Some reflections on the Italian referendum on the reduction of parliamentarians

The question of the Italian referendum on the reduction of parliamentarians is part of a general scenario of the use of political issues from a populist point of view, which has become a common element worldwide. The Italian political scene is characterized by a profound disappointment of traditional political forces, which has been directed, certainly not unconsciously, towards anti-system forces, capable of exploiting widespread discontent, which has generated a large number of voters without references. The appearance on the Italian political scene of new movements or movements that have undergone a transformation in a populist sense has increased attention to issues that are not functional to the improvement of the political system, but has varied their action with the intent of moralizing the system, even if with practical effects often contrary to the declared intentions. The intention to reduce the number of parliamentarians, formally and practically the representatives of the population, to reduce the operating costs of the Italian parliament was presented as a fundamental success for the Italian country. In reality, the first natural objection to this reading is that the same effect can be obtained with the reduction of general costs, while maintaining the same number of elected representatives; also because this reform, without an electoral law built on this reform, will generate profound differences between region and region due to the number of votes that will be needed to elect a deputy. Currently, according to forecasts, there are cases where in some regions to elect a member of parliament it will take three times the number of consensus than in other regions and there could also be a lack of representativeness for other smaller regions. That the issue is purely symbolic would also be evident from the modesty of the size of the savings. However, beyond these considerations, it seems evident that the first negative fallout is a lack of political representation that compresses the relationship between elected representatives and voters, further increasing the distance between the two parties and therefore political discontent. But the greatest suspicion is that this reform, which undermines the constitutional dictates, is functional to greater control of elected deputies, a sort of solution for the failure to abolish the mandatory mandate prohibition envisaged in the constitutional charter. The developments of the latest electoral laws have canceled the possibility for the active electorate to exercise the choice of preference, favoring the power of the party secretariats both on candidacy and on the real possibility of election during political elections; the real intention was to limit the individual and personal action of elected individuals, in order to bring parliamentary activity back to the wishes of the more restricted management groups. If, on the one hand, they wanted to officially combat the practice of changing parties during the legislature, on the other there was a desire to reduce the autonomy of the elected in favor of political strategies developed in more restricted fora, which, in fact, were and they are the only ones authorized to address the party or movement, thus preventing a multiple vision, essential for the debate within the parties. A reduction in the number of parliamentarians would favor greater control of internal conflict, especially in an era where the leadership aspect of political movements prevailed over the grassroots discussion. This aspect of wanting to contain opinions contrary to the management group is a factor that unites every political movement or party present in the Italian political scene: this is due to a low propensity to consider non-aligned positions, often experienced with annoyance by the management groups, but also to an ever decreasing political practice of party leaders, unable to provide quick answers to the questions of the electorate, especially if hindered by different ideas within the party. Internal dissent is no longer contemplated, and is seen as an impediment, a commitment that is an obstacle to the political struggle against opponents. One of the reasons is that the level of executives has dropped hand in hand with the level of discussions brought before the voters: an increasingly simple level, basic arguments that do not require the explanation of an articulated political project but only polarized in its meanings. opposite. Here, then, is the scenario where the conditions have developed to carry out the project of the reduction of parliamentarians with a more or less almost total approval of the political forces, aligned on the ground of anti-politics and unable to say no, even for reasons of convenience.