There is bitterness in Davide Casaleggio’s words. The son of Gianroberto, the founder of the 5 Star Movement together with Beppe Grillo, did not hide his disappointment at the decline of the political creature which more than others was born to welcome “participation from below”, an element which has now almost completely disappeared. He admitted this in an interview with Il Giornale in which he tried to answer questions about the civil war that is shaking the party led by Giuseppe Conte. “I contributed as a volunteer to create a movement which then went into government. Basically – today – all the principles of the movement have been ignored, obviously the voters are distancing themselves. One election after another. The M5S has lost 6 million votes in the political elections and another 2 million votes in the European elections. Of the thousand city councilors who were there at the beginning of the Conte management, 150 remain. This is the Conte management”, he said.
An argument, that of Casaleggio, with no holds barred. “If today I were to think about a political recovery, I would think about the possibility of having people participate directly in individual battles, with digital tools. En masse,” he said. The true value of the M5S which is disappearing today is “participation from below. That was the promise. Active participation has disappeared. We no longer even know how many members there are… I don’t know how many parties in Europe have a guarantor who does not can know the number of members”. The former prime minister, and here’s the thrust, “has strung together an incredible number of electoral disasters. He needs to find those to blame for his management. But I believe that by now Conte has run out of people to blame”.
Strong words, to which was added a lucid analysis of the flaws in the strategy implemented by the leader of the political force: “The Movement made many mistakes when it excluded the power of the base. This also happened with the choice to enter the Draghi government. Today there is only one party body, the President. Who appoints all the other bodies and who was voted for by a single candidate. And if these decisions don’t work it’s clear who owns it responsibility. There is no escaping it.”
#Conte #created #electoral #disasters #Tempo
**Interview with Davide Casaleggio: Reflections on the 5 Star Movement’s Decline**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us, Davide. You’ve recently expressed disappointment regarding the decline of the 5 Star Movement. Could you elaborate on your feelings about this situation?
**Casaleggio:** Of course, it’s a bitter realization for me. The movement, which was founded to encourage participation from the grassroots, has strayed far from its original principles. The political structure we envisioned is now largely absent. I’ve witnessed a massive decline in voter support—6 million votes lost in the past political elections and another 2 million in the European elections. The drop is shocking.
**Editor:** You mentioned in your interview that the active participation of members has diminished. How significant is that to the identity of the 5 Star Movement?
**Casaleggio:** It’s everything! Active participation was the promise we made to the public. Now, that spirit of engagement is nearly gone. We’ve allowed ourselves to become disconnected from our base. I can’t even tell you how many members we have at this point. It’s perplexing to think of a party in Europe where the guarantor doesn’t know the number of members.
**Editor:** In light of this decline, you suggested a shift towards digital tools for grassroots participation. Can you expand on what that might look like?
**Casaleggio:** Absolutely. If I were to consider a path to recovery for the movement, it would involve enabling direct involvement from the public in individual campaigns through digital means. This would allow us to mobilize support and rekindle that sense of community and purpose that we once had. We need to refocus on the power of the people, rather than being solely driven by party leadership.
**Editor:** You also touched on the leadership of Giuseppe Conte. How do you assess his role in the current situation of the M5S?
**Casaleggio:** Conte’s management has been marked by a drastic reduction in our local representation. From nearly a thousand local councilors at the start of his leadership, we now have just 150 remaining. This is indicative of broader issues in leadership and strategy that have led to a disconnect with our core values and the electorate.
**Editor:** Thank you for sharing your insights, Davide. It seems the path forward will require introspection and a return to these foundational principles.
**Casaleggio:** Yes, it will take serious reflection and a concerted effort to engage our members and voters again. We’ve lost our way, but if we can re-establish that direct line to the people, there is still hope for the future of the 5 Star Movement.
