Four questions by Rosara Di Girolamo to Bruno Amoroso on the origins of the M5S.
The founder of The Movimento Five Stars is an artist who is set as an antagonist to a political system that has made exaggerated use of the media. The label of “grillismo” attributed to this movement that at the beginning has offended its members or followers will show up to be a strength for the founder.
When and why you received the title of Professor Emeritus?
The correct title is Docent Emeritus and certifies a long period of survival in the academic world (in my case the Danish one). Emeritus does not necessarily coincide with Merit. The emeritus survival may be due to his academic ability to become the “Advisor of the People” or his academic opportunism to be the “Advisor of the Prince” The appreciation of one or the other of these quality varies depending on the case and the point of view of the viewer.
What do you think of the current post-election situation? And what solution would you recommend to M5S.
The election result (February 2013) responds to the expectations of those who were wondering what had become of the spirit of revolt and of the Italian Renaissance. In simpler words, the limit of their patience and the aspiration to right and the beautiful. As always, the winners are those who seek and find roads other than those shown on the map (or GPS) and recommended by the “wise men” of journalism, politics and culture. So the first advice to M5S is not to listen to the advice of those who have always wrong, but keep intact his original intuition and deep connection with the hearing of people. In Italy (M5S), as in Spain (Indignatos), Greece (Siryza), United States (Occupy Wall Street) has finally exploded and the protest was organized in a movement reminiscent of the most important changes in history. In ancient Rome, the corrupt Senate had monopolized for itself and its supporters the ownership of the common goods (lands) expropriating peasants. It was an elected representative of the people and of the proletarized middle class that put the “VETO” to the functions of the Senate and imposed limits on the theft of the property perpetrated by the senators of the time. To the veto of the Senate to social reforms Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus opposed its veto at the functioning of the State resulting in the start of important social reforms. Revenge of the Senators did not fail to arrive, with the murder of Tiberius, but social reformers are well aware of that risk.
To what extent the electoral success of M5S helps the development of the concept of democracy? Are we confident that it helps the democratic project in progress in Italy?
The electoral success of M5S is the most important event of democracy that has taken place in Italy during the last 33 years. This is because it brings down the walls in defense of privilege (“acquired rights”) that the previous democratic consensus had erected. In particular it challenges the principle that change can take place with the defense of the existing state of affairs and Law. The existing laws are the institutions built to defend privileges and injustices. This is why the strategy of the left based on a “legal approach” in defense of the law and the institutions has failed. Any form of solidarity and social change, today as yesterday, in civil rights and the economy, requires the elimination of laws, rules, and regulations erected and administered in defense of privileges. After the great democratic movement of the Resistance all the basic rules of the State were rewritten canceling the rights acquired during the fascist period. Today we need a similar radical change, where the rewriting of the laws is joined by the cancellation of a political-administrative and judicial structure in collusion with the power and responsible of the current crisis in the Italian society.
Can we state that probably the goal achieved now by M5S contribute to denounce the demon of the “white coup” as a response to what had happened, and already identified in some circuits of foreign media and intellectual forces with the previous government?
The result of M5S is a good starting point, for the hope which creates and the pressures for concrete changes. It makes more difficult to complete the “white coup” (or “white fascim” as stated by Giulio Tremonti) implemented by international finance thanks to collusion (corruption) of the political and institutional system. Italy, and Europe attended mute the imposition of a “single thought”, last year turned into a “unique power”, that have brought misery on our streets with an unprecedented levels of institutional corruption and robbery. The war is back in our daily news, once again disguised as a “colonial socialism”, along with the more sinister forms of slavery and impoverishment of 99% of the population. Therefore, the awakening produced by M5S to a great alliance against the 1% of the financial and military power is a right and realistic project.