Giuseppe Conte is like Agilulfo, the “non -existent knight” of Italo Calvino. He is an armor that lives only thanks to his iron will to exist. Just as, our knight is animated by the deepest belief of having been and having to be – again for the future – the best prime minister that our country has ever had and still has to have. Returning to be premier again, despite the unjust wrong immediately with the fall of Count II at the hands of Matteo Renzi, in favor of Mario Draghi. Returning to being prime minister in a more conscious way, with a greater range of action, author himself of his own destiny and not King Travicello – almost a human compensation chamber – between the then two vice -premier and major majority of the yellow -green government, Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio.

Conte is all and nothing

But Conte, in addition to being the “non -existent knight”, is also his squire, which changes its name and form, depending on the context in which it is located. Giuseppe Conte has shown that he can be everything, for the sole will to be. A splendid armor – it always depends on the points of view – Candida, marked by a thin black row that runs throughout its shape. Just as he appeared – always by analogy to the beautiful novel by Calvino – the armor of the knight non -existent to King Carlomagno, on the battlefield. When he asks the candid armor of why he does not show his face to his king, that of referring lapidary replies: “Because I don’t exist”. Here, Conte has existed so in many forms and is still so many things together, that it is nothing. Not to exist. A living paradox that reminds us of how bizarre the politics of the last ten years is. He is a mutant entity, which takes shape depending on what surveys and reaction on social media say. He has become, at least within the boundaries of the center -left – or what seems to be the “wide field” – a populist paradigm that is making school. Managing to overtake the duo Angelo Bonelli-Nicola Fratoianni on the left, up to become a serious threat, at least on a propaganda level, for the Democratic Party of Elly Schlein. Here is how Conte exists: like the scudiero Gurdulù, becoming everything he needs to collect consent, despite the obvious inconsistencies and inconsistencies between his own political positions, to the point of not knowing exactly what he is.

Conte before being Conte

Conte, primarily, was a point of falling a negotiation between the party leaders, both on the right and then, then, on the left. In 2018 and up to the whole Pandemic season, it was the embodied representation of a serious political difficulty of most parties who, until then, had animated the national political scene. Forza Italia was starting his slow descent into the underworld, coinciding with the precarious health of Silvio Berlusconi; Fratelli d’Italia was still a party too small to dictate law; Salvini’s League was starting his decisive turn to the right, increasing the consensus dismissed, but betraying his ancient Northist vocation, with a crisis in the middle that affected the beating heart of the propaganda from the leader of the leader, with the deus ex machina of the Salvinian communication that was involved in a sexual scandal. While on the left, the Democratic Party was tearing in an internal game that would lead to the defenage of yet another secretary elected unanimously, Matteo Renzi, passing through Maurizio Martina, Nicola Zingaretti and Enrico Letta, and then ended in the arms of Elly Schlein. From exasperated reformism, to moderate reformism, up to the left increasingly radical and rainbow – thus arriving at a minority vocation. The 5 Star Movement was still under a blow of an unexpected electoral success – 32% to the policies of 2018 – and with a completely unsuitable ruling class, for number and experience, to govern. From then on, the M5S has changed enormously, going from radical movement to a new conservation party, betraying one after the other its cardinal principles. Conte went up to the proscenium of national politics directly from the classrooms of university and the legal consultancy of corporate law, after trying an approach – a successful approach, at least for his aspirations of the time – with the allure of the Renzian world, through Maria Elena Boschi. Then he was injured in getting on the train proposed to him by his university assistant in that of Florence – Alfonso Bonafede who would soon become Minister of Justice of his own government. Here he is there, the scudiero of the non -existent cavalier Conte who – in March 2018 – took the appearance of the pentastellato supporter in the headquarters of the 5 Star Movement – at the Parco dei Principi of Rome – while the second projection of the results of the political elections arrived, decreasing its electoral success. He there, with a brown sweater in a ripping image, next to Di Maio, while these embraced Alfonso Bonafede and anyone else who happened to him. One of the many versions of Gurdulù.

Conte when he was Conte

Then from that magnificent successful evening, for Conte everything arrived very quickly. As a prime minister “Guarantor” of the “Government Pact” signed by the M5S and Lega, complete with leaflets passed by Di Maio during a session in Parliament, with instructions on what he had to say and do, up to the pandemic. The Lockdown and the consequent season of Covid have enormously lengthened the career of Giuseppe Conte, giving the opportunity to make Conte II, with change of horse. From right to left. With the Italians closed in the house and the masks, Conte was able to enjoy a huge media overexposure, made of press conferences in the middle of the night (somewhat bizarre his then declaration, “this government does not work with the favor of darkness”), both unified networks on state TV, and via streaming on his Facebook profile – had not yet completely exploded Instagram and Tiktok – with the faithful Rocco Casalino. Just as the combination that seemed to have the destinies of Italy in hand: the duo of the contemplatable marvels Arcuri, with the latter commissioner to the Covid emergency, which will then be replaced by General Francesco Paolo son in the aftermath of the Draghi government. Here, that was the most shining version of Agilulfo’s armor: the moderate Count, increasingly democratic, firmly in power that drew – with the approval of the new government companions – rain bonuses to the Italians. But that was also the most controversial Conte, with some quite disturbing elements on the international scene, if read with the hindsight of the later, and disastrous for the state coffers: the Russian troops on a mission – it is not known what title – in Italy to Italy of a contingent of doctors who scroll through the northern streets, in the meantime there was an international match to find the vaccine against Covid (in favor of the Russian vaccine – – both Conte and Salvini and Meloni pronounced); Conte’s claim to check the secret services while keeping the proxies, while in Italy Joseph Misfud, a mysterious professor of the Campus link in the center of Russiagate, disappeared, complete with raids in Rome of the Minister of U.S. U.S. William Barr who met our 007 – were the days of the Count I government crisis, with our non -existent knight who unloaded the League to embark on the PD for the Count II; The rain bonuses, between citizenship income and 110%, which today have represented the premise for the most harmful scams against the state, leaving a budget hole that will pay at least the next three generations.

Conte after being Conte

And today? Today we have a much more aware count of its means. One who, if he had the opportunity to govern, perhaps would not make the errors of the past that have been fatal to him. Our non -existent knight certainly has great adaptations and persuasion if it is true – as it is – that a movement has taken and shaped it according to its nature: changing the need and guarantor of the income positions (see the abolition of the limit of the two mandates). Defenestrate definitively Beppe Grillo, rewritten the statute and selected his magical circle, Conte now plays to be a descamisado of struggle. Like the duo of Battista-Di Maio, who went to give a hand to the French yellow vests, today Conte wants to go to the Aja to manifest against NATO to say “no” to the rearmament and the increase in military spending of up to 5%. He has headed the event of the square for peace – whatever it means and, mostly, means justifying Russia to derogate Ukraine and Europe. Conte today is pacifist, speaks of Gaza, of genocide by Israel, but very little of Ukrainian children, Russian violence and succeeds in the arduous undertaking to justify both Putin and Trump. And in all this, he carries in Svg and most of the PD of Elly Schlein. As if to say: this new count dictates the political line of the center -left. Or at least of that “wide field” repeatedly wandered by the major strategists of the Democratic Party. According to a clear utilitarian intent, Conte is trying to ride the anti -government protest that sees Giorgia Meloni forced to guarantee Europe and the USA, as head of government of a G7 country. It will then be to see the last and possible mutation of our non -existent knight: if a tomorrow he ever returns to be the Prime Minister. Who knows what other shining armor can and want to wear.

“Also to be learned …”