Bersani distances himself from Monti

The polls don’t support the anticipated agreement the Pd leader had already announced

Monte dei Paschi di Siena has an element of risk, better to keep distance

What is going around Monte dei Paschi di Siena? What does it have to do with the elections? Are Monti and Bersani arguing about this? Certainly the crisis concerning the oldest bank in the world astonishes anyone outside of Italy, but even more so, beyond the personal aspects and penalties of the directors, or ex directors -like Mussari, or better yet the accusations that it was the “Pd’s bank”, what is worrisome is that relations seem ruined between the Pd leader and the Prime Minister.

In Brussels Bersani is viewed with some optimism; he has a trustworthy manner, his recent tour among institutional leaders was a success, but hey Mario Monti is still preferred, for now because his platform is center, probably center-right, like the majority of leaders now in charge among Ventisette (EU members), and then because he decided to construct the rescue of Italy around himself, and therefore it would be better if the investment yielded returns last longer than just a year. So, an agreement between the two, affirmed by Pierluigi Bersani himself a few days ago, provided positive calmness and was appreciated. Instead, for several days now, that which for Brussels was a spell was broken.

Objective reasons and polls are at the basis of this “break”. The Monte dei Paschi bank crisis has to hold someone accountable, someone to point the finger at, even before beginning an investigation. Naturally the Pd is not on board, even because the bank’s crisis went on while the weight of the historical party waned progressively. Then there is the vote forecast. The closer Bersani got to Monti, the farther away he got from winning the majority in the upper chamber. According to predictions, he is still quite solid in the house but it’s a given that the Senate is lost. The Professor is not in the center-left constituents’ aspirations, not even the potential ones, who ask themselves, why vote Pd if Bersani already announces he will govern with Monti? It’s the Catholics, the former Populists of the Democratic Party who would like him to align with Monti to balance the presence of Nichi Vendola’s left wing as much as possible and they don’t want terms with the Ingroia (Sicilian anti-mafia) movement. On this “centrist” altar they already sacrificed the possibility of Pd going to the government in 2011 and are attempting to do it again in 2013. Bersani on the other hand, maybe isn’t on board and separates from Monti, for pride because he realized that first it is necessary to win and then, if need be, alliances will be discussed, but on the terms that he dictates, in order to not get stepped on first, to not arrive in government already lame and to not arrive in company of some partners who could be really embarrassing, like the ones in the Udc (Christian and Center Democrats). Also because after all the polls indicating the Professor’s returns are not very promising.

 L.R.