“At the age of 75 and as a citizen who is preparing to leave this world, I don’t need to lick anyone’s ass”. Thus the former magistrate Antonio Di Pietro, in his fresh book Justice seen up closeparries the criticisms raining down on him in this referendum campaign. He chose “yes” and is probably the most inspiring testimonial on this front.

He, the symbolic man of Mani Pulite, finds himself on the opposing side of his former colleague Gherardo Colombo and much of the left. Don’t worry about Alessandro Sallusti, called to manage the communication of the “yes” campaign. The former leader of Italia dei Valori did much more, carried to triumph by the Mediaset networks and centre-right newspapers. Also signing peace with that public opinion that had first praised him, then criticized (and even slandered him).

Il Corriere: “He’s bored being a farmer”

For Di Pietro the “PM will be more autonomous thanks to the CSM draw”. Corriere della Sera speaks of a second youth for the former minister, who has returned to the limelight after years of oblivion. For the celebrations of the thirty years of Mani Pulite, with the exception of a televised clash between Enrico Mentana and Bobo Craxi, little was seen. Now, claims Fabrizio Roncone in Urbano Cairo’s newspaper, he is probably bored being a farmer in Montenero di Bisaccia, in his native Molise. That’s why he goes around the televisions – looking straight into the room – and prints a memoirbecause he feels like “mentally retracing” his experience “with the benefit of hindsight”.

A strange referendum campaign

A lot of water has passed under the bridge from the covers (one above all the “Di Pietro let us dream” of Tv Sorrisi e Canzoni by Mondadori) and from the fax people: for everyone he was the former policeman turned magistrate, now called to talk about the “supercop” of the Nordio reform. It is another piece of the mosaic of the referendum on justice, which is giving Italians a varied spectacle. In the meantime, the global structure is changing but the trivia of our country is entertaining. What a strange referendum campaign that has emerged. Dario Franceschini, the tactician of the Democratic Party, some time ago, suggested throwing it into politics (translated: let’s throw it into the mess), without going into the technicalities of the reform, stuff for insiders. He was satisfied under every rosiest expectation. For magistrate Nino Di Matteo “freemasons and mafiosi will vote yes”. Boom: there’s material for a week of pre-Sanremo controversy. Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri also stands out as a great protagonist. He certainly has a problem with the WhatsApp messages he receives from friends: many contain inaccuracies, which he repeats on TV and on public occasions.

Di Pietro for the “yes”, Pomicino for the “no”

In the newspapers, meanwhile, we wonder what Andreotti and Craxi would have said and voted for. About Berlusconi, we can easily guess. Di Pietro – as already seen – votes yes, Paolo Cirino Pomicino is for no. The roles have been reversed, we no longer understand anything. Is this perhaps the opposite world of Vannacciano style? Or is it the showdown of the First Republic? Sergio Cusani’s book comes out (the one who ended up in prison for the huge Enimont bribe) and his lawyer Giuliano Spazzali dies. The Biscione TV channels uncover cases of exaggerated imprisonment which then ended with full acquittals. Followed by small amounts of compensation. Everything adds up. Stefano Zurlo of “Il Giornale” puts together a paper (“Without justice”) that collects the worst cases of this kind: lives upset by judicial errors that should lead us to vote yes. Matteo Salvini, after his maxi stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo for the Olympics, is more interested in the fate of the family in the woods. The CGIL is pushing hard for the no, the CISL invites everyone to vote (you decide what, but go). Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni breaks through and finally shows her face: 13 minutes of video, plus announcements, commercials and more. We need to mobilize the centre-right voters: those of the “no” vote seem more motivated. Meloni will do an interview a day on the topic, glossing over Italy’s position in the clash between the USA and Iran a bit. Even “Osho”, the one with “memes” in Roman dialect, begins preparing cartoons to reinvigorate the “yes” front.

You can’t get distracted: you only see lawyers and magistrates around

Enough with the referendum campaign and political talks, it’s better to distract yourself a bit. We press the Sky button on the remote control and we see Luca Argentero: he has become the lawyer Lorenzo Ligas. He too with the toga. We return to the free-to-air channels and the familiar face of Alessandro Gassmann appears. Who plays? Another lawyer, Guido Guerrieri. Creation of the pen of Gianrico Carofiglio, another former magistrate. At least neither Ligas nor Guerrieri take a position. But there are always courts in the middle. Marco Bellocchio – at a guess someone who will vote “no” – presents the international TV series “Portobello”, dedicated to the figure of Enzo Tortora and this becomes a maxi commercial for the “yes”. Everything here is a referendum. All that’s missing is the revival, in prime time, of the Mani Pulite trials, with Forlani’s drool and Craxi’s theatricality. Once upon a time there was a part of the country that was waiting for the end of Sanremo to put all its aftermath of events and controversies behind it. Now the date to mark on the calendar is March 23rd: all that remains is to wait.