the center, would look to the millennials, hope and resource for the country's future. Drin Drin would like to awaken “the social groups that pay the price of stagnation, those who are younger and more competent, those who are more productive and globalized, those who are intellectually more advanced and open to encounters with other cultures.” And it presents itself as “a party based on competence, intellectual honesty and concreteness that brings together the millions of capable, active, courageous and unresigned Italians who pursue a better future.”
It will all depend on whether these young spearheads of society will want to get involved and get their hands dirty: the fact that at the center they will already find Azione, Italia Viva, Forza Italia, Udc, Dc and a variety of others might make them desist, if not because of contact dermatitis, than because of overcrowding.
The idea of engaging the best and brightest young minds of Italy to launch them into politics is actually not the most original. In the last European elections, among many, on the ballots were the symbols of Nos, the media-party of Alessandro Tommasi that chose to run in Azione but failed to catch the train to Brussels.
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But what is Nos? A “political platform for dialogue” that stands at the center and aims to bring together Action and Italia Viva (for impossible challenges would be the scratch-and-win) and to “give representation to the Lib Dem and popular community.” Nos announced in early summer “an appointment in September for a big open, veto-free, participatory, rich and transversal event inviting all those who share this idea of concrete change to take part.” The idea, not the most original, is to give answers to those who dream of a new downtown container. It must be full of young 40-somethings out there who get out of bed in the morning with the sole goal of creating “a new container of the center.”
According to Linkiesta, “Nos' economic proposals range from increasing productivity to raise wages to introducing a form of supplementary income for those who do not receive adequate salaries. From the establishment of mandatory paternity leave to the introduction of an immigrant entry mechanism aligned with labor needs. Tommasi says he supports Ius Scholae and same-sex marriage. The party has come out for Ukraine's support against Russia.”
Still on the subject of youth parties that have exclamations as their name, let's rewind the tape to return to Volt, “the party of millennials who believe in Europe.” Also christened in time for the 2018 European elections, Volt is present in 8 EU countries: Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and France. Again, the young energies taking the field do so by looking to the center (a really crowded area) though with some progressive veins. And in fact at the European 2024 he presented some candidates in the Pd list. Sustainable infrastructure and green economy, clean energy and energy independence, a more democratic and secure Europe are among the points of their program.
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As we wait for Nos, Volt and Drin Drin to bring dozens of center millennials eager to engage in politics to parliament, we can console ourselves with the adventures of those already in parliament who sometimes raise the question that good politics and good administration is not just a generational issue.
Illustration by Gloria Dozio - Acrimònia Studios
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